Absolute joke - trigger warning

[hlc123]

Went to the Dr's at 9.20 this morning to ask for some anti-anxiety medication as I am experiencing really bad intrusive thoughts/ suicidal ideation.
The Dr asked some questions so told him what is going on in my head.
He mentioned the crisis team. I said I don't want to involve the crisis team, i will be passed from service to service and end up feeling worse.
He said he had a duty as a GP to contact the crisis team so I said ok then.
He called them and said 'This patient is in crisis,' and told me to go home and the crisis team would contact me. He also refused to give me any anti anxiety medication.
That was 9.5 hours ago and i have heard nothing after waiting and feeling even more anxious and on edge. I ended up calling the drs just before they closed to say I want to go to put my pyjamas on and get into bed without worrying about the crisis team contacting me, so the receptionist said they will notify the crisis team.
It's NOT ok to not be ok because there isn't any support and this is why I keep seeing posts about suicides being at all time high

I’m so sorry you have been treated so poorly OP. The NHS MH services are in such a dire state that they don’t have the time and resources to respond to people in crisis as quickly as they need.

Can you phone NHS Direct option 2 and speak to the mental health team?

ring them yourself? 111 option 2!

I just want some anti anxiety meds so in the evening when the thoughts are keeping me awake, I can sleep.
I didn't want a referral to the crisis team, I have been here before. I know they will refer me to the Mental Health Team for an assessment. They will then pass me on to a service that offers 5-6 sessions who will assess me and say 'You have a 30 year history of mental illness, we can't help you,' and pass me back to the mental health team. I end up feeling even worse and even more of a lost cause.
I told the GP this and he said he had a duty to contact them as the thoughts are so severe which I get. But then for me to spend 9+ hours on edge waiting for them and not hear anything is ridiculous.

is there a reason why you are not currently on any meds? I am very surprised that the GP has not given you a prescription given you have a 30 year history or MH issues?

i am classed as high functioning. I have an excellent relationship with my GP, and they know if i contact them, its because i've dipped and things are not going well. I know what meds to ask for, and they are happy to prescribe.

i am also surprised that you do not already know how to contact crisis team yourself? i am in no way doubting your account, its just surprising given your history.

@thursdaymurderclub I have said in my posts don't want to involve the crisis team but the GP said he had to refer me. Then waited 9 hours and no contact from them.
I am on anti-depressants but I was requesting diazepam which I have taken in the past but are not on my repeat prescription.

is there a reason why you are not currently on any meds? I am very surprised that the GP has not given you a prescription given you have a 30 year history or MH issues?

The problem is that short-acting anti anxiety meds are benzos and it's extremely difficult to get those without a prior prescription. 9 out of 10 people going to the GP for those are addicts and lying about their symptoms in hopes of getting medication. Sadly OP you were the one genuine patient but GPs are very guarded about prescriptions. If you've had severe MH issues for so long, he might assume you already had a treatment plan that should have included anti-anxiety meds for emergencies. The true failure here was the crisis team and it's inexplicable why they took so long.

MH services are despicable. It might be a bit late but do you have old fashioned antihistamines to help zombie you out a little. I think Benadryl is old style.

Magnesium also. I appreciate you might not be able to get out now to sort.

If you're having suicidal ideation, the GP may br reluctant to give you medication and that is understandable. You need a different approach by someone who specialises in MH, so they can treat holistically. You're in the thick of it right now but you need long term solutions. Most GPs I suspect wouldn't hand out diazepam to someone who was in crisis without them seeing a specialist first. Most crisis teams will be expected to contact someone within 24-48 hours. They don't have the resources to contact everyone immediately, it's shit but it's just not possible for them to contact everyone within the day. They would have contacted you eventually. Maybe call the GP back and tell them that you do want intervention from the crisis team and see what they suggest when they contact you?

diazepam? i'm not surprised the GP never gave you the script!

ring crisis team! you know the number

After an attempt 111(2) sent me to a mh place, I went spoke to someone who said you're highly suicidal leave it with me, sent me home - and then called me back a week later.

Meds might help mask or dampen feelings but you need to look at the root as well.

Go back next week and ask for some mh support.

Also diazepam can actually cause people who are feeling suicidal to start planning or seriously considering suicide. Your GP really has done the correct thing here.

Thats awful

It’s disgusting, isn’t it?

I had similar. I was referred for an assessment under the MH act but instead of seeing me they rang my ex-partner who told them I was ok so I was discharged!

I don't want to deal with the crisis team! I told the GP that but he said had a duty to refer me, called and said 'I have a patient here in crisis,' told me to go home and they would contact me and I've waited since 10am this morning in a horrible state of anxiety and not heard from them.

i assume you ARE ok?

Yup knowing I had just actively hurt myself and then called for help. Knowing I was going home alone, she just said she was worried, I was highly suicidal but she'd put me forward for the team meeting to see what they could offer me. A week later I had a follow up at the gp as I'd been in the Week before for mental health and I said we'll I tried to not be alive the other day. She was straight onto the crisis team and the woman I saw a week earlier finally called me back and said I didn't meet criteria for support

why dont you want to deal with the crisis team?

We’re so sorry to hear that you’re feeling like this, OP. We wanted to share Mind's information with you - it has practical tips on what you can do when you feel like this and where to get urgent help. Maybe take a look and see if there’s anything which might be helpful right now: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/self-harm/helping-yourself-now

Please do think about exploring some of the options in the link above. Samaritans are there for you too, 24/7, by emailing _[email protected].

@thursdaymurderclub I will copy and paste what I already posted:

I have been here before. I know they will refer me to the Mental Health Team for an assessment. They will then pass me on to a service that offers 5-6 sessions who will assess me and say 'You have a 30 year history of mental illness, we can't help you,' and pass me back to the mental health team. I end up feeling even worse and even more of a lost cause.

The problem with this is that there are processes in place that GPs must follow. They are not equipped to deal with people who are in crisis as they are nor specialists. They have to refer to the crisis team. If you don't want them to do that then there's not much they can do. You went in with the intention of getting diazepam and they correctly said no. Mental health services are awful and it can be a battle to get help. That's not ok. But you do need to accept what is offered to you, especially if that's the only option in the moment.

ok then