How to get help....that helps

[HatchlingDragon]

Does anyone know if there is an online guide or good book about how to get help with mental health? Focus on anxiety/trauma and depression/burnout.

I feel like it's a system or game and I don't know how to play. Last time, 6 or 7 years ago, I meekly accepted the antidepressants, got telephone therapy through a work helpline (6 sessions). Eventually got back off the tablets after 3 or 4 years.

I've been struggling for a year or two. I've changed and know more about triggers etc. towards the end of last year I had 4 guided self help sessions and have to wait 8 weeks to refer back for anymore. This week I finally booked a GP appointment (phonecall only thing on offer). Work and self help practitioner had suggested I do this. During the call I was told I took up too much time, needed to know what I wanted when I made an appointment, was told at least twice I needed to pay for private therapy. The GP seemed shocked when I asked if I could be referred to get a proper diagnosis/assessment as this now seems to be my life/cycle rather than an isolated blip. NHS don't do this apparently! Clearly I don't understand the rules. Currently don't want meds as last time the high doses caused problems with other meds and long term conditions due to side effects. Which would be a good reason to refer me I would think. Am I missing something here that everyone else knows and I don't?

Unfortunately I think you would be better to pay for a private psychiatrist consultation if you can stretch to it. The NHS MH system is buggered so you won’t get much help
there unless you are very ill (and not even then in most cases)

There isn't enough money or people working there

Is that what the psychiatrist would do if I saved up enough to do that? How would I refer myself? Or find one. Surely you need a GP or something to do that. This is what I mean. How is a person supposed to know how any of this works and navigate it. I don't want to pay out a whole lot of money and still have no answers. Do they look at other medications and how you might respond to various treatments? It sounds very expensive and uncertain. Probably why it isn't now available on the NHS. I wish this was more transparent. Paying privately feels like it further undermining the system for everyone else, if there are psychiatrists out there but NHS services can't refer to them because they now work privately.

Thanks for the replies. I'll maybe look into this but it makes me feel very sad.

Can you break it into parts? What is causing burnout? Can you change anything to prevent that? Have you got techniques to help the anxiety? CBT for depression and anxiety? Exercise, mindfulness, time spent outside, hobbies??
I am on fluoxetine. It took a very long time to find the right medication but I have no intention of coming off. I’m so much better on it.

Anxiety and trauma respond well to therapies such as EMDR and remedial hypnosis. Burnout is often more of a lifestyle issue once you are in a position to be objective about the problems.

What an indictment of our mental health "services".
Could you try contacting MIND and ask them to help you navigate your way through the system?
I share the view that if you have the means it is probably worth making a private appointment.

@Mischance that sounds like a very good idea. I will contact MIND as a first step.
@Eyesopenwideawake I think I need to know more before I try other therapies. So doing what Mischance suggests first and finding out more about those therapies and whether they might work for me would be progress.
@Wolfiefan I have CBT techniques, hobbies, time outside exercising. Trying to find energy to do them another matter. Some of this covered in the guided self help as heavily based on CBT. I will look at the different parts. I've already started looking into alternatives to what I was on last time. Thanks for sharing your experience

The book 'why has nobody told me this before' is very good.