What are Mental Health services like in your area?

[staylucky]

I'm wondering because quite frankly i'm shocked by how poor they are in my area (Leeds)

Last weeks local rag headlined that 514 patients had disappeared from a mental health unit in the space of one year. 100 or so of them were eventually found by the police when family members prompted a search the rest remain missing.

I've had an absolutely rubbish time with the care where I live. Appointments missed, no contact made, notes lost, this feeling of being a statistic to a bunch of apathetic amateurs. Do proper mental health services actually exist on the NHS?

I'm very very lucky that I have such a wonderful family supporting me, they have got me through the last two years unharmed. I really wonder how people who have little support and get to breaking point cope with it?

The hardest thing I ever did was going to my GP and asking for help but it's since been my biggest regret.

I really hope that things are better in other areas of the country x

I think its about expectation really.. and then the reality.

what exactly do you want them to do? is it specific? obviously if it's incompetance you need to complain, there are pals services set up for this.

I think the services are pretty much standard nationally with the nice guidlines etc..

I'm glad your family are supportive, that makes such a differnce.

I've had maybe three sucessful apointments since I was first referred. By successful I mean that I arrived and there was someone there. Or someone called when they said they would....

They mainly consist of me being asked So how are you feeling and lots of awkward silences. In all honesty i'm no longer bothered for myself, I'd like to cease going and having them contact me but they don't appear to want to do so. The thing is I feel like because I am pregnant they feel bound to keep my name on a list. But they have not actually done anything other than keep calling me then missing appointments.

I just think that were I one of those women close to breaking in charge of a young family alone, and living in squalor no one would actually know about it would they!

Thankfully i'm fit and well.

Staylucky, i'm not sure what your wanting from the services iyswim?

you say your fit & well?

I think that there are safety nets, namely family, but also hv's, gp's etc who would identify a woman in need. None of us are truly alone.

Sorry to ask again, but what do you want them to do for you? If you don't want a service just say that to them. Do your family think you need help?

Last year I needed their help. I needed someone to talk to and reassure me that I wasn't going mad. Luckily I had my family because the services in place let me down so badly.

I now feel fit and well but cannot get them to leve me alone! It's like all I've managed to get out of the service is the feeling that I'm being watched. They will complete 6 home visits when my baby is here. What I'm Fed up about is that my depression was never anything to do with my being pregnant, it began before but now they know j am pregnant they have taken this stance that it's for the good of my baby.

Sorry if that's hard for anyone to understand but my baby's due in the next week and I'm so annoyyed that I will have a troop of people trailing through my home for no reason when they couldn't be bothered to tackle the problem when I actually had it!!!!!

mine have been really good. gp referred my to group and cbt - waiting less than a month and that included xmas. See consultant psychiatrist regularly and can call him if need him. Waiting for more CBT and have been accepted on the next self empowerment course (i chickened out of the last 2)