Discharged by Mental Health Team....Not because I don't need their help....but because I failed to go to 2 appointments...

[MsF]

....and I now have to go back to my GP and be reffered...and assessed...

and all because I forgot appointments.

Oh how i wished my OCD made me a tidy organised person...rather than the chaotic muddled forgetful soul that i am....then i would hav eremembered to go to the 2 appointments.

yes...i understand that 'people like me' that do not turn up for appointments.... cost the NHS loads of money....and make waiting lists longer...and stop other people who 'would remember to turn up' from getting the appointment slot that i forgot.....

BUT.... I have mental health probs.... and getting a letter out of the blue telling me that i have been discharged (which i know is due to 'my error' ).... makes me feelth awful.

additionally, due to my weight , my GP advised i reduce my prozac from 60 to 40mg 2 weeks ago... what a time to find i cannot now just call the mental health team if i feel wobbly.....

What cat said

Unfortunately this is why nhs waiting lists are often so long. They can only make so many allowances I'm afraid beofre moving on to another on the waiting list. Did you explain after you missed the earlier one ? Next time have a prominent wall calender and get into the habit of checking it everyday.

I work for a mental health team. If you have serious problems getting out then you should ask them to do a home visit. However if its just about getting organised then cats suggestions are great.

Unfortunately services are pretty stretched so we have to prioritise those who engage with the team, those with psychotic disorders or who are deemed to present with significant risk issues.

Go back to your GP and ask for a re referral stressing that you are motivated to see the mental health team. Best of luck

I have been where you are
I now have a social services family supprt worker who knows all my app and rings and reminds me of them all
she also trys to get home visits for me and combine apps with diff people so less chance to forget them

would you contact social services for help?

our local SALT department is even worse- they threaten to discharge you if you don't phone up in advance to confirm your kid will attend(!)

Can't remember if you have phone issues or not if not, I would phone up the Mental Health team, and cry a bit, explain you cocked up etc, and see if they will let you back on their books without the whole assessment rigmarole. problem is that MH services are so hard pressed that often noone is going to bother finding out if you aren't turning up because you are unwell rather than simply can't be arsed with them anymore.

I agree with staggerlee (I work in a crisis team).

TotalChaos it isn't so much that we don't "bother to find out" why people aren't turning up, we can only do so much. People only tend to be discharged after numerous attempts to contact them.

However some people choose (or are unable to) answer their phones/check their messages or reply to our letters. In our team we even tend to make a home visit to see if the person is at home and will be able to make a definite appt to see us. We generally are left with no option but to liaise with the GP who has generally referred the person. If the GP confirms that there is no psychotic illness/major mental illness that means the person is totally unable to engage then we do have limited option after we have tried all of the above.

OP do as someone else suggests and contact the team direct to see if they will make one further exception. however if you are offered a Third appt please make try to make sure there is someone to remind you about it or see if the team can offer a reminder service. (phone call the day before or similar, I have done that for patients myself)

apologies about the "don't bother" comment - I didn't have crisis teams in mind when I said that,as my experience of services didn't involve crisis.

TotalChaos no need to apologise. After I typed my response I kind of thought that you were probably just using a figure of speech rather than accusing us of not bothering.

thanks.

have spoken to the secretary at the MH team. I did end up blubbering...but she was lovely to talk to.

unfortunately...for all the reasons you all mentioned...i do have to be re-reffered.

however...she made a very good point. maybe NOW is a chance for me to 'go it alone'....as it is easy to become dependant and scared to not have support.

so that is what i am going to try and do.

IF i do deteriorate...and end up having to see GP...then i'm sure the last thing on my mind will be the anxiety i feel now about being refferd/assessed.

my DH thinks i am not coping now...and thinks i should be reffered straight away. however, i think that alot of how i cope is linked to the fact that all 3 of my boys are autistic (2 also have ADHD) and maybe i look to the mental health team for inappropriate support(meaning that i am prolonging my depression to get support generally) rather than what the MH team is really for???? does that make sense?

so ....

Today is the First day of the rest of my life.

(and ...Today is the Tomorrow I Worried About Yesterday.....and all is well.....so far!!!!)

I think I see what you are getting at re:inappropriate support - do you feel you are looking for friendship/social support rather than a purely therapeutic support? I think I agree with your DH though - bear in mind that assessments etc can take a few months to come through - might as well get in the system now, anyway, whilst you are feeling reasonably OK about going it alone - as you could cancel the referral if you start to feel lots better anyway.