NHS treatment, inpatient, CMHT, private AHHH
 

Why are there so little options for people with mental health problems in this country? WHY?

I've been looking online and I can find so many, amazing sounding treatment centres in the US and absolutely nothing in the UK. Now maybe I'm just idolising things a bit and I know that it's all about insurance over there and it's really hard to get the money but at least they have options should you have money. Here, it seems like even if you have money there is nothing more than a private therapist that you can get with it and they so often seem to be crap as well. People say that it's great that we have the NHS and don't have to pay for healthcare. I agree that it's good for emergency services but for me, well they've only made me worse.

I WANT HELP. 8 month (and that's a sort one) waiting list for therapy, 3 months between psych appointments which they do nothing in but grill me then tell me to leave, psych's change every 6 months, crisis team are awful etc.

I've tried to raise my concerns, i've tried to get a different doctor, i've tried to get them to listen to me. But I'm haven't attempted suicide in the last week so everything must be ok, right? They do not help you unless you are in crisis. Then they give you drugs until your behaviour is stable and send you on your way.

I want to put my head through a wall.

*big hugs* I completley understand, my CHMT can treat my bipolar with meds but there is NO nhs treatment at all for my BPD, diddly swat.

They've even lied about treatment promises.

*more hugs* I know how frustrating it can be

Thanks *hugs back*

I just don't get what we're are meant to do? it's not going to go away by itself and believe it or not I actually don't want to die, so what....am I just supposed to wait until I get so frustrated I can't take it anymore? That would get me out of the way and *solve* the problems.

I think it's ridiculous that any of us have to spend any energy thinking and fighting against people who are supposed to help us, rather than on our actual illness's and getting better. So ****ing twisted.

*cuddles* I sympathise with you, been in a situation where nothing is being done and even my doctors pulling her hair out trying to find something
xxx

Yeah is frigging sucks. It's so stupid that as others have said, we spend more time fighting for help than we would actually need to be treated in the frst place. It's so annoying. Even my GP was saying that facilities are awful; that they know someone should be able to go into hospital to get a break from their issues and be able to start resolving them, yet they can't, and that you have to be pretty much dead to get any help at all. And even then they just fix you physically and send you on your way, only for you to need to do exactly the same thing a week later. It's absolute hypocricy and I'm beginning to think it actually goes against out human rights. I know healthcae isn't a right, but

" all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights"

Surely that means that we deserve as much support as they would give say a cancer sufferer (relative to our needs of course), but no, because we don't suffer from a "physical" illness we're not deemed to be worthy of support. And who said the brain isn't a physical part of us anyway? Just because it's not say a cancer or anything doesn't mean it's not a physical illness, it just affects us in emotional ways.

Sorry, I'm just ranting now. But it's something I just feel too strongly about.

Psychotherapy at a place out my area was suggested (and agreed to by me) last May/June. CPN finally found out how to refer me in October. I was supposed to hear from them within a couple of weeks. Nothing. CPN finally chased it up in January - I fill in the questionnaire being completely honest about my harming etc. First screening appt at beginning of March and I was rejected due to my self harm - I need to have managed without it for several months ditto alcohol . wtf? They specialise in helping peeps like me but want me to have stopped self harming before seeing them - I wouldn't need to see them if that was possible. My team say they will write back and explain they are willing to take the risk - this took them 6 weeks to do. I am stuck - the help I need is refused and there is no other option. Screwed. Yet other peeps on this site seem to get therapy at the drop of the hat and other areas have specialist self harm units, etc. It doesn't seem fair to me.

I don't think it's fair to say that the NHS deem us 'not worthy' of support. Bear in mind that mental illness is still a very new, very underfunded thing. Cancer, although not necessarily known about in detail, has been known about in sorts for centuries.

It's not perfect, by a long shot - but there are services out there. If you don't like a private therapist, try another one - bear in mind that it will take time, it'll always take time, to get a therapist that you fit with, and that fits with you. Even in the US, even with the most perfect health service, you may not instantly find a therapist you click with.

It is difficult how different the health services are around the UK, but it totally depends on demand on the service at any one time - for example, around Christmas and around summer are both difficult to get support, because around Christmas, a lot more people need support, and around summer, the services tend to be lightened, because people are on holiday.

Just keep trying. To be honest, it's good that you are still fighting - it shows that you've got something inside you that makes you want to fight. In some ways, it does work out more beneficial for you because you do have to hang on, it gives you something to hang on to.

Keep trying, keep working for it, and look at the positives within your situation - yes, the level of care in the US may be significantly higher, but the cost per person of healthcare is also significantly higher, and there is a much higher risk of you being kicked out of care after a month, if your insurers don't agree. Comparisons don't really achieve anything, because the type of service is so completely different.

Use this as a situation where you can try to focus on the positives, to learn something, to develop within yourself. Only focusing on the lack of care won't do anything beneficial to you, but you can try to think of the positives - and there are some in there, as bleak as it feels now.

Take care
xxx

Thanks for the replies.

Dreaming - i know what you mean but my point is that at least there are options over there. That's something. There is nothing on the NHS. I personally can't come up with any other conclusion as to why they don't give us treatment or put enough money into it, apart from that they don't think it's important enough. It is immensely frustrating and disheartening going to different therapists, having no real idea of exactly what you need and it not working out. And almost impossible if you are in crisis.

no reason - that's awful. sorry you've had such bad experiences as well.

Whispered Secret - i completely agree with you. i was looking on the Mind website and it talks about the 'duty of care' a doctor has; it's a legal responsibility and if they don't treat you appropriately then it's against the law.

Anyway, I have a GP appointment tomorrow and one with an OT at my local team. Chances are both of them are going to be a complete waste of time but, like i've said, i have no other options. :sad:

Huh?

Private mental health service provision exists in the UK. The first company I thought of was the one which probably gets the most media attention (because it's where all the celebs go):- http://www.priorygroup.com/pg.asp?p=mentalhealth. I'm sure a more intensive google would find you more options. According to the Priory's website, they have inpatient, outpatient + day programmes and you can ask your GP to refer you or you can self-refer - you'd probably need to have a good few thousand pounds available in order to be able to fund that though (same as you would to go to one of the wonderful places in the US).

Andrew Solomon, in his book about suicide, The Noonday Demon (fab book, imho), looks at the US health care system's approach and gets a quote from a healthcare professional saying something like (I'm going by memory so this won't be exact) - "If you have a gun to your head, your insurance will pay for a hospital bed; put the gun down and you're back out on the street". Health-care insurers are out to make money, not to give you the best possible health-care and they'll fund the minimum treatment they can get away with. In the film Little Miss Sunshine, the uncle gets discharged from hospital a couple of days after a suicide attempt, while he's still really vulnerable, specifically because his insurance won't pay for him to be inpatient any longer. Plus, my impression is that reasonably priced health-insurance for people declaring ongoing mental-health problems is a pretty rare thing in the US.

There were special circumstances (it was during my uni final exams), but when I ended up ip on the NHS I was there for five weeks. Plus 6 weeks day-centre afterwards. I was lucky in that I was living in an area with very good mh services, but the 'postcode lottery' / 'local services tailored to local needs' debate is a separate issue. For now, I'll stand up and be counted as one of those who is so, so much happier to be served by the NHS than by a US-style system.

Most of the private hospitals are worse than the NHS as they are money driven. The focus is less therapeutic and much more about feeding you with drugs. They are not nurturing. This is just my experience.

You see, I've had a completely different experience - the private hospitals I've been in in the UK have been brilliant, very helpful, and totally focused on recovery.

It may be not something to rule out right away, anyway.

i'm talking hypothetically. Some pathetic dream that i might get access to better services, tho as I am completely broke, it will never happen.

i know this is a bit drastic, but could you move to a better area so you could have access to the services you need? i know it's not ideal anywhere in the UK, but i guess i know a lot of people in the US who have struggled to get appropriate treatment too. it's frustrating.
also, is there any way you could be referred for out-of-area treatment? you'd need funding and it might take a long time, and there is the chance of being refused, but i applied for out-of-area funding once and it was really worth it.

I live in the US, and it really isn't all that easy here, either.
Before I turned 18, I'd get 20 mental health related appointments a year, and 30 days of hospitalization (lifetime). I still had to pay a co-pay for my appointments.

I was told that my DBT therapy was covered, then a few months after it ended, they said I had to pay for it. It was thousands of dollars. It's almost 3 years later and I just finished paying it off. x]

During my hospital stay, people were pushed out quickly, often before they were ready. There was little one on one therapy. I met with the pschiatrist for 15 minutes before he tried to diagnose me with ADD (which I don't have).

When I turned 18 I fought to be transferred over to the local adult program (usually you wait until you graduate high school). Then was transferred to another program 8 weeks later without a choice.

There's help in some areas, but in a lot of places, there's none. It's expensive, with or without insurance (which is even more expensive). Most psychiatrists, therapists, and counselors have huge waiting lists. It isn't fun here either.

I'm sorry you're having such a struggle with it, though. Good luck. xx

yeh done that. I've lived in newcastle, london and now leeds. different experiences but basically the same was offered. had different cmht's in london as well cos i moved. i could give u the full story but would take a while.

out of area is a good idea but i guess it would mean traveling which would be hard and i reckon funding could be as hard to get unless there wasn't anything in my area.

thanks for the help xx

that's okay. i'm sorry you haven't got the help you need. fingers crossed that something will come along xxx