I do my fair share of moaning about the mental health services and there have been a few occasions when I've felt that I've been let down by them. But all in all, I have to admit I've been pretty lucky.
I have a care co-ordinator who, through all our ups and downs, has always come through for me. Within a few weeks of my initial referral to the CMHT, I was admitted to a specialist unit for treatment and I was extremely fortunate to be given funding for 11 months IP care. My care package in the community has been very comprehensive, I was offered and referred for every service offered within the area which my team felt might be beneficial for me, including complimentary therapies such as acupuncture, which has been amazing.
When I relapsed, my dietician and ED nurse intervened early on; instead of being allowed to deteriorate further and become acutely unwell again, I was given further specialist day care (which was funded out of area as my trust doesn't have a specialist unit). Because of their pro-active attitude, this admission was much shorter and less distressing than it would have been had they waited until I was in medical crisis.
Following my discharge from day care, my care co-ordinator made a referral for me to get into supported housing and I moved into my new home less than four weeks after the initial paperwork was submitted.
I am also fortunate to have a fantastic therapist who I have worked with now for over seven years, although I have funded this privately.
I've met a lot of people experiencing similar difficulties to me who have never been given the opportunities that I have, the variation in services offered to people, even within the same trust, is grossly unfair.
I think that this is a great thread, it's so easy to focus on the short-fallings of the mental health services, but there are some fantastic professionals out there who really make a difference to peoples' lives.
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