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Mental health team stressing me out!

Posted , 6 users are following.

BellaLuna
BellaLuna

Sorry for venting but they are making me feel worse as well as messing me around.

Months ago before i got this bad i told my CPN that i was feeling more stressed and anxious than usual, she said she would refer me for psycotherapy, she completely forgot and when i asked about it a couple of months later she said i was too ill to cope with it and need more meds.

I have a phobia of new meds, she refuses to discuss this phobia.

They made me an appointment 10 miles away to see a consultant, i explained my agoraphobia but they insisted it was the only way and home visits no longer exist.

Well needless to say i couldn't get there, now they have decided home visits do exist after all and i can have one but they don't know when yet.

The CPN is insisting i accept more medication, says nothing else can be said or done to help me but i don't want it.

I am getting CBT via phone in 6-7 weeks, my gp gave me the details to self refer so that is positive but the mental health team refuse to go down any other route than medication, if i ring the crisis team at night for support they just say 'You will be okay, they are going to sort out your medication'.

I am not well but have never been in hospital or anything and am seriously thinking about telling them to go away and leave me alone, they are not helping at all,in fact they just stress me out and make me worry more.

Again, sorry, just needed to vent.

3 likes, 21 replies

21 Replies

  • maria_1963
    maria_1963 BellaLuna

    Posted

    I really feel for you , but i don't know how i can help you as i have had problems with my CMHT , last April i was allocated a Social Worker and he accompanied me to a ESA assessment - which i was very grateful for as having him there made me feel safe from the person doing the assessment for the DWP , i saw him about 3 times after , then basically he forgot me , i would purposely overdose as being in the hospital ( not a psychiatric one ) meant i got help , the day i would be discharged i got told by the liaison mental health worker at the hospital that my SW would be in contact - no he didn't so back to overdosing , i have a phobia with phones - i get the shakes just answering it when unknown caller rang , it would take me hours , days just to get the courage to ring the Out of Hours Crisis Home Treatment and the workers at the CMHT knew that but did nothing to help me deal with the phone - just get told you will get used to it , i recently wrote an account of what happened last year and it has upset me badly looking back , last June i had the psychiatrist at the CMHT telling me that he would be telling the staff there to ignore my emails basically forcing me to ring when i needed help rather then email , the duty workers there are useless from my experience , the psychiatrist made my mental health worse , i had dreadful trouble getting my breath on the appointment in June so i was accused by him of sighing alot - that was because i was trying to get my breath settled , a couple of weeks after a locum doctor at my surgery picked up on the breathing and i was admitted to hospital and was told that i had blood clots on the lungs but that psychiatrist couldn't even realise something was wrong , in August after taking another OD as i had been ignored ny SW despite me telling him via email and letter that i needed to see him to talk through the blood clots diagnosis as it came as a shock to me , i had the Team Leader take me on from the CMHT so he comes out once a week sometimes more when i am not coping but having him can be difficult as he has duties to do at the centre being in charge of the workers there so i can not contact him just for a few reassuring words , he gave me a support worker who came round once a week to sit with me to do card making as i had lost all interest in crafts , etc that i used to do , but i haven't the Support Worker for 3 weeks - be 4 weeks tomorrow despite the team leader saying to me last Thursday that he would ask him - the support worker to contact me , but Team Leader does forget so i expect he has forgotten to ask support worker , mind you the support worker shouldn't need to be asked he should contact me as one of his clients even if it was just to check on me . I wish i could do more to help you , do rant on here as i am sure there are others who will be able to help you , advise you , please take care , thinking of you x
    • BellaLuna
      BellaLuna maria_1963

      Posted

      Thank you for the reply and i am so sorry to hear about your own awful experience too, it's terrible that they let you down so badly and continue to leave you without the support you really need.

      I know you can get an advocate to stand up for you if you feel you are being treated unfairly or that you are not getting adequate help when it would be fully posssible for them to provide you with it.

      In my case they will say the help they are providing is adequate because they are giving me a medication option but they absolutely refuse to take on board that I have a phobia of new meds,told them so many times that I couldn't take them even if I really wanted to.

      What with the stress and fear of constant anxiety,no real sleep and feeling trapped indoors I could really do without the stress of them point blank refusing to listen or consider any other option but pills.

      My husband is so annoyed with them too, he is worn out looking after me as it is and then he has to deal with them not even remembering simple details about me that they have had written down for them.

      They gave me diazepam 17 years ago and left me on it, I know I accepted it and I take responsibility for that because they didn't force me to take it but I was a terrified young woman at the time who believed it was all for the best yet here I am worse than ever, one wanted to add Lorazepam, said Lorazepam wasn't addictive, lucky I knew it is very addictive and refused it, another told me that anti-depressants take 6 months to work.

      I did complain once, they ignored it completely, they do take more notice if my husband speaks up so it's a good thing I have him, I just feel like they are making a very bad situation even worse x

       

    • maria_1963
      maria_1963 BellaLuna

      Posted

      It is a dreadful situation to be in - sadly the stress of what you and your husband are going through is adding on to your distress , areas around the UK differ so much as to what they offer , in a way my local NHS is okay - the hospital especially as the staff there have always treated me kindly , reassure me , are non-judgemental and that i have always made clear - i expect the workers at the CMHT are jealous as i rarely praise them , i do out of respect thank the team leader for his help - when he arranges prescriptions for me , etc - that is in my nature but because there is a terrible lack of communication over at the CMHT between the staff there as well as their communication with us clients i did complain last Summer to the local customer services for our NHS , i told the SW that i wasn't coping , friends also contacted the CMHT to tell them that i wasn't coping - didn't make any difference , i was in hospital after OD and the mental health liaison worker there told me that A... - my SW would be in contact on my return home , he wasn't so i ended up back in hospital and the mental health liaison worker who i saw the previous stay saw me and he told me that he was proud of me - first time anyone had told me that in the professional sense - he told me that because i didn't end up straight away back in hospital and that i had , had no support from A... or anyone else at the CMHT . I really feel for you as you could do with a support worker come to you ( like mine is suppose to see me ) , sit with you , do whatever you felt like doing - just talk , etc to give your husband a break . I live alone with a cat , but i do have friends who i can communicate each day online , have family nearby but i often need neutral people to talk to , have you tried MIND info line - see if they have any support in your area , Rethink Mental illness - have anywhere in your area - in my town they have a Recovery house which i may go to later , but am anxious in a strange place , strangers , sleeping away from home ( i do but a friends house when i  dogsit ) , also i have a female problem at the moment which makes it awkward sleeping in a strange problem , please take care , most importantly Rant all you want on here - that is the whole point of this forum - many people feel the same as you xx

       

    • BellaLuna
      BellaLuna maria_1963

      Posted

      I'm glad the hospital treat you kindly, we used to have a better system here, not great but better then it got really bad.

      I will look at MIND and Rethink cos I really do feel my hubby needs some respite although he insists he's fine but he's not really and he deserves a rest from it all.

      I understand your anxiety about sleeping away from home, I don't think I could ever manage that, I'm glad you have friends you can talk to online, feeling isolated is horrible and it's important to have people you can interact with.

      Thank you so much, I just need to let it out sometimes xx

  • mishelley828
    mishelley828 BellaLuna

    Posted

    No need to apologize Bella. We all need to vent. I just have a couple questions. I'm in the US, so abbreviations may be different. What is a CPN and a CPT? Have u been clinically diagnosed with Agoraphobia? And if so, why is it taking so long for them to sent you a therapist to your home. I feel awful for you and medication is not always the answer. You have to get to the root of why your afraid to venture outside.

    I'm here whenever u need to talk. It may take me awhile to respond only bc I work and I'm in school. But I will respond back. It seems like u live in a lonely world.

    • maria_1963
      maria_1963 mishelley828

      Posted

      CPN - Community Psychiatric Nurse ,

      CBT - Cognitive behavourial Therapy - talking through your thoughts and feelings ,etc

    • BellaLuna
      BellaLuna mishelley828

      Posted

      Thank you, yes it's community psychiatric nurse and Cognitive Behavioural therapy.

      I was diagnosed with agoraphobia years ago yes but was getting out okay with my husband and generally managing life although I did stay in contact with the mental health team who never really seemed too bothered about my situation.

      When things got worse just over 2 months ago with the anxiety and agoraphobia I told them I needed more help because I can't live like this and they said I had to travel to see a consultant, they said home visits were not possible.

      Well obviously as it was miles away I told them I couldn't make it and they just said 'you have to', now suddenly they are going to arrange a home visit but it's strictly to discuss this new medication that I am too scared to take and don't feel is right for me at all.

      I do have a very supportive husband but all of this is obviously dragging him down too, he's tired and hates seeing me suffer too, he does so much to try to help me but he's only human of course.

  • mishelley828
    mishelley828 BellaLuna

    Posted

    I suffer from anxiety and panic attacks but one of my therapies is talking to others and giving them some positivity in there life.
  • elizabeth2244
    elizabeth2244 BellaLuna

    Posted

    I'm sorry you are going through this I have a lot of anxieties myself i have done DBT it is different then CBT 

    With DBT you learn ways on how to deal with the problems and there is some mindfulness in there too you also learn how to accept the problem and you learn skills like relaxation and other skills in DBT 

    Its way of learning new skills you should try DBT it is helpful with people who have anxieties and depression

    • BellaLuna
      BellaLuna elizabeth2244

      Posted

      I've heard a it about DBT and a lot of people say it's good and a bit better than CBT too, I will ask about it but I expect they will just rattle on about meds again, no harm in asking though, I much prefer the therapy route to the added meds one,I know meds are great for some people but never have been any use to me really.
    • michaelall35712
      michaelall35712 BellaLuna

      Posted

      Some of us inherit irregular brain chemistry, and brain abnormalities.  That is a reason medication is recommended.  Think about this.  If you had type one diabetes, and you were told to take insulin or die?  What would you do.  Type 1 diabetes can not be cured with diet and exercise alone.  People HAVE TO take insulin to live!
  • michaelall35712
    michaelall35712 BellaLuna

    Posted

    It is frustrating, because anxiety/depression makes irritable. Well you need to except all the help you can get.  Have you ever heard the term "Feel the fear and do it anyways?" Well with all my quirky anxieties, I too was unable to leave the house at times, not go into crowded places, etc.  I read a book "A little book about Courage"  It is has greats stories and affirmations.  Well, I decided to face my fears and remind myself "Feel the fear, and do it anyways"  After a while the fear didn't have as much control over me, because I was proving to myself that I was lying to myself with the fears.  I recommend to you face your fears of getting on medications.  I am currently on an SSRI Lexapro, and take citalopram for the anxiety and it is working.  Medications are important to recovery for some us.  It gets our brain chemistry to a point that we see through the fog of negative thinking, and start to see things clearer.  I wish you the best.  Go face your fears!
    • Guest
      Guest michaelall35712

      Posted

      ive started taking showers again while on zoloft it made me more scared heavy legs i couldnt shower without taking a lorazepam now im taking more showers i still walk with a broom and am extremely anxious but little steps smile and i believe with the help of Jesus my lord and best friend helping me smile❤ we can all beat this!🙌🙌
    • BellaLuna
      BellaLuna michaelall35712

      Posted

      Well i was expecting a call from my CPN this morning about when the consultant can come to see me but it never happened, i have left her a voicemail so will see if she gets back to me.

      I have nothing against medication, i simply fear it but i am willing to discuss it further with the consultant when i hear back from them.

      I do apply the technique of facing my fears but as yet it has not reduced them, i know it takes time though and i just hope that eventually i can get through this horrible phase in my life.

    • maria_1963
      maria_1963 BellaLuna

      Posted

      I was sorry to hear that your CPN - i do feel the lack of communication makes our stress so much worse , those in the professional sense doesn't seem to understand how hard it is for us to deal with when we are told one thing and it doesn't happen , i feel let down so many times but it is always me who ends up apologising because i had to make a complaint to customer services , just feel i need to keep the peace by saying sorry .
    • BellaLuna
      BellaLuna maria_1963

      Posted

      Thank you, i know exactly what you mean, when they made me an appointment to see a consultant 10 miles away i was apologising for being agoraphobic and not being able to go.

      Yesterday i finally found the strength to go through my voicemails and as it turns out they had left a message the day after the appointment saying to call them because they needed to speak to me about the fact that they had cancelled it due to the doctor being ill, they let me cry and apologise for days after i hadn't made it despite the fact that they had cancelled it anyway and apart from that one voicemail not one of them mentioned that they had cancelled so it wouldn't have happened even if i had been able to go.

      It's hard enough being ill without having to constantly battle to get the help they promise but never deliver, i ask myself honestly how much they are really helping me and the answer is not at all.

       

    • BellaLuna
      BellaLuna michaelall35712

      Posted

      Yes I have thought about that, i will need to ask my gp if it is possible to have my care dealt with by a different mental health team, it may or may not be but i can only ask.
    • maria_1963
      maria_1963 BellaLuna

      Posted

      Worth trying if you explain how distress it is causing you and any decent doctor should understand that added stress is not going to do your mental health welfare any good .
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