What help for mental illness?

Sueinbirmingham

The NHS services round here have been cut back and you can't get help for love nor money. I thought it was just me until I started asking around people I knew.

So I'd echo what others have said about looking for alternative sources of help as well as NHS/social services.

You might find a support group or something at a community centre. Rummage around local charities/community groups for befriending services and support workers.

Good luck.

Errata

Ames - have a read of this for support in Leeds http://www.lslcs.org.uk/ it might be just what you need. Best wishes.

poppy10_2

Ames wrote: »

Apparently they don't provide cpns long term.

That's not true (or shouldn't be). There are cutbacks everywhere but if someone needs a CPN long-term than that is the service they have to provide. If they make that claim again, ask them to put it in writing and then take it to the management via PALS

Ames

In writing? They can't even write up a drugs chart properly and on time let alone anything else!

I have a CPN now to see once a week for a few weeks. I asked her to refer me to psychology but she said it'll take so long for me to get to the top of the waiting list that I'm better off going private or third sector. So I'm going to look into that, although cost will obviously be a factor.

Long term the plan is for me to go to self help groups and if things get bad get re referred to the community team. It seems that it's harder to get help now though because they assess your referral before even seeing you and decide whether you need a nurse, doctor, social worker or OT. They tried (badly) to sell it as being a better service, but I don't see how it can be. I can see that this attempt to save money is going to cost them more in the long run.

Sugar_Coated_Owl

It's no wonder people end up as a revolving door patient. The care they provide in the community just isn't enough.

Ames

For the first few days I was in the unit I was surprised that so many people had been there before. I thought that they must be far more ill than me since they still ended up there when they were getting support in the community. Now I've realised that the community care stops so quickly I can completely understand how people become, as you say, revolving door patients.

System

Ames, am i right in thinking you have Bipolar? (if i'm not the next part of my post won't be much help-sorry!)

Re: support groups, Bipolar Uk (formally known as MDF) run support groups, you can find a local group here: http://www.bipolaruk.org.uk/self-help-group-map.html A friend with bipolar found it really helpful and supportive

spendaholic66

I would suggest to OP that whoever is involved in your care now knows about your fears about what is going to happen long term. You say you are a patient at a day hospital, does this mean it's not residential and you don't stay overnight?

Ask people there about help available before you leave. It is not right that you will be expected to cope alone. I feel pretty fortunate in that with my diagnosis of BP, BPD, OCD and PTSD I see my cpn once to twice a week, a psychologist once a week, a psychiatrist once a fortnight, plus they are no making arrangements to be seen every day by the home treatment team whilst I'm going through a particularly bad patch, and they are setting up appointments for me to visit an OT centre which they want me to attend 4 times a week (I'm less keen).

Don't listen to any bull carp about how understaffed they are, budget cuts etc. They run a service which they have to provide to you. Best of luck xxx

Ames

Blimey Spendaholic, round here if you're seeing one of those people it makes you ineligible to see any others! You're only allowed one form of help at a time. I was denied a CPN and counselling a few months ago because I have an outreach worker I work on making an achieving small goals with.

It was a unit for intensive support, open between 8am and 9pm, I went every day that I was physically well enough (it wasn't accessible). You don't stay there overnight though, you come home.

Oh they know about my fears long term, I told the people at the unit regularly and at my discharge meeting said how worried I am. I asked what the process is for getting help when I need it next time, that's when they said you get your GP to refer you and they decide who, if anyone, you see. Which I guess explains why when I went manic last summer we didn't get a reply to my GP letter. The CPN said I need to figure out what triggers manic episodes so I can ask for help before it gets bad.

Savvy_Sue

Ames wrote: »

The CPN said I need to figure out what triggers manic episodes so I can ask for help before it gets bad.

They said WHAT? Words fail me ... that's about as helpful as me being told that if I'd been more careful I wouldn't have tripped over the recycling bin and shattered my shoulder! Or is that just me thinks that!