Support services ??

[Cariad_Bach]

2 months after reaching out to MH services, I've been passed around from pillar to post and am still waiting to hear whether they will offer me any support. I've had a few telephone assessments which don't seem to be helping them decide but in which they keep trying to encourage me to medicate. I feel like they're pushing me to meds when I've told all of them I don't want to take the risk. If I could just have a bit of support, first. I think that would help and might mean I won't need meds (which is better for me)

*I have also said that if support isn't enough I'll consider meds again. Yet, still, 2 months later and they still haven't decided whether I'm worth helping.*

I know that services are stretched, underfunded, understaffed and underresourced. I know that means they have to prioritise, and can only help so many people. Perhaps I'm just selfish, especially in the context of Covid, to hope that there might be something there to help me. Or deluded. Who am I to presume i might be one of the people out there who really need help and who really actually deserve it?

 

[anona123]

Is that how it works in your country, that you have to be approved?

Curious why you say you don't want meds. Just because I was wrong about that once. I was on meds about 10 years ago and was proud of myself that I was able to come off them once I felt better. But I shouldn't have done that.

 

[Ash600]

Hi there @Cariad_Bach

I guess it's stating the obvious, accessing services can be hard at the best of times, but throw in a Pandemic it just raises it to a more infuriating level due to a whole variety of reasons.

One thing for sure, your're just as deserving of help as anyone else. Sadly it can seem to be a lottery as to who gets to be seen. It shouldn't be that way, but you've nailed the reasons why in your post.

I'm sure I've mentioned the organistation Mind to you before. But all the same, I'll add the links here discussing barriers to accessing services. They mention advocacy services, as well as an infoline who may be able to provide you details of services local to you. There's also mention of a site called "Hub of Hope" which details local services.

https://www.mind.org.uk/information...al-health-problem/facing-overcoming-barriers/

https://www.mind.org.uk/information...p-for-a-mental-health-problem/where-to-start/

https://hubofhope.co.uk/

Hope someone pulls a finger out and offers you the support you need.

Take care

 

[Cariad_Bach]

@anona123 it's not exactIy that you have to be approved, but I suppose its a specialist service I'm awaiting. They said they would do an assessment and then let me know what, if any, support they could/would provide. If they decide not to offer anything, they said they will signpost elsewhere. Not sure where else - but if they refer me back to "general" MH then they will just be sending back to the last team that I spoke to. And general MH has already told me there is nothing they can offer me.

There are a couple of reasons I don't want to medicate. Bad experience previously has left me with anxiety around meds and I would want Dr oversight (which I don't have). Also, I personally feel more myself when I'm not medicated. Significantly, I'm also pregnant, and although there are some meds considered safe - and arguments around weighing the of risk of meds v the effect of stress hormones and also the risk of self- harm etc - I'm reluctant to risk my baby's health/development with meds. Finally, when I have had some support (which at this point I've only received from peers, GP and a charity), it has helped a bit. So, overall, meds feel like a risk and a cop-out to avoid offering actual practical advice/support.

 

[anona123]

I see - it would be hard to take something like that while pregnant. I don't know your situation but I hope you can find the support you need. I'm always happy to chat if you'd like.

 

[Cariad_Bach]

@Ash600 you're right, you have suggested Mind before and I have forgotten. Haven't heard of Hub of Hope before, either. But your previous suggestion was super helpful so I'll definitely give them a proper look. It is super frustrating. I'm just at a point now where "hoping they decide (and offer something helpful)" is the only thing I or anyone can do and I'm starting to think that hoping just isn't going to be enough.

Thank you. x

 

[Brit]

Hi, @Cariad_Bach,
It’s awful to read how you are desperately reaching out for help/support, which isn’t forthcoming. Apologies, if you've already explored this avenue, but have you spoken to your midwife about this? I have a relative whose mental health deteriorated further during and after her pregnancy - in her case - due to hormonal changes, although this was some years ago! There used to be a peri natal mental health service in the UK; your midwife would know if there is anything like this.

I hope you are offered support soon; I’m so sorry you are going through this. I wish you all the best.

 

[Brit]

I did a quick Google search and found this link, but you need a referral from a midwife or GP, etc., - it's for pregnant women who have previous experience of mental ill-health. There are other sites too:
https://cwmtafmorgannwg.wales/services/adult-mental-health-test/inpatient-2/prams/

 

[Cariad_Bach]

@British woman I have not found my midwife to be particularly helpful, to be honest. When I told her I thought I was starting to spiral she just brightly told me she'd see me at my next appointment and to ring if I needed anything in the meantime... then a student midwife called to cancel our face to face meeting but she didn't seem to have the experience to know what to say when I told her I was struggling. I've actually only seen my named midwife in person once and spoken to her twice, each interaction was very brief and when I said I was quite down and having dark thoughts she just said wait for MH. It is the perinatal MH team that is currently deciding whether to accept me as a patient and offer me any support.

Please don't apologise, though. I'm grateful for any sympathy and suggestions because I'm feeling really isolated right now and like I'm just in limbo, treading water with no idea whether help is coming

 

[Brit]

Oh, I’m sorry to hear this; I can’t help feeling disappointed in our health care system at the moment. I realise, everywhere is under-pressure, but it doesn’t seem like your midwife fully understands your situation (and I thought we were all becoming more aware of mental ill health, particularly health professionals), unless I’m missing something. Perhaps, at least, she referred you to the peri natal MH team. I truly hope that you get the support you need and deserve, AND SOON x

 

[Ash600]

I understand your stance regarding taking meds, even more so as you're pregnant. It's not everyone's cup of tea as people can react differently right across the scale. When trying to address MH issues though, ok meds can help to readdress physiological imbalances, but of course generally speaking that's only part of the process. Meds at times can akin to just applying a dressing swab to an open wound without actually dealing with the underlying issue. So it can, in some cases just be viewed as a temporary fix. That's where counselling therapy comes into play, someone there to help give the patient to give a nudge in the right direction.

Sadly and frustratingly so, it's easy for a doc to prescribe a med in a hit and hope approach whereas to seek out somethng holistically would be more of an ardurous process. Having said that and as I've said before, I truly hope that sometime soon you will be provided with the help and support which you are looking for.

 

[Skully]

2 months after reaching out to MH services, I've been passed around from pillar to post and am still waiting to hear whether they will offer me any support. I've had a few telephone assessments which don't seem to be helping them decide but in which they keep trying to encourage me to medicate. I feel like they're pushing me to meds when I've told all of them I don't want to take the risk. If I could just have a bit of support, first. I think that would help and might mean I won't need meds (which is better for me)

*I have also said that if support isn't enough I'll consider meds again. Yet, still, 2 months later and they still haven't decided whether I'm worth helping.*

I know that services are stretched, underfunded, understaffed and underresourced. I know that means they have to prioritise, and can only help so many people. Perhaps I'm just selfish, especially in the context of Covid, to hope that there might be something there to help me. Or deluded. Who am I to presume i might be one of the people out there who really need help and who really actually deserve it?

I know just how you feel. I've been waiting for 15 months but before that it was 5 and a half years. I was in contact with them but then I just got discharged time and time again by someone who told me all I could talk about was anxiety I'm like hang on here what about the rest of my mental illness. I'm still waiting for the "treatment" they say they will "provide" to me. I really don't get these mental health services at all but then what's the other option oh don't say it out loud because it's not for discussion.

 

[may71]

when I have had some support (which at this point I've only received from peers, GP and a charity), it has helped a bit

Do you want to say what kind of support has helped? Is the format in which the support is offered relevant too (e.g., face-to-face, vs online)?

I don't want to medicate

I'm always going on about Chinese medicine, but if you don't want to medicate it sounds like acupuncture and Chinese herbs would be worth a try. Unless you're already obviously pregnant, it's important to let a practitioner know that you are, as certain acupuncture points are known to induce labor. If you're near London, I think there are some low cost or even free treatments available via teaching clinics, though I don't know if Covid has changed that.

 

[Pladw9]

2 months after reaching out to MH services, I've been passed around from pillar to post and am still waiting to hear whether they will offer me any support. I've had a few telephone assessments which don't seem to be helping them decide but in which they keep trying to encourage me to medicate. I feel like they're pushing me to meds when I've told all of them I don't want to take the risk. If I could just have a bit of support, first. I think that would help and might mean I won't need meds (which is better for me)

*I have also said that if support isn't enough I'll consider meds again. Yet, still, 2 months later and they still haven't decided whether I'm worth helping.*

I know that services are stretched, underfunded, understaffed and underresourced. I know that means they have to prioritise, and can only help so many people. Perhaps I'm just selfish, especially in the context of Covid, to hope that there might be something there to help me. Or deluded. Who am I to presume i might be one of the people out there who really need help and who really actually deserve it?

I'm in the exact same situation, been referred to various teams, had various telephone assessments, still waiting for support and a decision on my treatment, hospital was mentioned but nothing happened. I feel they are herding me towards meds even though I said I wanted to try other options first for various reasons. You do deserve help. Keep asking, hopefully they will listen