Discussion Mental health in the UK vs US

[nigelhernandez]

I'm curious as to the differences in treatment. It seems that from talking to many Americans, it's extremely easy to get sanctioned/committed to a mental hospital by merely speaking about suicide to a therapist/psychiatrist. People then get a huge bill for the ambulance or their stay at the mental hospital.You people also get drugs really easily.

Meanwhile here in the UK/Ireland it's extremely difficult to get sectioned. Hell, I know many mentally ill people who were violent to their family and the police picked them up afte a domestic violence call and then let them go. Though here in Ireland we have a Mental Health Act, it's seldom used. I only know one guy who was forcefully sectioned and he developed stimulant induced psychosis from taking LSD, amphetamines, and weed. That's a rare case.

 

[SpottedPanda]

Here in England I've been sectioned multiple times, but never for suicidal thinking. It's mostly been due to going balls to the wall erratic and instigating various chaos. I'm careful not to get sectioned for suicide reasons, which is why I watch my words carefully, but I can't imagine it being all that hard.

With that said, I lived with a frequent self harmer who seldom went to hospital. She used to say she was going to kill herself all the time. She used to call every self harm session trying to kill herself, and one responder on the phone even told her "you did NOT just try and kill yourself." I think she'll live until a ripe old age, to be fair.

I too would be interested to see how treatment varies in the US.

 

[Sod123]

Yeah here in the UK because it's through the nhs it's virtually impossible to be sectioned even if you are suicidal, whereas in the USA because they charge you personally they are happy to section people.

 

[SpottedPanda]

Yeah here in the UK because it's through the nhs it's virtually impossible to be sectioned even if you are suicidal, whereas in the USA because they charge you personally they are happy to section people.

That does seem to make sense, what with the limited resources of the NHS, versus the privatised healthcare system and profit based efforts of the US. I'd love to hear someone disagree with that, though, and hear their reasons

 

[leapyourbar]

I am in the UK. I had fortnightly therapy sessions that I had to fight tooth and nail for. I was upfront at the start and said that I have had suicidal feelings for over 10 years. 'How often do you have these thoughts?' 'Every day'. The outcome? I had to shake the therapists hand each time a session ended and she would make me promise to her that I wouldn't CTB in the next fortnight. That was it, a handshake and being forced to say the words 'I promise'.

I have C-PTSD and BPD. I have heard nothing from my mental health team since January. No checking up on me during Covid-19, no letters, no phonecalls, no update on the next lot of therapy I have been waiting over 8 months for. They know that I have full responsibility of two children as a lone parent. I am on zero medication. I have been forgotten about.

If I were to CTB, I can guarantee there would be some bullshit article in the newspaper and a statement of 'lessons will be learnt from this case'.

 

[SpottedPanda]

I am in the UK. I had fortnightly therapy sessions that I had to fight tooth and nail for. I was upfront at the start and said that I have had suicidal feelings for over 10 years. 'How often do you have these thoughts?' 'Every day'. The outcome? I had to shake the therapists hand each time a session ended and she would make me promise to her that I wouldn't CTB in the next fortnight. That was it, a handshake and being forced to say the words 'I promise'.

I have C-PTSD and BPD. I have heard nothing from my mental health team since January. No checking up on me during Covid-19, no letters, no phonecalls, no update on the next lot of therapy I have been waiting over 8 months for. They know that I have full responsibility of two children as a lone parent. I am on zero medication. I have been forgotten about.

If I were to CTB, I can guarantee there would be some bullshit article in the newspaper and a statement of 'lessons will be learnt from this case'.

God, I hope my team never want me to choose life on what is essentially a pinky swear basis.

With all this NHS clapping and outright hero worship, I think the fact that they're notorious for failing people with mental health problems slip through the convenient cracks.

 

[terry_a_davis]

Afaik both in the uk and usa you can only get sectioned/committed for a being a threat to yourself or to others, and in usa you may get costed for it, in uk you don't.

 

[Darksektori]

The way mental health is treated worldwide, it's an absolute joke. It's the same, drugs that make your mind cloudy and CTB before proper preparation because it's a side effect, either that or it will possibly drive you to hurt others when you dont want to, then talk to so called professionals who say they care because that's what they're paid to do.
I'm convinced no help exists for us because those who claim to help have zero understanding of what people like us go through and constant battles and struggles we deal with nonstop.
Of course this is just my opinion I have a long history with psych pills I like to call them "chemical lobotomies" because it completely changes your brain's chemistry. It's one thing for the individual to choose when to CTB is a damn tragedy when the supposed medication that's supposed to help them ends up making the choice for them
Think of all the mass shootings Columbine, V Tech, Sandy Hook just to name a few. You come to find out that drugs played a role in almost all these instances.

 

[painoflife]

I'm in the UK, a few years ago I sat in front of a panel at a mental health hospital after my GP sent me there to get me admitted when I told her I was going to CTB that night. They asked me questions, I told them of my intentions and how I felt there was no point carrying on. They sent me home without a second thought, they either didn't believe me or just didn't care. Later that night I attempted but unfortunately it wasn't a success, I sincerely wish it had worked back then so I wasn't still here now. I also attempted another two times shortly after that, one of them I was found and taken to hospital, had to see the mental health team the next morning and he was all caring and compassionate and said he would set up some help (not that I wanted it) and call me regularly etc. He actually drove me home from hospital because I had absolutely nothing with me to get home and that was the last I saw or heard of him.
My experience is that they just don't care here, people don't mean anything to them.
The biggest thing I have learnt is that the method I used wasn't good enough and since finding this site I have been able to learn about more reliable alternatives.

 

[Darksektori]

I'm in the UK, a few years ago I sat in front of a panel at a mental health hospital after my GP sent me there to get me admitted when I told her I was going to CTB that night. They asked me questions, I told them of my intentions and how I felt there was no point carrying on. They sent me home without a second thought, they either didn't believe me or just didn't care. Later that night I attempted but unfortunately it wasn't a success, I sincerely wish it had worked back then so I wasn't still here now. I also attempted another two times shortly after that, one of them I was found and taken to hospital, had to see the mental health team the next morning and he was all caring and compassionate and said he would set up some help (not that I wanted it) and call me regularly etc. He actually drove me home from hospital because I had absolutely nothing with me to get home and that was the last I saw or heard of him.
My experience is that they just don't care here, people don't mean anything to them.
The biggest thing I have learnt is that the method I used wasn't good enough and since finding this site I have been able to learn about more reliable alternatives.

They help people because they're paid to, we are nothing but statistics to them nothing more

 

[Acerakis]

The one that absolutely terrifies me about the US and makes me so glad to not live there is that if someone thinks you are at a risk and calls an ambulance on you then you have to foot the bill. If I wasn't feeling suicidal at the time I sure as hell would be when a $3000 bill gets dropped on me.

 

[Darksektori]

The one that absolutely terrifies me about the US and makes me so glad to not live there is that if someone thinks you are at a risk and calls an ambulance on you then you have to foot the bill. If I wasn't feeling suicidal at the time I sure as hell would be when a $3000 bill gets dropped on me.

Yeah that's pretty much the case here

 

[Libracusp_1022]

I'm not sure, but in the US it might depend on where you live. Laws vary by state, and mental health services are excellent in some areas and really bad in others. A huge part of the reason so many people in the US are homeless or in prison is because they were not provided mental health care they needed.

 

[disconnection]

Essentially in the UK you'll be sectioned if you're psychotic (and don't want help) but not if you're suicidal (and do). Seems to be based mostly on a capacity judgement.

I'm not sure, but in the US it might depend on where you live. Laws vary by state, and mental health services are excellent in some areas and really bad in others. A huge part of the reason so many people in the US are homeless or in prison is because they were not provided mental health care they needed.

I think having mental health problems a big reason why people end up homeless or in prison in the UK too.

To be honest though I'm pretty sceptical of mental health care in general - if you're psychotic or manic, sure the drugs might work but if you've been depressed or have had 'personality' issues all your life then good luck finding any treatment (drugs or therapy) which will work. Just my (cynical) opinion! I think it's pretty much all social and ingrained and some people may find something that 'clicks' later on in life, some won't. I don't think there's some big mystery to all this that treatment can fix.

 

[Emily_Numb]

If someone would tell me that the fuck I have to say to get sectioned in the UK I would really appreciate it. I desperately need inpatient work but no one takes me seriously

 

[disconnection]

If someone would tell me that the fuck I have to say to get sectioned in the UK I would really appreciate it. I desperately need inpatient work but no one takes me seriously

If you haven't lost touch with reality it's highly unlikely you'll be sectioned. Also not sure what you mean by 'inpatient work' - they keep you locked up and that's about it. Or, if you're unlucky, damage you.

 

[RestingGirl23]

American here. Really is insightful seeing how the Healthcare system works in the UK. Haven't had a personal confinement, but it is true that a therapist/psychiatrist has to legally call emergency services if you made a threat to kill yourself.

They are also more likely to prescribe you a cocktail of drugs and yes, charge you just for the ambulance getting to your house even if you don't get on. I don't even blame the hospital staff for this; they are just doing their job. It's the stupid people in our country who don't want a national Healthcare system because they think it's socialism and socialism= bad.

 

[BitterlyAlive]

From what I've seen at my job in the hospital ER, it really doesn't take much to go inpatient in the US.

@leapyourbar your story really resonates with me, just a few weeks ago we had a mother come in because she knew her depression was getting out of control and she had started self harming again. She wasn't suicidal but she was very distressed. The psychologist tried to tell her that he believed inpatient wasn't necessary for her situation, but she insisted. She was able to go to the local psychiatric ward hours later. It breaks my heart and, quite frankly, pisses me off reading your story. It's despicable that you can't get the help you need and they just turned you away. I'm so sorry.

I've watched patients go to the psych hospital for self harm. I've watched patients go because they're suicidal even if they don't have a plan. Not to say that they don't need help, I'm just trying to say that it doesn't seem like you need to be right on death's door to go (based on my experience).

I'm sure a large part of it is due to staff being held liable for whatever happens, even if the person was lying to seem better off so they could go home and then proceeded to kill themselves. People get upset and sue, even if it's not necessarily the clinician's "fault", so to speak. Of course, there's also the fact that our healthcare system is fucked and they can charge patients thousands of dollars to go the two blocks from my hospital to the psych ward. Then you have the huge bill from inpatient, the bill from the ER, etc.

I'm not sure which system is worse to be honest. I think it's horrible that it's so hard to get help in the UK, but I would almost rather have that for myself because then I can't be told I didn't try hard enough to get help, if that makes sense. I don't feel like I deserve help anyway, so being refused help would inadvertently help me find the right mindset to kill myself and end my pathetic life.

God, take a shot for each time I've said "help". I'm sorry, it's 3:30am here and I feel like shit. I can't be as articulate as I'd like.

 

[Darksektori]

Mental Health is so loosely thrown around nowadays everyone has

American here. Really is insightful seeing how the Healthcare system works in the UK. Haven't had a personal confinement, but it is true that a therapist/psychiatrist has to legally call emergency services if you made a threat to kill yourself.

They are also more likely to prescribe you a cocktail of drugs and yes, charge you just for the ambulance getting to your house even if you don't get on. I don't even blame the hospital staff for this; they are just doing their job. It's the stupid people in our country who don't want a national Healthcare system because they think it's socialism and socialism= bad.

Oh crap! politics! Here we go!

 

[RestingGirl23]

Mental Health is so loosely thrown around nowadays everyone has

Oh crap! politics! Here we go!

I think it is inevitable to mention politics when you are talking about the two different healthcare systems in two countries. However, I didn't want this thread to get sidetracked so I didn't say anything more. I'm totally fine if people just want to talk about confinement and their experiences.