What's your experience been like with UK CMHT teams?

[protect101]

As mentioned in the title, what's your experience been like with mental health services? I'm thinking especially about in the UK, if you're under them, but open to anyone sharing their story about services.

 

[AnonymousS]

As mentioned in the title, what's your experience been like with mental health services? I'm thinking especially about in the UK, if you're under them, but open to anyone sharing their story about services.

I have been in the system for years, and have had both good and bad experiences. Unfortunately like most countries so little money goes to mental health services and it has received so many cuts in the last ten or so years it has left an impact. Mostly at the moment in my experience, my psychiatrist who i have only seen twice seemed pretty good, and actually listened. It seems a lot of psychiatrists cannot even do the most important part, and tend to hear rather than take in and properly listen. However my so callled care-cordinator was pretty useless, so much so that a couple of months ago i phoned up my CMHT and asked to be discharged. Having said that there's pretty much not a lot they can do for me. I am just being realistic, as they say...if nothing changes nothing changes. There really needs to be massive funding, but the tory government in this country don't care about anyone but themselves, or other millionaires so that will not happen yet.

 

[MidnightDream]

In my experience - I'm early 20s, diagnosed with BPD & autism.

I was under child services until 19, which I actually did have a good experience with, but after I aged out of those I kinda just got left to it? There was no continuity or any real support offered beyond that. I basically jumped from service to service after that because none of them wanted anything to do with me. Wellbeing services wouldn't touch anyone with a PD, specialist services had a wait list of 18+ months, GP wouldn't do anything beyond offer me SSRIs I didn't want. The one time a doctor actually referred me to be seen by the adult mental health team, I pretty much got told to do one because I'd worn makeup to the appointment.

But then I moved, and my experience since has honestly been the exact opposite. I've been listened to, taken seriously, and my care has been coordinated well. I actually feel supported and cared about, which has been really nice. My primary point of contact has really gone above and beyond for me, which has truly made a difference.

So overall, I think it definitely varies by area, condition, diagnosis, and even by practitioners themselves. It's definitely a coin toss, and the system overall is broken and underfunded asf

 

[AnonymousS]

In my experience - I'm early 20s, diagnosed with BPD & autism.

I was under child services until 19, which I actually did have a good experience with, but after I aged out of those I kinda just got left to it? There was no continuity or any real support offered beyond that. I basically jumped from service to service after that because none of them wanted anything to do with me. Wellbeing services wouldn't touch anyone with a PD, specialist services had a wait list of 18+ months, GP wouldn't do anything beyond offer me SSRIs I didn't want. The one time a doctor actually referred me to be seen by the adult mental health team, I pretty much got told to do one because I'd worn makeup to the appointment.

But then I moved, and my experience since has honestly been the exact opposite. I've been listened to, taken seriously, and my care has been coordinated well. I actually feel supported and cared about, which has been really nice. My primary point of contact has really gone above and beyond for me, which has truly made a difference.

So overall, I think it definitely varies by area, condition, diagnosis, and even by practitioners themselves. It's definitely a coin toss, and the system overall is broken and underfunded asf

Definitely agree with you. For the record whoever made the comment regarding your make up should have been disciplined. Yes like many things thee are good staff about, a lot of it is just luck. I have been a patient in hospital many times, and seen some of the best and worst practices within the same place. For some people it is their true vocation, for others they should not be anywhere near vulnerable and very ill people. It's good and refreshing to hear good feedback though.

 

[MidnightDream]

Definitely agree with you. For the record whoever made the comment regarding your make up should have been disciplined. Yes like many things thee are good staff about, a lot of it is just luck. I have been a patient in hospital many times, and seen some of the best and worst practices within the same place. For some people it is their true vocation, for others they should not be anywhere near vulnerable and very ill people. It's good and refreshing to hear good feedback though.

Honestly I could go on for hours about inappropriate comments mental health practitioners have said to me, my favourite being when a registered MH nurse told me I was 'too pretty and intelligent to want to kill myself'. I should have got that printed on a teeshirt or something. I'm a healthcare student myself and spend a lot of time with students of other disciplines too and even at university you can see the difference in those who just decided to do it, and the ones that truly have a vocation for it. It really is a coin toss for who you're gonna get. But that being said, it takes a copious amount of strength and resilience to work within, and fight against, a broken system and there are a lot of people who started with that vocation and that passion that have simply had it beaten out of them. That's not an excuse for being ignorant and nasty to service users, but it does speak for the quality of mental health care as a whole and for the system itself.

 

[Suicidebydeath]

All bad.

 

[Echo]

Initially I had good care after a bout of ill mental health I had a really caring care coordinator and they supported me for a good couple of years. Then they moved my care coordinator to another area just before covid hit and was assigned a new one because I was generally stable she hardly checked in with me then I was told I didnt need a care coordinator anymore. Had psychotherapy but made me feel worse so I stopped. They now want to discharge me from cmht and go back to being under GP care which I dont want. I have had 1 awful experience with one guy from crisis team who basically came round and dismissed me and told me there was nothing they could do for me and that I have meds. I attempted a few days later and then he was sent back out to me. Overall it can be a bit hit and miss depends on who you get.

 

[BurnBurnBurn]

It's honestly been so varied? Some were shit, telling me to practise my breathing or take a calming bath to solve my problems. Others genuinely wanted to understand why I felt the way I felt, listened to me and took in what I was saying. Unfortunately with the CMHT I found it was always more of the former than the latter. I found more success with the Complex Needs Service personally but they aren't easy to get access to unfortunately.

 

[AnonymousS]

Honestly I could go on for hours about inappropriate comments mental health practitioners have said to me, my favourite being when a registered MH nurse told me I was 'too pretty and intelligent to want to kill myself'. I should have got that printed on a teeshirt or something. I'm a healthcare student myself and spend a lot of time with students of other disciplines too and even at university you can see the difference in those who just decided to do it, and the ones that truly have a vocation for it. It really is a coin toss for who you're gonna get. But that being said, it takes a copious amount of strength and resilience to work within, and fight against, a broken system and there are a lot of people who started with that vocation and that passion that have simply had it beaten out of them. That's not an excuse for being ignorant and nasty to service users, but it does speak for the quality of mental health care as a whole and for the system itself.

You have it bang on, and as for that comment i wish i could say i am surprised. Don't get me wrong it's an appalling, and deeply offensive thing to say, but i have heard things from other patients and witnessed things myself that make me seethe. The whole system needs overhauling, but it will not happen anytime soon.

 

[doxyquill]

My issue is the fact I told my gp in my early 20s that I wanted to die. I told them I don't feel like a human being and fantasise about death constantly. They said I was too young for antidepressants and just need counselling. I got 10 sessions with some clueless woman who just told me to go for walks and would print out nhs sheets to give me on "managing depression with diet and exercise."

My mental health plagued my life beyond belief and I destroyed everything I built that made me somewhat happy due to undiagnosed BPD and inferiority complex. Only now after multiple genuine unsuccessful attempts on my life I have been properly assessed, diagnosed and given CAT therapy as well as meds and consistent mental health professional contact. It's just too late now that is what I needed years ago.

 

[UKscotty]

Pretty useless, they are so under funded its crazy they function at all.

You will find you change staff constantly, especially if you make progress.

It will take months to get anywhere, they will lose records and cancel constantly.

Normally the media lie and make stuff up, but in NHS mental health, they are the opposite. It's actually 10x worse than they report.

 

[Walilamdzii]

Dreadful.

 

[Brokensaddle]

Where do I start with is one? I've never ever had a good experience at all. All of my care coordinator were shit. I've had care coordinators have been lazy and never actually made an effort to see me at my off appointment. Mental health services never told of safeguarding alerts even one's made by the police. Even when they did they told my abusers by my recording I made and things I had said in confidence about the abuse i suffered and they said we can't help while I was being abused. Never once did they come around and warn my abusers off. They blamed me, they made raciest comments about me. They let me down because down because I vulnerable autistic male suffering from domestic abuse from family members. They screwed up my on so many important occasions. My story wasn't believed and they throughs I had a psychotic episode because I come from a good family. I had to fight hard to prove was being abused. In the end I had to hire lawyers and threaten with legal action to discharge me in combination with ignoring them. Honestly I'm better off without their help. My gp has also been useless. I've had a couple of kind and good experiences when I was in the 136 suits but apart from that it was a nightmare. Best advice I can give is go with advocate and take notes during meeting.

 

[Sparx]

Awful so far, advice such as 'have you tried going for a walk' to fight depression/grief.

 

[Happydays]

I've found it to be better than the crisis team and CAHMS, but still pretty shit tbh. It feels like after a while your just seen as a lost cause. And whilst waiting for DBT, my CPN isn't doing much. Just tells me to ride the wave when in crisis etc haha.

 

[AnonymousS]

Awful so far, advice such as 'have you tried going for a walk' to fight depression/grief.

I wish i could say that response is suprising, but i can't. It's pitiful, and inappropriate but just the usual shoddy reply you can get from some staff.

 

[Thisisme373]

In my experience I've found it awful, I'm in the UK, they make you feel like a lost cause and even more isolated/dysfunctional.

 

[AerialBoundaries]

I legitimately had my doctor tell me to have a few beers to take the edge off, one time. No joke.

This guy's been my doctor since I was born and is the only full time doctor at my practice, but everybody knows he's a quack.

The strategy is typically give you SSRI medication and hope for the best. "Come back and see us in 4 weeks".

I honestly think the majority of people here have more knowledge on mental health than their local GP. All they're good for is writing you a prescription and sending you on your way.

 

[WaitingToGo]

Awful so far, advice such as 'have you tried going for a walk' to fight depression/grief.

This is what they keep telling me too. Just as depressed as before, but outside instead.

 

[lost&lonely]

Awful so far, advice such as 'have you tried going for a walk' to fight depression/grief.

Christ, if I had a pound for every time I've heard that one. Yeah, going for a walk is really going to get the thoughts from dominating my mind.

 

[DeathToSpiesSMERSH]

I've been on and off with the CHMT for a fair few years. Recently I've had the crisis team engaging with me and it's been mixed and my reactions to them depends on the day.

Today I just outright asked them if they'll help me die.

 

[Thisisme373]

Today I just outright asked them if they'll help me die.

Just out of curiosity what did they say to this?

 

[DeathToSpiesSMERSH]

Just out of curiosity what did they say to this?

They brushed it off and said they couldn't help with that

 

[Thisisme373]

They brushed it off and said they couldn't help with that

Yeah thought it be something like that. Thanks for replying

 

[LittleJem]

Last year, in and out of psych ward, people were telling me to 'engage' with mental health services.
I find the word 'engage' really patronising. I am suffering all day every day, and by 'engaging' with mental health services that will change things?

Anyway, today I have my first call from them. They were perfectly nice. Their questions are:

Them: what is causing/triggering your depression?
Me: You mean you want me to tell you what causes mental illness? Mine is all day, every day
Them: Do you have (suicide) plans?
Me: I've had plans for twenty years, are they immanent who knows. Which is the suicidal thought that makes it happen.
Them: ask about medication
Me: rant about euthanasia and how it should be an option
Them: Do you have a support network, friends etc
Me: No

Them: We'll discuss it with the team and see if we can help your mental health.

There. I have engaged. I have another meeting with them tomorrow. I hope it's okay to use this thread to vent - as I now have nothing in my life but 'engaging' with mental health services, and really let's see if it does anything.

 

[heartbroken12]

Where I live (deprived area, London) it is shockingly bad. No consistency or real help. Being "under" the CMHT just means having a telephone appointment every 4 months, usually with a different "doctor" every time, they always seem confused, indifferent and unable to offer anything (other than medication on a trial and error basis). They just send you in circles and all you have to show for it is paperwork. Telling you what you've told them. No action. It makes you want to scream.

Nobody should seek help and end up in a worse place as a result… these services are failing people and wasting their time.

 

[Lurkernomore64]

It's become less about caring about the person and more about running a business. It's in high demand and the waiting lists to get meaningful therapy can take years.
I've moved from different areas and it's a postcode lottery with funding.
I was discharged after a therapy was ineffective despite me mentioning multiple times that the approach needed to be adapted to my situation - CBT doesn't fix everything.
Taken me 4 refferals to get accepted and only after expressing wanting to CTB after a traumatic experience in ICU was I even allocated a caseworker.
The sad thing is everyone preaches that you should reach out but when you do you're met with such barriers that you have to get in such a dire state to get any sort of assistance and if you had got it sooner you wouldn't be in said state.
The problem is across the board though with services being oversubscribed, underfunded, understaffed and those staff that are left are overworked leading to compassion fatigue.
Getting professionals to listen is a battle but some do and it can make a real difference but more often than not they follow rigid policy and procedure. If the standard approaches work in addressing your issues that's great but I've found as someone who's complex mental health needs there's few options out there for you unless you seek alternatives outside of the NHS

 

[CW36]

I think the mental health services in the UK are doing pretty well considering. I mean what do expect when budgets and demand far outweighs recruitment. This is what you get when you become a woke nation.