Author Topic: Psychiatrist or not (again)  (Read 6010 times)

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Offline Lorien

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Psychiatrist or not (again)
« on: March 04, 2016, 01:25:32 AM »
So, things haven't been good. I've not been sleeping well and it has been difficult to relax at all. This has been going on for a few weeks now. I can't work at the moment which means a massive change because before this started I was working quite a lot and now not only do I have more time to fill because of not sleeping well...i also have days to fill because of being at home.

So far my GP has been pretty much just throwing sick notes and temazepam in my direction. he said this week that if i am not different next week he will have to refer me back to a psychiatrist because he doesn't know what he is doing.

it feels like a bit of an ultimatum that I don't know how to achieve.

I have seen 4 Psychiatrists over 9 years and got on with them differently each time. One I saw for nearly 6 years and he was epic, but then he moved and I saw someone else who decided that it wasn't going to work and referred me to a different Psychiatrist. That one then f***ed about with arranging and cancelling appointments for months and decisions he made about people I know made it almost impossible for me to trust him anyway...so I decided id had enough of being messed about by someone that I don't think I can trust anyway. I discharged myself and the Psychiatrist I'd never even met sent a pretty b**chy letter to the GP and the therapist wrote to them again for me to explain what actually happened.  The whole process was pretty stressful and I don't really want to repeat it.

I don't have a problem with Psychiatrists in general I don't think, but I feel a bit stuck. I don't want to go back through the same messing about process. it feels a lot like the one I saw for a long time pretty much sheltered me from a really badly organised system where people do get messed about...but I can't keep going with things how they are and the GP doesn't know what to do. The other aspect of that is that I don't know how long that would take to sort out.

just a bit.... :penguinswirl: :doggy: :banghead:

not really sure what to do. I don't know how to not be like this and I'm really not keen on going backwards
“Dark times lie ahead of us and there will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right.”

“It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

“Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

Offline Rob

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Re: Psychiatrist or not (again)
« Reply #1 on: March 04, 2016, 11:04:24 PM »
At least your GP admits his limits at knowing what to do.

Psychiatrists are like GPs in some ways, in that there are ones that we can engage with - and those that we're never going to. Psychs do have it difficult with respect to the fact that there isn't a definitive checklist/response protocol that they can consult and depend upon - there are lots of markers and indicators, but it's just not that straight forward to diagnose and make things right - we're all different and respond differently.

So you're faced with this 'ultimatum' - and to move forwards it looks like you might have to risk a few backward steps; your GP can't help, so you need to try the psych route. You might find someone else who's epic - there are still good ones about, sure services aren't what they should be, but it seems to be getting more public attention, and perhaps that attention might eventually translate to some improvement.


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Offline Vermilion

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Re: Psychiatrist or not (again)
« Reply #2 on: March 04, 2016, 11:10:25 PM »
If you're struggling it's definitely worth getting some help before things get out of control. I understand why you don't want to get messed about and tbh the system is crap, I gave up on it a long time ago. Do you think you just need someone to talk to who could point you in the right direction? My GP surgery has a mental health nurse of their own so you don't need to go through the CMHT and it doesn't take so long. I found the nurse a lot more helpful than any 'professional' I ever saw via the CMHT. If you're GP doesn't have one perhaps he could refer you somewhere that does.
Sorry if this is a crappy suggestion but if you could sort this out without the CMHT it would avoid a lot of stress and getting messed about.  
It might also be worth getting your meds reviewed if you're on anything that you take regularly, they might need to be tweaked a bit.
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Offline Lorien

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Re: Psychiatrist or not (again)
« Reply #3 on: March 05, 2016, 01:04:55 AM »
There isn't a psych nurse at the GP surgery I go to. One of the practice nurses used to be a CPN - I learnt this when I was stuck a couple of years ago...but he wasn't able tho help other than telling me to go to the hospital and speak to the crisis team.

Sorry, I know it's a bit pointless but I'm just worried about it. I think because one of them was so good...it makes it harder to be ok with other people. He just got it, so I didn't need to explain a lot. I do know they can be good. Without that one I'd probably not be alive, he also helped with housing and work. I think part of the problem is I get frustrated when people aren't that naturally tuned in.

At the moment I'm quite lost. I don't really know how to be ok anymore. It feels a lot like the therapist will at some point be all "I told you so" she wasn't impressed when I decided not to see a psych.

At the minute I'm really confused and I don't know how to keep things from spilling over.  She has recently decided that she thinks I have aspergers, she keeps confusing me with bringing conversations round to how I must know that she cares and this week she said she was going to send my GP risk assessments I didn't even know she writes.

My girlfriend is moving to my city next month, everything is really hard for her right now and I know me being like this isn't helping, but I can't just get a grip.
“Dark times lie ahead of us and there will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right.”

“It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

“Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

Offline Jeep

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Re: Psychiatrist or not (again)
« Reply #4 on: March 06, 2016, 01:13:35 AM »
Have you ever heard of something called "Patient Choice"? It's been around for quite a few years. I think it is used more commonly in the physical health service especially for elective orthopaedic procedures.

It means that we are all able to select which Trust we get referred to. I.e we don't have to use the services that are most local to you. So if you are able to / don't mind travelling you could google other mental health trusts and choose whichever one you like best. All you need to do is then tell your GP to refer you to that one.

It might be worth exploring xx
The sky isn't always blue. The sun doesn't always shine. So it's ok to fall apart sometimes

Offline Lorien

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Re: Psychiatrist or not (again)
« Reply #5 on: March 07, 2016, 02:59:16 AM »
Aren't there likely to be similar problems in any trust?

To be honest I think it's probably my trust in them that is at fault rather than 'the trust'.

I just hate feeling like I have no choice.  I want to be back at work and I don't want a psychiatrist... Right now it doesn't feel like either is my choice and I can't change the things I need to to make either possible.  It is more frustrating that 3 weeks ago I was getting on fine with maintaining both of the above. 

It's like I wake up one day and my body decides it doesn't need sleep and everything is going to be sped up for a bit, I don't know how to slow it down
“Dark times lie ahead of us and there will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right.”

“It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

“Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

Offline Lorien

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Re: Psychiatrist or not (again)
« Reply #6 on: March 10, 2016, 04:24:34 AM »
Ok so the GP appointment today suggests that it was an attempt to make m e somehow miraculously be different by this week given that he seems to have completely forgotten he threatened me with a psychiatrist referral. Apparently more time off work and no temazepam is going to fix this..........I'm not sure that I see how


“Dark times lie ahead of us and there will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right.”

“It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

“Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

Offline Lorien

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Re: Psychiatrist or not (again)
« Reply #7 on: March 18, 2016, 02:04:13 AM »
Sorry for triple post.

Went back to work today and things are a lot better, but it threw some stuff at me I wasn't expecting

1, I feel like I'm constantly waiting for the next time I mess up and it feels like no matter what I do I will still end up there.

2, work want me to back to occupational health. Last time the doctor asked me to show her my scars and it really wasn't nice. They wrote to the previous Psychiatrist and it was ok because they told them to leave me alone pretty much. But now I don't have one I don't know what to expect.

3, everyone at work has been telling me that it was like I was on drugs and they've never seen anyone like that who wasn't tripping...which is really embarrassing.

4, one of my colleagues wrote me a card because I was off so long. I really appreciated it because it made it feel like they got it. But now I am too awkward to know what to say to her.

5, I don't know why I got like I did, I don't know what changed to make it better so I don't know how to prevent it happening again. I can't just got taking a month off every year...but I can't see how to stop that happening
“Dark times lie ahead of us and there will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right.”

“It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

“Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”