"CAMHS Southampton"

I have had the quite frankly, misery of previously being under the care of the Child and Adolescent mental health team in Southampton. Over the 3/4 years spent working with them, I experienced 5 mental health nurses, 4 psychologists/therapists, 2 family therapists, 1 psychiatrist, 1 social worker and the senior director. It became one therapy after another; family therapy, cbt, cat, cat again, art, psychodynamic therapy.

During these crucial adolescent years, I battled Anorexia which turned into severe bulimia, daily suicidal idealisation (combined with 5 general paediatric ward admissions), extreme self harm and self medication; alongside increasing hallucinations, audio delusions and psychosis symptoms. Looking back as a now recovered adult, I was extremely unwell and failed to receive the care I needed.

On many occasions, I was hours from death. Organ failure. Liver failure. Dehydration. Low pulse. Fainting. And at this point, with my parents refusing to have me at home, a psychiatrist informed the ward staff (Southampton general hospital) I was not to be spoken too. This was not the only occasion where my needs were ignored and I was left alone; fighting to keep myself alive with what little desire I had to live left. Reflecting, I became more and more unwell as I began seeing staff more and more. Being ignored and rejected, only made my mental and physical health decline.

If, at the age of 17 1/2, I had not made the impromptue decision to discharge myself from the service (after restricting heavily over the final months, slipping yet further into the black hole I was stuck in and refusing to attend sessions at all) I would never have recovered. I believe that CAMHS not only failed to adequately keep me safe; I was neglected as the severely mentally ill patient I was. My recovery was hindered and extended. These events are now from around 4 years ago.