"Crisis Team at The Ealing Hospital"

Mid December last year I went to the Ealing Hospital to seek help from the Crisis team. I had been asking my boyfriend to please take me to the hospital - I was so weak from not eating nor sleeping I needed his company to be able to go there - to get some professional help.

I was suffering from an acute state of paranoia and I really needed some kindness and understanding from the the professionals at the Ealing hospital. When I got there they seem to ask me questions that aimed at confusing me and I felt like I was talking to people that were not really in the mood to show some humanity.

I really wanted to be somewhere else other than my flat because my boyfriend´s behavior that week was really odd and cruel (to my eyes at least) to me, but the Crisis team did their best to convince me to not stay in the hospital.

At the end of the assessment I was sent home, the discharge report was given to my partner and he didn't hand it to me, so I didn't have the chance to correct parts of it that were incorrect. For example, I stated I had an overdose of paracetamol to force my boyfriend to take me to the hospital and it is not mentioned, I wonder why.

I am writing this message just because I would like to ask please to the Crisis team that if next time you encounter a person that is suffering from paranoia and is not eating or sleeping please have the kindness to look at them as human beings that need understanding and maybe a bit of honest concern. I felt I was being interrogated in a very dry and heartless way. As if I was a person that should simply be sent home because they were overreacting.

I am just a student so I do not have a degree to back up what I will say now, but as a patient if you could add some of the following phrases to your interview it would be a bless to the patients.

1. Hi there, we are sorry you are experiencing so much distress, but we are here to help you and to be able to do it we need to ask you some questions.

2. We have been talking for a while now, you must be thirsty, we will get you some water.

3. We will ask your husband (partner, friend, etc. ) about your behavior and we will come back here to confirm his statement so, we will leave you on your own for a couple of minutes, but we will be just on the other side of this door, so do not worry.

I can visit the hospital if any one would like to talk to me.