"Mental Health Crisis"

I recently had to be seen by the local mental health crisis team. I was already feeling I was at my limit for coping due to a number of life and environmental issues, so was already feeling way overloaded and was struggling with this. I received some really bad news and this just pushed me beyond that limit. I fell into a deeply suicidal state and began hurting myself. This is not something I usually do and was aware my thoughts and feelings had changed and this was confusing me and scaring me.

I rang NHS24 (who were also very good) and was seen at hospital a short time later following a telephone call from a Doctor. It was through this I was referred to the crisis team after being assessed at the hospital (who were also very good too, but that was exceptionally difficult for me to do) I saw the crisis team one and a half days later.

I thought the nurse I saw was pretty exceptional in the way she communicated with me because I find communication at the best of times very anxiety provoking and even more difficult in situations like these. She also helped me to understand and identify the difference between suicidal thoughts and ‘intent’ which meant I could better explain and understand how I was feeling which was really helpful.

I then saw another nurse from the team 2 days later and he too communicated well and spoke to me about some difficulties and also helped me understand a few things too which was really helpful. I was talking about some very personal difficult issues and I felt I was not judged which was good. 

At the end of our meeting I was told I’d be ‘discharged’ from the crisis team and referred back to the mental health team. He mentioned he thought an appointment had been arranged for me with the mental health team for the following week and would check and let me know, but I never heard anything, so that is my only suggestion for improvement, to let service users know for sure as wondering and not knowing is difficult and it would have helped even more to know I had someone to see the following week to see how I was coping and if things were continuing to settle down.

Both nurses were able to identify problem areas for me which I think has already been fed back to the mental health team to look at areas needing addressed/or where other interventions might be needed for the longer term to help me cope better and address some other issues.

I leave this feedback because I have been helped by the crisis team before and I just think they are exceptional people in the skills they have when helping you and to say thank you for helping me through another crisis again, your help is very much appreciated.

Please keep doing what you’re doing, because it works in lots of ways.

Seeing the whole me