"Multiple assessments and but no access to treatment"

I have been through the Sheffield mental health system and after 17 assessments I was finally told that Sheffield has no treatments.

I felt I was promptly dumped with no further care and left to fend for myself.

My first assessment was with IAPT in Sheffield.

After half listening to me the PWP (Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners) cut the assessment short and based on the two basic questionnaires they use wrote to me.

This is despite me clearly stating no written correspondence.

I do not smoke and do not drink, however I was recommended to go to drug and alcohol counselling.

After making some enquiries it turns out that recommendations are made on the basis of a glossy booklet that PWPs have.

No one has checked the accuracy of the information and the PWPs have no idea of what each organisation actually does, or how to contact them.

Instead they use the catch phrase of "you can self refer". This means nothing.

They just do not understand that if a person is in front of them they want help and may not be able to go somewhere else and ask again, and again, and again.

Saying it makes people feel empowered about taking care of their own healthcare is just a smokescreen to hide the fact that IAPT don't understand mental health.

But at least they get paid for it....

Previously to IAPT there were lots of individual services, which worked very well because the people in them cared about others.

It is a great sadness that it is now replaced with in my view such a shambles.