"Mental Health support in Boston"

Poor Mental Health Service.

Or...

"Basically if you have a mental health issue, go private or get help from a charity if you can."

I am writing both about my individual experience as a mental health patient and the treatment I witnessed of other patients.

As a disclaimer overall I agree with affordable health care in principle and I am grateful for the support of people in the NHS. I going to rant in this post because it needs to be said I hope that it wakes some executive up at the Pilgrim, a politician perhaps or someone who has the ability to change the system.

Mental Health Support in Boston, Lincolnshire from the Pilgrim and the area in general even just pre-pandemic ranges in my experience from detrimental to nothing.

I have been let down by the Lincolnshire Trust, the bureaucracy and being passed on from service to service. Even whilst in distress I have tried to be civil, reasonable, treat the professionals with respect and be articulate. Reading between the lines it just seems like as a patient, care for my mental health is not a priority. I have issues with how mental health services in Lincolnshire are ran.

Writing this I am probable going to get a standard response about contacting PALS that a Twitter bot could have written. I am tired, I am angry and I wanted help the NHS mental health services failed me. I was shocked at the level of prejudice, discrimination seen towards other patients and staff.

Medical records lost, information with held, promises of family support non existent. The Crisis Team in Boston is not fit for purpose. I know that as a fact many patients in the Boston area are told to telephone the crisis team (CRHT) or get help from the CMHT but those patients do not use the service because we feel it is not fit for purpose.

It is as if you have to say certain magic words to get the help you need perhaps this is because there is a massive difference in what there is in reality and the NICE guidelines suggest.

Getting supportive treatment is difficult to impossible for people who are classed as high functioning and patients seem to be off rolled. The figures, statistics and the ratings matter but they are not a good indicator of how the service is. It feels like the patient does not come first. Lincolnshire has a single point of access but I was basically just fobbed off bounced back from CBT to CMHT.

CBT is massively promoted, it has long waiting times and the treatment times are short plus with large class sizes the quality is poor. As I did not respond well to CBT, I was off rolled back to your GP after one to two weeks. CBT is provided by steps to change and they off rolled me of the course, I am not allowed to access any help because I am not allowed to compete steps to changes basic course.

Getting access to Mental Health care in Lincolnshire has been difficult if not impossible and the system doesn't make any sense. I have been told to talk about mental health and get some support but when I do I get told to effectively shut up. 

I know that I suffer with depression, I suffer with anxiety, PTSD, I have been stabbed, burned, raped, been threatened with firearms, I have lost count of the amount of times people have attempted to murder me, I have been homeless, I have seen people suffer and die. I have tried to keep going and live a good life. I have tried to get an education, I have worked when I can, I have earned qualification, I have volunteered but I needed some at certain from the NHS but it just was not there.

People tell me you can talk about mental health but that is a lie, you have to keep it a secret because you will probably lose your job and people will not consider you for opportunities.

Mental Health support in Boston, at Pilgrim the reality is there has been none for me. I battle every day to be kind and not hurt those who have hurt me but I think about revenge everyday. I know this is because my mental health is poor but I do not talk about it openly anymore with mental health professionals everyday I have to make a choice not to seek revenge.

I know the PHQ-9 test by memory. I hide my scars, hide the shaking from the PTSD, the vomit from the anxiety (I always have a toothbrush on me), I live alone no one sees me scream at night, I use ice packs for the pain, I use a gun shield at night for when the flashbacks happen. I am in agony, I want some relief and I would not say I have given up with the NHS but I would say that I have accepted that there is no help for me on the NHS but there is a lot of rubbish that says there is help but again the reality is there is nothing.

I have seen patients be told if you want help you will have to have a proper suicide attempt. To use an analogy I feel like I am treated like Frankenstein's creature or the Gollum of Folklore, you had your use, your not wanted but worse your a mental health monster.

If you want to improve the NHS mental services set up some real practical help and support services. Stop cutting effective services and passing them off as improvements. The NHS should cut down on false promises and the marketing hype. How can we as patients be expected to integrate into society if realistically there is no support?

Maybe this comment will be removed but I have been silent for long enough and I want to exercise my freedom of speech. Perhaps reading this things might change but honestly I do not think they ever will.

I have no trust in the CRHT, the CMHT and mental health services. If someone who has a friend or family member who is suffering I would suggest private care and support if possible or even support from a charity. Mental Health is a broken system sold as everything is fine like a dead parrot sketch. As for the loving acronyms there is one I would use to describe the service as B.S but that does not mean Brilliant Service (use your imagination). I have come to the conclusion that there is no help for someone like me. I genuinely hope that sometime in the next few years I go to sleep unaware and die. When I needed support there was none, I am in agony and I just want it to end.