"Messed around by mental health team"

A year ago I was assessed by the Wigan Mental Health Assessment Team and offered CBT to help me. Although I went to couple of sessions I was convinced that this was not the right treatment for me, or even the right diagnosis.

I complained. Following a further assessment by another team they said I should have been treated as an inpatient and since then I have had let down after let down.

I was referred to a psychiatrist whose diagnosis seemed right to me, I admit it was my fault I stopped seeing them after a couple of sessions. However, with all the messing around with / by the assessment team I was confused about what to think and how to act and now think the psychiatrist was the right person for me to see and be treated by.

With support from my mum I’m doing a lot to help myself but it does not help when people from the home treatment team say they are coming and then do not. My mum and I wait all day not knowing what is going on, expecting someone to arrive any minute only for them to come a day later. No explanation is given, we are not kept informed and I find it difficult and stressful. Living with a mental illness is stressful enough, to then have it exacerbated with appointments not being kept adds to the anguish.

After such incidents when I feel more stressed I speak to my GP to try and calm down. The last time I spoke to my GP, they were concerned about my wellbeing, if I say anything to the mental health team they think I’m messing them about i think.