"Problems with care from AsOne Hertfordshire"

I give detail to show how badly I was treated - I reached out for help when on the point of suicide after 3 years of extreme and continuing stress from that was later diagnosed as having caused damage to the pre-frontal cortex of my brain. I was first given quick access to a very good counsellor who after 2 sessions said my issues were beyond her skill to handle, referring me to AsOne Watford (part of the Hertfordshire NHS) for urgent psychiatric help.

For the next 18 months, AsOne gave me 8 appointments that I kept, each one was simply an assessment. I asked again and again for psychiatric help. The person I saw kept changing. They noted in reports that my condition badly affected my memory and ability to speak and other problems. They noted that my long-term pain prescription for OxyContin following extensive spinal surgery in 2007 and on-going complications had caused me serious cognitive and emotional problems. They refused to look at the mental health report from the hospital pain psychiatrist confirming my mental health issues. They refused to give me access to psychiatric help.

I felt they simply watched me waiting to see if I would lose the will power to stop myself ending it all. They wanted me to take Duloxitine. After 18 months a young new consultant I saw there April 2016 said unless I accepted taking Duloxitine, they would rule that I did not want to help myself and would sign me off. I had repeatedly said that Duloxitine on top of OxyContin would leave me like a zombie, simply sit staring at the world instead of being alert dealing with my problems. I had fought my way down from a high dose of Oxy to a low level, I was not going to take more mind numbing meds, I knew how badly they affected me. I felt that they simply wanted to use meds to leave me dumbed down watching the world go by and mark me off as treated. This young person said the daily appalling withdrawal symptoms I had from lowering Oxy doses were not real. How dare she say that.

She promptly signed me off as uncooperative telling to look after myself and make myself an appointment at MIND. The people at MIND have given me such help and supportive treatment that has helped me get better control of my life. AsOne should have given me this instead of driving me deeper into despair.

I am making a formal complaint. This is the only NHS service I have had where I was treated badly.