"The only health service that makes patients worse instead of better"

I felt that the CMHT made my anxiety and depression worse. I wish I had never been referred to them, and things only started improving once I chose not to engage with them. I decided to look at my records and I was shocked by what was written. I don't even know were to start, so I will only list the things that I think should never happen.

1. No patient involvement in treatment.

THE CMHT prescribe drugs by CPN's telling the psychiatrist what they think should happen. As a result I was prescribed a drug that was contra-indicated for patients with heart conditions like mine, luckily my GP noticed and told me not take it. I told my CPN that I could not take it and she documented that I was "non compliant and unwilling to be on medication". If it was more routine for psychiatrists to discuss medications with patients this could have been avoided, but I was assigned to a part time psychiatrist who was only at the CMHT base one day a week.

2. Racism

My hair was described as matted and unkempt therefore meaning I am failing to self care. I am mixed race and have naturaly unrully afro hair, that has always been in braids that get re-done weekly. This is a perfectly normal hair routine for people of my ethenicity, and else has called it untidy or unkempt.

3. Poor contingency planning.

When staff are away nothing gets done. When my key worker was on leave and I had a break down, no one knew my history, and they just said I would have to wait till she got back to find out what my care plan was. When I needed a new prescription, my key worker could only get hold of my consultant on 1 day a wee. And for 3 consecutive weeks she "kept running out of time" it took her a month to get hold of my consultant to ask a simple question. This would never happen with physical health were patient records can be accessed by other staff members.

4. Lack of acountability

When things go wrong its a case of staff member vs patient. And staff always insit they are right, and people with mental health conditions are less likely to be believed. There are no safeguards for this. At other mental health trusts I have been treated in, all sessions have been audio recorded.