"I have to wait a year?"

(Apologies in advance for the wall of text...)

I've had mixed experiences with Italk.

I self-referred and was diagnosed with depression and C-PTSD in 2015. I waited three months for face-to-face CBT. I cannot stress how wonderful my therapist was; without their support I would not be here. I can't praise Italk enough for the amazing service they offered me at that time.

The assessment is supposed to take around an hour, I believe; the person who assessed me spent 4 hours on the phone to ensure they had everything down. The staff are dedicated and really, really care.

However, you only get a certain amount of sessions and so my case was closed 8 months later, despite the fact that there was more work to be done (I understand this is due to demand, etc.) In April 2017 I referred myself again. After an assessment, I was advised that I would be seen in around three months.

In October I tried contacting the team multiple times with no response, to see how much longer I'd need to wait. I understand that it's not possible to give an exact time-frame; but receiving no response whatsoever makes you feel alone and helpless if you're already in a downward spiral. In the end I got an email from the local are admin team stating " I apologise for the long delay but at present we do not have any available appointments to offer you."

I then got a voicemail advising they don't have any appointments, can't give me a time-frame, but I am halfway up the waiting list.

I'd waited 6 months by this point. So I could be waiting a year.

My GP has prescribed me anti-depressants in the meantime. I don't want to take them, but what choice to I have? I can't afford to go private, I can't get an appointment with Italk and, according to my GP there aren't any other services available that could support me.

I don't blame Italk/ Southern Health themselves for this in and of itself. I understand that resources are tight, there's a national shortage of mental health professionals, and they're doing their best. I don't doubt that. But I think that more needs to be done to improve waiting times. I also think that transparency with patients needs to be improved. Most people are reasonable: if there are good reasons that they aren't able to access the service just yet, they will understand. Simply telling people "there aren't any appointments to offer you" makes the situation seem more hopeless as there's seemingly no end in sight.

It breaks my heart to read the other reviews on here that echo my experiences. We all know that mental health illnesses can be just as fatal as physical ones. They are supposed to be treated with parity now. What are the strategic managers at Southern Health doing to improve waiting times?