"Poor support and treatment"

I feel like Cannon House needs a review of the use of the psychiatrists and how they interact with patients. I found the psychiatrist i saw

-    Was a bit dismissive/condescending about my wish not to have pills in my house due to a recent suicide attempt

-    Had a preference to get me to make decisions quickly with no help info– I was given the option of two medications and expected to make a choice with only the minimal information about the side effects during the session. It was only once he sensed my hesitation that he suggested calling the service back or telling my GP my decision

-    Had a preference to get me to find out information myself – I was given a new diagnosis by the psychiatrist and told to look it up on the internet and also told to try a new type of therapy with no information about the need for a change

-    Rushed to get through appointments and wanted to discharge me ASAP - my 2nd appointment lasted less than 10 minutes and was a waste of time. The focus was to get me discharged – very brief or no discussion about points from previous session  

   

-    Discrepancy between detail of the reports and the actual session – i.e. the report had more details and some assumptions

-    Lack of attention to the link to key previous and current events and their potential to trigger my anxiety and depressive symptoms e.g. move back to a home where childhood abuse had occurred.

Whilst I understand that NHS is stretched, I feel that more care needs to be given to future patients. My GP, entrusted that a referral to this service would help what has been a long and difficult struggle for me. I’ve always found it hard to open up and ask for help, feeling as if I would be burdening and wasting people’s time. My time with the psychiatrist from Cannon House has helped to confirm this. I was left feeling stressed and overwhelmed with a new diagnosis and treatment I was unsure of and using the internet as suggested by the doctor just made things worse. I know that NHS mental health services are stretched, but I hope that future users of this service are given more time, care and detailed information by the doctors.

On a positive note the nurse who assessed me was great, checking up on me whilst I waited to receive and attend my appointment with the psychiatrist.