"A&E Mental Health Neglect"

If you present to this A&E for your mental health, you will be disrespected. I am willing to place money on this.

I took my mentally ill ex-girlfriend to A&E the other week regarding her deterioration. She was incoherent, telling lies and believing them. She had tried to take her life the day before (travelling from Sheffield to Edinburgh alone just so we couldn't find her. The police were called and she was retrieved. She had recently returned to her abusive home - a decision she'd made whilst "blacked out". She has periods of losing touch with reality. Though she doesn't hallucinate, she doesn't know what she's doing. If you question her about what she's doing, she will believe she's not doing it.

So, I took her to A&E to ask for some urgent help. I had no doubt that she was going to die if nothing got done. When we eventually saw a nurse, he told us (and I quote): "hm, it doesn't seem like depression, so it must be anxiety". Now, I am training to be a Psychologist, and there are not only two mental disorders. My ex partner meets ALL criteria for Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD). Everything we read on this disorder seems as though it was written about her.

I tell the doctor this, and that anxiety wouldn't really explain her aggression, clinginess, stalking behaviours and abusiveness. He ignores me and says "people with anxiety don't usually kill themselves, so she's OK". First, this is a gross over-generalisation. Secondly, her primary problem isn't anxiety. DPD has the second highest mortality rate of all mental disorders. She almost died the night prior. She self-harms regularly. He tells us that "people with anxiety don't self-harm". I say, "well, she does".

He then gets ANGRY and snaps back at us: "well, you didn't tell me she was at risk". WE DID?!?!?! He even responded when we said it (saying "only 5% of people actually kill themselves and if you're not hearing voices..." (hinting that she won't do it).

I ask if he is qualified and he says "not to diagnose a personality disorder". I thought: if you're not qualified to diagnose an entire Axis of mental disorders, don't casually hand out the two diagnoses you think you can: anxiety and depression.

This worker left me so angry with his teen-like mardy tone that I eventually had to ask: "why are you mad? you're supposed to be a professional". Later I said "you clearly don't believe mental illness exists" and he fumbled around with his words: "well, I do. I just..."