"I believe that the crisis team are failing to care for people"

I have suffered with mental illness for the last ten years with which i was told is an open diagnosis.

Last year i had severe housing difficulties due to my landlord acting unlawfully and trying to illegally evict me. My landlady's knew a member of the crisis team who lived directly opposite the house i was renting. My landlady claimed to have served me eviction papers infront of this member of the crisis team. During this time i was a service user of the crisis team.

Due to the stress of my housing issues, my anxiety and depression had severly escalated. They prescribed me an anti-depressant medication (sertraline) which was given to me as a change from a medication i had taken for ten years which was an anti psychotic drug known as sulpride.

My landlady would on a number of occasions sit at the crisis team member's house looking over at me through an upstairs window which felt very intrusive. I raised these concerns to the crisis team who to this day have not adressed the issue.

During this period i was subject to Mental health assessments on a number of occasions performed by the psychiatrist and the social worker. The social worker, after hearing of my experiences, would contact me on a regular basis to check on my wellbeing as they had expressed concerns about my safety and Mental health. I was contacted one day by the social worker who said they wanted to come and pick me up from my house in their own car, which as far as I am aware is against proccedure and breaches insurance.

The meeting i was told was to try and help resolve my housing issues by providing temporary accomodation for me - i was taken to st catherines hospital. After a short conversation i was told to wait outside with my partner while they tried to sort something out for my housing. I waited outside and sometime later the social worker came outside and walked straight past me. I asked them if anything had managed to be done to which they replied that they'd said no such thing and got in their car. My partner at this point was very upset about what had happened and stood near the car asking what had happened. The social worker started the ignition and drove away, almost hitting my partner with the car. I had to move her out of the way to prevent her being hit by the car.

Due to my complaints I was seen again for another assessment which resulted in me being told that i was no longer unwell and that there was no longer any need for my medication or any involvment from the mental health service after being a service user for ten years and being prescribed new medication a month prior to this.

The crisis team on a number of occasions have accused me of lying or indicated that I was ill which I believe is to make my complaints seem unfounded. Then one day i am suddenly cured of all illness.

The stress I suffered during these months were a living hell - i feel lucky to be here. i owe it all to my girlfriend who supported me throught this difficult time. I believe that the crisis team should be monitored more closely as I believe they are failing to care for people. In my opinion, an independant body should become involved to prevent anything like I suffered happening to anyone else.