Help What happens if you reach out for official help e.g NHS? [UK users]

[blackbeauty]

Can anyone from the UK share their experiences on reaching out to the NHS ( e.g. dialling 111 or 999) asking for help?

It's an option I've never tried before to get help and I'm wondering if they really do help you or just make things worse.

 

[Dot]

Dpends on ur area

999 = fr callng if u r in iminnt dangr of harmng urslf or sme1 els in whch cse thy cn dscuss eithr puttng u in2 inpatnt or cn connct u wth crsis team

Crsis team = a wy of stabilisng u & vistng u @ hme w/o puttng u in2 hosptl bt agn thy wll dscuss optns wth u

Inpatnt wll b finl rsort bcse thre r nt mny beds


Crsis team cn pt u in2 contct wth psychiatrst & dscuss wht hlp thy cn gve u

Tht hlp wll b givn in conjunctn wth ur GP


If u contct GP 1st thn dependng on severty of issus thy prbbly dscuss medcatn & offr dffrnt levls of spport dependng on wht hlps

Jst askng fr hlp shld nt rsult in n.ethng drastc lke throwng u in2 inpatnt bcse thre = nt enuf spce excpt in emrgncies

= wrth tryng imo

 

[Forever Sleep]

I saw a college therapist who refered me to my GP years ago for antidepressants. I didn't say outright I had suicidal thoughts but then, the questionnaire they get you to fill in tends to reveal all that. They didn't pick up on it though- oddly.

Both were pretty good in their way. The GP was very sympathetic when I just burst into tears. The meds didn't do anything for me and I found the therapy intrusive. (I guess it has to be!) Workwise at that point, things improved for me- which was always my best coping mechanism. So, I quit therapy and didn't renew the meds. I think it's worth trying though- if you have any desire to.

As to who you should contact, as Dot said- it depends how badly you feel really. If you want immediete intervention- then a Crisis line may be the way to go. But I suspect they might initiate a welfare check if you tell them you are suicidal and have a method to hand.

I guess you need to make it sound serious enough- that they get you support quickly but, not so bad you get sectioned- I imagine.

Isn't there that app: Betterhealth to put UK residents in touch with therapists? I don't know how good it is though. The member @FireFox didn't seem to have much luck. Whatever you do though- I think you need to pester in the UK. Our health service is so overburdened. I don't think they have the time to check up on people now. I think you have to push for stuff and, keep pushing!

Good luck though. I hope you find something that helps.

 

[Dot]

As to who you should contact, as Dot said- it depends how badly you feel really. If you want immediete intervention- then a Crisis line may be the way to go. But I suspect they might initiate a welfare check if you tell them you are suicidal and have a method to hand.

jst FYI tht crsis team r dffrnt thn crsis lnes

Crsis tms r NHS stff wh/ rport dirctly t/ th/ locl m.h servces & wll vist u evry dy fr numbr of wks if u r in crsis

Thy hlp wth sgn-postng t/ whtevr othr hlp = availbl

Thy r commnly usd aftr sme 'lw-levl' ctb attmpts or svere suicdl thghts

Othrwse GP = 1st plce t/ contct & thy cn connct t/ locl servcs whch oftn strt wth slf-hlp webste thn sme grp CBT & thn Psychlogcl Wellbein practitnr -- tht = if goin thru jst GP & nt thru crsis interventn

 

[ForgottenAgain]

I live in England and I've reached out to some of the official services (never used 999). I'll detail my experience below:

1. Contacting 111
   1. They asked me the reason for the call, I explained and they said I'd get a call back in a few hours from a doctor. If I became a danger to myself, that I should contact 999 or go to A&E.
   2. Doctor called back in a few hours (if you call late at night, they will still call you back, no matter if it's 3am, 5am, etc)
   3. The doctor asked for more details on my state, asked suicide ideation questions and whether I have attempted and if I have the means, if I feel I'm in danger, etc. The rest of the questions felt like the doctor was reading from a depression/psychosis/etc questionnaire and I just answered.
   4. In the end I think they recommended me to go to the GP, either I had to do it manually the next day or they did it for me and I got contact from the GP, I don't remember. It wasn't that helpful.
2. Self referral through Talking Therapies
   1. When I was severely unwell, I went online to Talking Therapies and filled in a self-referral reporting severe depression
   2. They called me back within 2 weeks and asked for extra details. They then asked the usual suicide related questions you're expecting (do you have suicidal thoughts, have you attempted, do you have a method at hand, do you feel in danger, etc). After that, they asked a lot of questions regarding depression, psychosis and other things. You give answers in the form of "very often I feel that way" or "cannot relate" or a scale of 1 to 5 or 1 to 10, things like that.
   3. After all that, they said they'd refer me to the Crisis Team as I was too unwell for their service. If I wasn't as unwell, I could be referred to a psychologist or something.
3. Using the Crisis Team
   1. Contact from the Crisis Team was fast, I got a call the next day or so. The call was short and I was told to meet them in a couple of days. The Crisis Team monitor you for 6 weeks and not more.
   2. The first consultation is around 1h and it was with 2 nurses. They asked similar questions to what I already answered and I told more of my story. We talked a lot about suicidal ideation and they basically gave me a pitch of "you won't want to be in-patient here, you won't recover, this isn't a good place for depressed people, you don't want us in your life like that". So, I was accepted as outpatient and started going there 3 to 4 times a week.
   3. Second consultation is with a psychiatrist and a nurse or social worker, I don't know, the lady didn't say anything during the appointment. Again, you answer questions similar to what you answered and tell, again, your story. If you have taken meds before, you're asked to say which ones and how many grams, how often, etc. The psychiatrist then prescribed medication. She also gave me a 1 month fit note so I wouldn't be working. They give you medication for 1 week and not more, so you can't attempt to overdose. The meds are free of charge and you usually get them straight after your appointment. From here on out, you'll get the meds weekly.
   4. The next consultations are always with either a nurse or social worker. They ask how you've been doing. It feels like what you'd imagine talking about mental health with a GP feels like, except they know a bit more than a GP, but are not as caring or have as much tact as a psychologist. It was nice to have that regular support but sometimes I'd leave the appointments feeling worse, especially if it was with the psychiatrist who was vile.
   5. As you continue through the weeks, your appointments may change from 3 or 4 times a week to 2 times a week or once a week. It will depend on your case. The appointments will also become shorter, from 1h to 30min.
   6. At your last appointment they will tell you whether they will refer you to the Community Mental Health team (long term support, long waiting lists) or whether they'll refer you to the GP (basically abandon you). I was referred back to the GP because I had a private psychologist at the time.
4. GP after Crisis Team
   
   1. The GP is supposed to monitor your meds and speak with the Crisis Team psychiatrist if changes are needed. Sounds nice but reality is that, I would go to the GP appointment and the GP haven't spoken to the psychiatrist so no change in meds would happen. Second appointment, same shit. So basically I felt that I'd continue on the same meds forever.
   2. I ended up quitting my medication and giving up on all this.

I've also used the Community Mental Health team later on and other things like Samaritans, the suicide hotline, etc. Let me know if you're interested on that. I've already written a lot so don't want to overload you with information. I hope this helps.

 

[blackbeauty]

Thank you all for sharing your experiences, I really appreciate it .

I've been hesitant to reach out to NHS services before because I was unsure how they would treat me but I'll consider talking to my GP. I've never heard of Talking Therapies so I'll look into that too.

Thanks again guys, so helpful!

Dpends on ur area

999 = fr callng if u r in iminnt dangr of harmng urslf or sme1 els in whch cse thy cn dscuss eithr puttng u in2 inpatnt or cn connct u wth crsis team

Crsis team = a wy of stabilisng u & vistng u @ hme w/o puttng u in2 hosptl bt agn thy wll dscuss optns wth u

Inpatnt wll b finl rsort bcse thre r nt mny beds


Crsis team cn pt u in2 contct wth psychiatrst & dscuss wht hlp thy cn gve u

Tht hlp wll b givn in conjunctn wth ur GP


If u contct GP 1st thn dependng on severty of issus thy prbbly dscuss medcatn & offr dffrnt levls of spport dependng on wht hlps

Jst askng fr hlp shld nt rsult in n.ethng drastc lke throwng u in2 inpatnt bcse thre = nt enuf spce excpt in emrgncies

= wrth tryng imo

I saw a college therapist who refered me to my GP years ago for antidepressants. I didn't say outright I had suicidal thoughts but then, the questionnaire they get you to fill in tends to reveal all that. They didn't pick up on it though- oddly.

Both were pretty good in their way. The GP was very sympathetic when I just burst into tears. The meds didn't do anything for me and I found the therapy intrusive. (I guess it has to be!) Workwise at that point, things improved for me- which was always my best coping mechanism. So, I quit therapy and didn't renew the meds. I think it's worth trying though- if you have any desire to.

As to who you should contact, as Dot said- it depends how badly you feel really. If you want immediete intervention- then a Crisis line may be the way to go. But I suspect they might initiate a welfare check if you tell them you are suicidal and have a method to hand.

I guess you need to make it sound serious enough- that they get you support quickly but, not so bad you get sectioned- I imagine.

Isn't there that app: Betterhealth to put UK residents in touch with therapists? I don't know how good it is though. The member @FireFox didn't seem to have much luck. Whatever you do though- I think you need to pester in the UK. Our health service is so overburdened. I don't think they have the time to check up on people now. I think you have to push for stuff and, keep pushing!

Good luck though. I hope you find something that helps.

I live in England and I've reached out to some of the official services (never used 999). I'll detail my experience below:

1. Contacting 111
   1. They asked me the reason for the call, I explained and they said I'd get a call back in a few hours from a doctor. If I became a danger to myself, that I should contact 999 or go to A&E.
   2. Doctor called back in a few hours (if you call late at night, they will still call you back, no matter if it's 3am, 5am, etc)
   3. The doctor asked for more details on my state, asked suicide ideation questions and whether I have attempted and if I have the means, if I feel I'm in danger, etc. The rest of the questions felt like the doctor was reading from a depression/psychosis/etc questionnaire and I just answered.
   4. In the end I think they recommended me to go to the GP, either I had to do it manually the next day or they did it for me and I got contact from the GP, I don't remember. It wasn't that helpful.
2. Self referral through Talking Therapies
   1. When I was severely unwell, I went online to Talking Therapies and filled in a self-referral reporting severe depression
   2. They called me back within 2 weeks and asked for extra details. They then asked the usual suicide related questions you're expecting (do you have suicidal thoughts, have you attempted, do you have a method at hand, do you feel in danger, etc). After that, they asked a lot of questions regarding depression, psychosis and other things. You give answers in the form of "very often I feel that way" or "cannot relate" or a scale of 1 to 5 or 1 to 10, things like that.
   3. After all that, they said they'd refer me to the Crisis Team as I was too unwell for their service. If I wasn't as unwell, I could be referred to a psychologist or something.
3. Using the Crisis Team
   1. Contact from the Crisis Team was fast, I got a call the next day or so. The call was short and I was told to meet them in a couple of days. The Crisis Team monitor you for 6 weeks and not more.
   2. The first consultation is around 1h and it was with 2 nurses. They asked similar questions to what I already answered and I told more of my story. We talked a lot about suicidal ideation and they basically gave me a pitch of "you won't want to be in-patient here, you won't recover, this isn't a good place for depressed people, you don't want us in your life like that". So, I was accepted as outpatient and started going there 3 to 4 times a week.
   3. Second consultation is with a psychiatrist and a nurse or social worker, I don't know, the lady didn't say anything during the appointment. Again, you answer questions similar to what you answered and tell, again, your story. If you have taken meds before, you're asked to say which ones and how many grams, how often, etc. The psychiatrist then prescribed medication. She also gave me a 1 month fit note so I wouldn't be working. They give you medication for 1 week and not more, so you can't attempt to overdose. The meds are free of charge and you usually get them straight after your appointment. From here on out, you'll get the meds weekly.
   4. The next consultations are always with either a nurse or social worker. They ask how you've been doing. It feels like what you'd imagine talking about mental health with a GP feels like, except they know a bit more than a GP, but are not as caring or have as much tact as a psychologist. It was nice to have that regular support but sometimes I'd leave the appointments feeling worse, especially if it was with the psychiatrist who was vile.
   5. As you continue through the weeks, your appointments may change from 3 or 4 times a week to 2 times a week or once a week. It will depend on your case. The appointments will also become shorter, from 1h to 30min.
   6. At your last appointment they will tell you whether they will refer you to the Community Mental Health team (long term support, long waiting lists) or whether they'll refer you to the GP (basically abandon you). I was referred back to the GP because I had a private psychologist at the time.
4. GP after Crisis Team
   
   1. The GP is supposed to monitor your meds and speak with the Crisis Team psychiatrist if changes are needed. Sounds nice but reality is that, I would go to the GP appointment and the GP haven't spoken to the psychiatrist so no change in meds would happen. Second appointment, same shit. So basically I felt that I'd continue on the same meds forever.
   2. I ended up quitting my medication and giving up on all this.

I've also used the Community Mental Health team later on and other things like Samaritans, the suicide hotline, etc. Let me know if you're interested on that. I've already written a lot so don't want to overload you with information. I hope this helps.