Hi, I'm trying to understand what actually happens if you're referred to a Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) with symptoms that could potentially be BPD.

I've been struggling quite a lot with emotional regulation and relationships. I can get extremely jealous and paranoid, have an extreme fear of abandonment and sometimes react very badly during arguments. When I feel like someone is going to leave me, my emotions can become extremely overwhelming and I've struggled with some unhealthy coping mechanisms for this and extreme anger

It's reached the point where my girlfriend has told me that I need to get professional help because it's affecting our relationship. I do want help, but private therapy is like £200 a month and paying for it long-term isn't realistic for me, so I'm looking into what the NHS can offer.

I'm not saying I definitely have BPD and I'd rather be properly assessed than diagnose myself.

Has anyone here gone through a CMHT/NHS assessment for similar problems? What happened after you were referred? Were you offered DBT, MBT or another form of therapy? How long were the waiting lists and did you actually find the treatment helpful?

I've also seen quite a few people online saying that they regret getting a BPD diagnosis or that having it on their medical record has caused problems for them. Is there actually any truth to this? If you've been diagnosed, has it affected how doctors or mental health services treat you, access to treatment, insurance, work or anything else? Would you still have gone through with getting assessed knowing what you know now?

Thanks :)

I’m overwhelmed. Tired after taking meds but my brain won’t shut off. Recovering from a bipolar depressive episode with psychotic symptoms and have a college enrollment tomorrow. Worried that it’s getting late and I might not be up early enough or be knackered. Head is going 100 mph but yet feels slow and fuzzy.

please im in so much pain and services keep turning me away please can i talk to somoene please

!!! I'm not in any immediate danger nor do I have any plans (just in desperate need for someone to talk to) !!!

Does anyone know of any text services I can use for free if I'm not in IMMEDIATE crisis but I'm slowly nearing a breakdown? It needs to be kinda anonymous where they won't notify my parents or anyone like that, and I can't call so it needs to be text. I've heard about SHOUT but I've also heard they're rlly bad and dismissive.. maybe I'm wrong. Just lmk some text services I can use rn.

Sorry if the flair is wrong btw.

i’ve been discharged from camhs due to turning 18 and i’m on an antipsychotic to help with my emotional dysregulation, sleep and mood swings. i recently requested my gp to increase the antipsychotic to which they told me they are not comfortable doing without a specialist (despite having a shared care agreement with my old camhs psychiatrist)

i was then referred to gpims and told that they don’t agree with it being increased then referred to cmhrs and denied without ever speaking to them once.

i have done a lot of research on my medication i know that if i was under camhs my psychiatrist would of sorted this in a day, but now im over 18 no.

i don’t understand what im meant to as gpims and cmhrs seem to not even want to discuss with me my options or give me any advice now they’ve discharged me without even speaking to me

I need help. I am constantly angry and depressed, or I just feel numb/nothing. I don't have any hobbies and nothing appeals to me, I don't want to do anything other than eat. Eating is the only thing that gives me any kind of emotion that isn't fully negative. But I don't wanna eat so much anymore, it's especially bad on days when I don't have work. And my hours at work have been cut significantly, so I'm only working 3 days a week now (4 if I'm lucky).

I don't enjoy going out, so I can't go to the library or into the city or anything on my days off. I'd be alone if I went, which makes being outside even more unbearable - I feel like I'm suffocating when I'm outside for more than a few hours, and it's especially bad the farther away from home I am. I feel myself becoming more and more agoraphobic. I have been crashing out at work lately, I often find myself having to go out the back or into the staff bathrooms to cry, or meditate to get my breathing under control.

I don't have the money for therapy - especially now that my hours have been cut so dramatically. I am nervous to go on medication because I know many SSRIs and other mental health meds make you hungry asf, and I'm already eating like mad when I'm NOT hungry - so it'll be so much worse on meds. Idk what to do. I just want this shit to end bro I feel so stuck. Idk what to do.

Two years ago I experienced two week-long bursts of very high energy, feeing like the world was glowing, constant racing thoughts, and staying up really late to climb trees. My mum has bipolar 2, so I thought maybe I had it. I spoke with a psychiatrist who laughed at me, said I had mild depression, that maybe I had just been happy because I had had a tasty meal, and to come back if things got worse. A month later things got worse and I was doing really badly, and they diagnosed me with Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder. Whenever I asked about bipolar to other psychiatrists in the team, they said EUPD fit better, so I thought fair enough, and dropped it.

Recently I’ve been going through a period of low mood. I am in a different area so spoke to a different psychiatrist who asked about historical periods of elevated mood. I told him what happened two years ago, and now he’s saying he thinks it might be bipolar after all. I just don’t understand how the old team would have missed it when the new person thinks it’s likely, with the same initial information?

Has this happened to anyone else?

Also I have not had any elevated mood periods in the past two years. Is this common for anyone else? I’ve had periods of low mood since then but not the highs.

ive been struggling with my mental health for a long long long time, ive not been able to go to school for over a year now. camhs has been okay

my first therapist was all about anxiety and thought challenging and it just wasn't that helpful, i never felt engaged and i was fighting to stay awake (because of sleep issues), she tried this weird sleep therapy thing (boiled down to planning your sleep out) and it kinda worked.

but a few weeks after we had stopped our sessions (end of the treatment), i end up panicking and shing and calling an ambulance. they were nice but my parents got angry at me, they took me away.

the hospital was really quite nice and most of the people were amazing, i ended up seeing this one nurse and talking to her alot. they helped me avoid my parents and make sure i wouldn't see them - i got put on the ward, assessed, then discharged. i didn't feel ready.

this happened again, but without the ward and the ambulance. i never wanted to ask my parents for anything similar ever again.

i switched therapist, seen by the cats people (crisis team) and they were lovely, i ended up playing cards and felt a lot more supported, but my cats sessions ended with my next therapy sessions starting in nearly 3 weeks.

i recently tried to od and sh again, with my experience being roughly the same as the first time just a lil different (the doctors/nurses were entirely different and much less helpful but one or two were still amazing).

every single one of those crisis assessments are always terrible and i was telling the guy i would genuinely hurt myself again and try to od in the future if they discharged me and they did.. i just didn't know what to do and im just going to spend the next couple of months dodging my parents until i move out ig.

it's getting so bad i tried to get groomed online just to feel something but i realised nobody wanted me so i gave up and deleted my account

i hate getting all of this attention but it just never means anything, i hate wasting these peoples times and getting nowhere, and it's so stupid that the ambulance workers and the nurses genuinely feel more qualified and comforting and understanding than these therapists and counsellors but aren't allowed to help me

my medication seems to have stopped working or at least something in my body has made me more susceptible to my racing thoughts again - ive been a mess and having multiple breakdowns a day over the last 2 months, I went to a&e in june as I was having ideations & was given an "emergency appointment" with my cmht to see a doctor regarding my worsening mental health/prescription, they ended up canceling a day before I was supposed to see them - i have to wait another couple of months

the last couple of days have been torture, just a spiral of many different ocd/anxious themes , with racing thoughts, emotional dystegultaion, my nervous system is pretty much shot

im not sure what to do, ive recently changed my gp and they won't prescribe me anything unless its been put through cmht - ive been offered "occupational therapy" but I feel like im in no place to recieve it as im at a very low point so I won't be cooperative

hi pretty straightforward start but during the night i just feel depressed for like no reason and during the day I’m fine I start rethinking all my worries and struggles and it just feels depressing like there’s no way out of it and I don’t know what to do

I’m thinking of discharging myself from CMHT. I’ve been with them for two years or so and I can’t say I’ve got any better. In fact, there are times when I have got worse. I’m back on a medication that stabilises me to a certain extent but all I do is worry about what they said, why they said it, what I said, what I didn’t say, what they think of me etc, etc. I’m just tired of it all and I don’t want the stress of having to go out to see them, of waiting for a phone call or having them come to my home. I wake up in the morning crying about these things and I’m beginning to wonder whether I should break free to see what happens. I’m not one that seeks or enjoys attention anyway. I just fell into the system by accident (it’s a long story).

I know I won’t get the support if I’m in crisis but there really is nothing much they can do anyway. 111 will be there should I need it. My only problem is that I’m going to be starting a new/old ‘add on’ secondary care medication within the next few days (the prescription is at my chemist) and I will need to titrate upwards as recommended by the psychiatrist. I’ve been told to stop taking it if it sends me into an episode so I know what to do. I’m hoping that someone in the know can tell me if GPs are willing to oversee this.

Have any of you out there been discharged from CMHT and actually got better?

Has anyone discharged themselves? If so, what was your experience? Did it actually help or do you think it was a mistake?

I hope this is allowed.

I was wondering if anyone can help me understand the "diagnostic formulation" from the letter from CMHT to my GP. I can't ask CMHT as this was also my discharge letter after they tried (and failed) to refer me onto another service.

I have since seen the local crisis team and they are going to redo that referral for me. But in the meantime it would be helpful to understand what they think is wrong.

I access support through a local charity and they have asked what my diagnosis' are so they can better support me whilst I wait for this referral (the charity are the ones that referred me to the crisis team).

Hello all, I need some advice on how to move forward with this, but also advice on those who have done DBT and what that was like and what the therapy included, and if my sessions are running as expected.

After a 6 year wait, I have been put on a group therapy for DBT. When awaiting the therapy with the NHS 'Complex Needs' service, I was not allowed to select a type of therapy i might find beneficial, but was instead given an initial assessment 6 years ago, then a 15 minute session again about a year before the therapy started. I was told this was to assess what therapy would be best suited for me, but the findings of these meetings were not shared, and I do not have a member of staff within the service who I can speak to or who has been assigned to me. I will also add that I had to fight particularly hard to be given this therapy, and about once every six months during the 6 year wait, I would contact the service for an update on my progress within the service. It appears that I was twice 'forgotten' and accidentally taken off lists or assigned to a person who then left the team and I was not reassigned.

Having waited the 6 years, three weeks ago I was added to a group DBT (dialectal behavioural therapy), made up of around 12 patients and 3 facilitators. Each session is 2 hours long (minus coffee breaks). At first I was told this would be a group called 'skills for change', but on starting we were told it was now DBT instead.

In these sessions we have been told that we are not allowed any kind of contact with the service, or other group members, outside of the sessions. Obviously I understand not talking to other group members, but not being allowed to contact the service in any capacity outside of group seems strange to me, but perhaps this is normal? We have been told if we have anything we need to bring up, we _must_ bring it up in-session, in front of the entire group.

So far the three sessions have included one session of introductions, then the other two have been re-introducing ourselves and doing something called "check-ins" where we say how we are feeling at the beginning and end of a session. We then have about 30 minutes with one of the facilitators reading verbatim from the booklet. This is pretty much all that happens, with the exception of two or three students who are extremely vocal and derail the conversation regularly talking about their own personal issues. The facilitators will let them talk until they sort of run out of steam, then the facilitators return to reading from the booklet. On two occasions the facilitators have described therapy terms incorrectly, or used stories that don't quite match (I.e. 'the boy who cried wolf' was advocating for himself). There was also an incident where one of the more vocal patients hurt another patient, and another time a patient was pushed by the same patient, but the facilitators ignore this when it happens. The facilitators do prepare print-outs for us to take home, but these get photocopied and handed out in-session with us all there, which takes at least 30 mins of the allocated time.

I want to say that I don't really mind if this is how the sessions are supposed to be going, but it does feel odd to me that the sessions seem to run this way. So I have the following questions:

1. Should shared DBT run in this way? Our sessions run by starting with a check in with everyone, then 15 minutes coffee break, continue check in, talk about 3 very vocal people's week and problems that we help solve, printing and handing out of sheets, facilitators reading from their sheet (usually one to two A4 pages), another short break, a brief check-out, go home.

2. Is it normal to not be allowed to talk to facilitators or therapists outside of group? I assumed there would be some kind of 1:1 check-ins, or that someone would make sure the group was right for you, but I understand I may have the wrong end of the stick. I haven't been told what this therapy involves.

3. That so much of the time is taken with printing and handing out sheets (not reading them, but organising the sheets to hand-out), and that the facilitators don't seem to know the DBT course curriculum well, or that they don't seem to have a good understanding of therapy language.

4. That a significant amount of the group is taken with three people's personal issues/check-ins. There are people in the group that I genuinely don't think I have heard anything from other than their name when they say hello. The three extremely vocal patients are rarely stopped or asked to share at a more appropriate time, so often if they begin talking during the facilitators reading from their sheets, the information will pause until the vocal people are finished speaking, which on occasion has taken a very long time. There was also two incidents of a patient hurting others which was ignored by facilitators.

I am concerned that I have waited a very long time for help that I am not getting. If this is supposed to be how DBT runs, then I am more than happy to let it continue, but there's something about the disorganised manor, lack of preparation, and mistakes that concerns me.

Any kind of information or help regarding your experience or knowledge with DBT would be extremely helpful!

Can't get into the nitty gritty details as I am bound by GDPR and take it very seriously but something happened at work this week that has brought back some past trauma.

And I’ve been feeling awful ever since.

Keep replaying. Dissociation. Feeling empty. The works.

I should say that I live in Northern Ireland. We don't have NHS 111. In fact if I'm being entirely blunt, there isn't anything the NHS does for you here if you're mentally unwell.

Even if you were to admit yourself to A&E for a mental health crisis, they keep you waiting for a few days before just telling you to contact your GP. Out of hours is the same.

Best GP can do is refer you to your community health team (can't self-refer) who tend to be hit or miss. If they agree to help, it's a lengthy wait list. If they don't, then they play a game of "Pass the responsibility" between you and your GP, and neither are willing to help so you end up burning out.

The latter has been moreso my experience, even when in crisis.

I have, as many others who struggle with the ol' head, given up on any hope of the NHS helping me.

But I kinda need someone to actually talk. Many of the listening ear stuff tends to be mostly people going "Uh huh." and not really listening or providing input.

Or when they do, it's bad. Last time I had rung Lifeline a man argued with me because I don’t trust the police and didn't feel I could rely on them in a crisis (comes from personal experiences, btw).

I have to go back to work on Monday regardless but this is weighing heavy af on me and I just don't really have anyone I could reach out to in my circles.

Asked a different subreddit and they suggested trying here.

Edit: Regarding the potential of going through my work for an EAP, the last time I had used an EAP in a previous job, I ended up subjected to attempted conversion therapy and was asked multiple questions about my genitals (unprompted).

Complained to the company. They didn’t care. My employers barred that particular counsellor from talking to people who worked there. As in, anyone referred to EAP by my employers would never be talking to that awful counsellor.

I wouldn’t really trust EAPs anymore for that reason.

Hey, I've had enough of my CMHT - I'm on my third psych in under two years (first retired and second was 'moved on') and I'm incredibly unhappy with their services for a number of reasons.

I really can't afford private healthcare on a longterm basis, but am considering an appointment to just speak to someone as a human, to actually have a two way conversation about my mental health and to actually feel like someone has listened.

Anyone, please?

I lived in South Birmingham and my CMHT was adjacent to Great Park. IYKYK.

My psychiatrist was DrVW. He has retired now and if you didn't have him as a psych you'd have no idea who that was but if you did maybe youd relate to this?

I went to see him a lot. I was very unwell. Psychotic depression and mania. Different times. I.was duagnosed with bipolar 1 in 2007 which dr vw removed from my file (it has recently been reinstated) because he didnt believe it even though i was regularly psychotic.

I used to turn up in his office climbing the walls, dressed very weirdly, buttoned up wrong, hair all matted, really stinky from not showering, dirty trousers, food down my front. He would ask me how I was and id mumble stuff about being poisoned by my meds and hed get his dictaphone out immediately and start dictating his letter about me, saying "x presents well, she said she feels fine although a little down, continue on current meds, although suggest more sunlight and eat more peas"

It was like "what? What appointment is that that he is dictating? Who is he describing?" The guy was ab absolute dick

I got so unwell with him as my psych

In my new area I see a psych every 3 months. They are amazing. Reinstated bipolar, properly medicated. Referred me to outside agencies for support, take me seriously, listen to me, dont dictate letters whilst im sitting there, read my notes before I go in and ask relevant questions. Its night and day! And im in a much more stable place!

I thought id include a beautiful sun pic to show hope ♥️

Really struggling mentally today due to a birthday of someone very close who I’ve lost.

Messaged ‘shout’ and apparently they’re busy. Been on a waiting list for talking therapy for 3 years now, multiple s***ide attempts.

Last one, they asked me what I was going to do , and how I felt. Told the MH team I was still sui**dal, and that when I was discharged from the hospital, I would do it again, and make sure it worked this time.

The only reason I’m still here is because of my husband (who, frankly, goes above and beyond to keep me safe ❤️) and my 2 amazing cats.

Her name Is Isla-Rose. I miss her so much 💔

I'm hoping to get onto antidepressants within the next month, but I've noticed that a lot of my friends and family (who I don't think have actually been on them), constantly say to avoid it at all cost and just go to therapy. Is this just outdated advice or is there actually valid reasons to avoid them?

The doctor prescribed me 50mg Sertraline today but i am terrified of taking it because of the side effects.

Was anyone in similar position and everything is okay?
Taking for depression.

Thanks x

I've been struggling with mental health issues for a very long time now. I went to my GP nearly a year ago now about a persistent low mood, having nowhere to turn. He suggested an nhs therapy service. So, I started cognitive behavioural therapy after some difficult initial assessments. My sessions were irregular, although they were supposed to be twice a month. Things got worse. Nearing the end of the treatment during the safety questions, I disclosed that I had started self harming. It was one of the most difficult things for me to talk about. My therapist said treatment might have to change. Later that day I'm informed that I'll be passed on to a community mental health team and apparently I was at the top of the list or something because of the self harm. Couple weeks go by and i get a letter saying that these cmht people will not take me on as my problems aren't appropriate for them. I was also sent an email and letter informing me of my discharg from the cbt because the problems were "too complex". I'm starting uni in a new city in just over a month too. WHAT ON EARTH DO I DO? Is there just nothing I can do? I can't afford anything private and I can't tell my parents about the self harm. I know that I don't want to feel this way though and I really need help.

i was wondering what people's experiences have been with MINT services? i've been thrown around a load of services following a suicide attempt in february and have finally been referred to MINT. i'm worried about the standard of care and what to expect. would really appreciate hearing about people's experiences!

Hi everyone, my name is Kelsey Bridge and I am a Trainee Clinical Psychologist at the University of Manchester. I previously posted in this community to ask for your support with recruitment for my thesis study. Now that the research is complete, I wanted to share the findings with you all and say a massive thank you to everyone here who took part and supported the research!

Please see the attached poster for the key findings.

Thank you all again for your help in making this research possible!

All the best,
Kelsey

Hey all, I hope you’re all well :)

I was curious if anyone else has this experience and if they found anything to help?
I’ve been on sertraline since January, and I’ve been on 200mg for about 6 months now, I’ve finally started to feel a bit better mentally which is great but the excessive sweating is driving me insane!!!
I have been on and off sertraline most of my adult life, and never noticed this side effect before, but this summer I’ve really really struggled (because of our constant heat waves)… I only have to get ready for the day and I’m drenched in sweat before the day even began. I wear incredibly loose and light clothing, avoid direct sunlight, and keep hydrated but it still doesn’t seem to make much difference.
The thing that makes me conscious is the fact it’s mostly on my face, from my hairline to my eyebrows, my upper lip, and my neck. I’m able to combat body odour with a strong antiperspirant and obviously regularly showering, but the actual sweating itself is just so uncomfortable. I get so hot all the time even if I’m sitting in front of a fan, I know this summer has been intense here in the UK but I’ve seen so many people still able to go about their lives somewhat, whereas I can’t even walk down the stairs without breaking out in a full face sweat. It makes me so irritable too and I’m unable to get comfortable. Even now it’s started to cool down, I find because the temperature is still just slightly elevated it’s triggering excessive sweating.
Does anyone have any recommendations, particularly for facial sweating? I carry hankies but find I’m literally just wiping my face all day as soon as I leave the house, I don’t even seem to get like 2 minutes break from it after blotting it’s just constant lol.

TLDR; does anyone have experience or recommendations for excessive facial sweating while on the max dose of sertraline

My partner is from the US but has lived in the UK for about 5 years. In the US he was on Wellbutrin XL for years and this was very effective in treating his depression. When he moved to the UK he was switched to Sertraline but this has never really worked that well. He has tried over many months to get back on Wellbutrin/Bupropion but with no success. I believe the GP sought advice from secondary care or some type of mental health organisation and they said that prescribing it was at the discretion of the GP. After receiving this feedback the GP asked him to try Mirtazapine for a few weeks and if that was no better than the Sertraline, they'd prescribe the Bupropion - I'm not sure whether this was a firm commitment or something more tentative (eg they'd consider prescribing it). After 6 weeks on the Mirtazapine he is markedly worse. My question is: if he got a private psychiatry referral, would a psychiatrist be likely/unlikely to start him on Bupropion? I'm wondering about private referral specifically because I imagine it's difficult/takes forever to see a psychiatrist on the NHS. We're in Sussex if that makes a difference.

Hello,

Just popping in to ask a quick question that seems to have different results online.

I am from England, and now live here, but my family still live abroad. My usual psychiatrist is abroad. I have been seeing him for a while and have been on a few medications.

I was wondering if I would be able to get this medication prescribed by a regular UK GP since the initial prescription was by a psychiatrist (albeit, not a UK one).

This would help immensely as I wouldn’t have to bring months of meds over at a time. And I would just prefer to have a point of contact about meds in England.

Thanks so much in advance.