Rejected From Cbt B4 I've Even Started!!!

[xBettyBoopx]

I don't even know how to start this one!!

I went for CBT assesment last Friday, after about 90 minutes, she said I was a candidate & that I could have CBT. My first appointment was today at 1.30pm.

I've been feeling pretty rough lately & have swollen glands etc, but decided I must go for my first session, didn't want to let her down!

So to cut a long story short, apparently she spoke to her 'boss' who said that I need to cut down my medication whilst doing CBT!!!! WTF????!!!!! This woman knows that I have been feeling extrmeley anxious & to ask that of me is ridiculous. Apparently they don't know if the CBT is working if your on medication!!! Have you ever heard of this before?

I know it's not true. I bet that they have gone over what I said last week & listened to the tape, which she asked me if she could tape the session for training purposes, and then figured that I'm a lost cause, a hopeless case that couldn't be helped & so came up with this medication thing, knowing full well that I'd say no. I was sobbing my heart out in there talking about rejection & stuff which always happens. Rejected for what? I'm so low right now, I'm surprised that I'm even surprised that this happened!! After all, this kind of thing happens to me all the time.

Rejection no: 14,273 to date. I doubt it will be the last, depends on when I pop my clogs.

She offered to put me in touch with a counsellor or something like that but I just walked out. Trying to palm me off on someone else, great!!

I'm done!!!!!!!!!

[lonely]

i had cbt last year in a group and many of us were on medications and never told we had to come off them :bighug1:

[lostsoul]

Elspeth

I've got a couple of CBT self help books and it does mention in them that it may work better if you are medication free. But that's in an ideal world. If we were all medication free we probably wouldn't need the CBT right?

Its seems really unfair that they have treated you like this. I'm sure they don't think you are a lost cause. CBT works for some not others, it didn't work for me, I think if you are very perceptive and aware of your own feelings and reactions to situations already then CBT doesnt really help as it teaches you to spot unhelpful thinking patterns.

So look at it another way, maybe your too in touch with yourself to need CBT!! some people are better off with plain old fashioned counceling (although that hasnt helped me either)

Medicatiion can be the answer for many people but the longer I stay on it the more I think it might be becoming part of the problem if that makes sense.

Was it through a charity out of interest? it might be that that they have a limited budget and therefor can only offer the service to those that they feel 100% would benefit from it. I can't see a private therapist turning you down unless there was a health reason why they thought you were not suitable.

Take Care X

[suzy-sue]

Poor Elspeth,thats pretty disgusting if you ask me.If your Dr referred you I would ring him up and tell him what happened .You deserve better than this my love,Have a good rant and give the neighbours something to talk about.Hope something turns up for you Hugs Sue:bighug1: :bighug1: :bighug1: :bighug1:

[bobobob]

I am on hi dosage of meds and have had cbt in group. Some of it I didn't understand, but they had no problem giving instruction. will catch up sometime.
I think u are catastrophysing a bit about how you have been treated, but that comes with your condition. You are special. You don't deserve to be treated that way. I am sure they weren't using the meds as an excuse but then I don't know why. Please try not to feel rejected. You are important.

[shaz36]

I can't see why the meds would do anything, in fact it seems to me that if you are on your meds and relaxed then you are more likely to take in what is being suggested rather than being off them and being anxious. Don't know about any one else but if i am anxious i take in nothing.
I would defo try and get this through another avenue, my CBT counsellor has not even hinted at recording our sessions, bobobob is spot on , you are special and don't let one idiot, who incidently had to ask their boss for advice, make you feel you are a lost case.

[PoppyC]

Hi
I am sorry for you about all of this.
I have never heard of this before. Where do these people get their ideas from? CBT can work just as well whilst taking medication as it can when not, I am sure. There are people out there having all types of therapy who have severe mental health issues who are drugged up to their eyeballs.
When I started CBT, my gp encouraged me to take medication, whilst having the therapy as apparently the two work well together.
Are you going back for further sessions? I would tell your therapist, that you are going to continue on the amount of meds you are on now. She cannot stop you from having CBT because you wont lower your medication. Loweing your meds now will make you have some withdrawal effects and you need to be relaxed.
Is the therapy arranged by your gp? If it is then go back to your gp and complain. Mine is held in the doctors surgery.
I hope it all gets sorted out for you. :hugs:

[Captain America]

common thought is that you do cbt whilst on the medications, then they try weaning to see if you can handle going it alone. i did have one counselor tell me she didn't believe in medication and that she prefers to take patients who prefer to try it without meds. i think you just unfortunately got one of those.

are you stuck with this counselor or can you ask for someone else? i changed counselors twice before i found one that worked for me.

[sarell]

ive just started a cbt course and also went to see my dr last week who said cbt at the same time as meds was a good thing, the meds im on are citotropan (prob spelt wrong, hey ho, not gonna beat myself up about it lol)

[L1SA]

Hi

I nearly got rejected because i wasnt on any!!!

He thought i needed them so i was calm and could concentrate.

I know of a few people turned down for CBT because they are on medication.

Its a shame because CBT changed my life and without it i darn't even to think where i would be now.

Sorry to hear this and i hope they will reconcider in the future... keep trying!

[sharona]

Hi
Sorry to hear this. i would make a complaint to the NHS or primary care trust.
They don't seem to know what they are doing, do they know what it is like being oe not being on meds.

Hope you are o.k?

Sharona

[Oceanblue]

Hi Elspeth,

Sorry to hear what's happened.

It's seems there's mixed opinions.

I don't know if this will help or not, but when I was very ill, I was refused CBT because they told me I was too ill. I didn't understand this and I asked them to explain. They told me that CBT is usually for people who are on no or little medication and for people who are fairly well and not depressed.

I just thought i'd tell you what they told me in hope this could help you understand alittle.

Do you think this could be the reason for yourself ?

If this is not the case and you do still think you have been treated unfairly, I too think you should make a complaint.

I hope this makes some sort of sense, I'm not able to explain properly right now, because my mind has shut down.

Keep strong xx

[xBettyBoopx]

Thanks for all your replies. Yes Katie mixed opinions. At least I know that some prefer you to not be on meds. However, I still think that they made that the excuse. Thinking about it, I suppose I came across at the assesment as agitated & depressed. That shouldn't make any difference though.

I was referred by my gp. I have chucked out the letter now but I'm sure it's through the NHS. I will speak to the doctor about it next week. I'm too unwell physically to bother with it at the moment. I had a stinking cold, which has left a big sore on my nose & I have 2 cold sores come up on my lip + swollen glands, & of course along with the infection comes the fast heart rate!!:scared15: :scared15: :scared15: :scared15:

Oh the joys :noangel: :noangel: :noangel: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

Els

[Bill]

"Dear" Els:hugs:

I know this has all come at the wrong time for you so it all feels too much for you at the moment.:hugs: xxx

I feel though I may at least understand what they're saying. Els, do you take many meds? Are you on a high dose?

I need to cut down my medication whilst doing CBT!!!!

Sweet Els:hugs: , sometimes we can take too much of a med that actually has little more benefit than a lower dose. When I was started on diazepam, I started on a low dose but gradually the doctor increased it as after a while the dose I was on lost its effect. I ended up on the highest dose because my body had just grown used to them. When I eventually came off them, I actually felt better because they weren't really treating my anxiety as I'd taken them for so long. I found diazepam is most effective as a "one off" tablet on bad days as they lose their effect if taken every day over a long period.

That's just an example. They may feel that you're taking too much or too many meds which they feel aren't of any real benefit even though you probably feel you need them because you feel so anxious. I actually wouldn't be surprised though if there were little difference to your anxious feelings if you stopped them. However, they're not actually asking you to stop them. They're just asking you to "cut down". Whn they say cut down, they don't mean immediately stopping any. If you've been on meds for a Long period, they will only want you to Try to reduce them Very slowly as they wouldn't want you to suffer withdrawal symptoms.

Try not to react to what they said too quickly Els. You "could" still do the cbt and offer to "attempt" to reduce the meds Slowly and see how you feel.

The other thing is that with CBT, you are often asked questions related to your anxiety as to how it affects you such as how bad you feel about a certain situation on a scale of 1 - 10. Too many meds can give a false reading so they may feel they'd get a more accurate picture to your problems if you were on a "reduced" amount of meds.

Remember, they're not asking ou to immediately stop your meds or reduce by a huge amount overnight. They just want you to "try" to to reduce "gradually" while you're receiving treatment.

If you look at it another way, it's like a physiotherapist asking a patient how capable do you feel when you're walking....when they're still walking with the aid of their crutches. They'll want their patient to let go of their crutches Slightly and Slowly to see how their treatment is progressing.

If though you really feel you just can't face cbt, there's no harm in going for counselling. I just wanted to try and explain what I feel is their thinking.

Hope you're feeling better and your cold goes soon!!!:bighug1: :bighug1: :bighug1:

[xBettyBoopx]

Hi Bill:bighug1:

Thanks for your input. I understand what they're asking, but if I've been taking meds for a long time & they really are not working anymore but I am addicted, what difference will coming down slowly off of them make? These people aren't doctors.

I said 'NO' Bill, & 'NO' to councelling as well because I was so upset, I just walked out.

Someone asked who they are, I've just found the letter & its Mental Health NHS Trust. So that's NHS right? Or a trust? I dunno:lac: :scared15: :weep: :mad: :blush: :unsure: :unsure:

I still don't think that's the reason why they don't want me to do it. I think they prolly think that I've had it too long. It's a pity she didn't tell me the week before, instead of saying I was accepted, only to be let down again. I'm a person who cuts her nose off to spite her face:scared15: :noangel: because the only thing I have left is pride:shrug: but I will go back to drs & talk to him about it & maybe ask to see someone because the last couple of months has been HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Even at the moment I have Dr Claire Weekes tape on because I'm having such a bad time:weep: :weep: :weep: :weep: :weep: :weep:

Els xxx

[Alabasterlyn]

Elsepth, I think it's terrible how you have been treated and as someone who also takes medication, I have had two lots of CBT and my medication was never mentioned as an issue.

It seems these days that CBT is being offered to just about anyone who suffers with stress and I know for a fact that the NHS is fast tracking workers from other departments to meet the increasing demand for CBT. When I had my last course of CBT the lady was in fact an occupational therapist and was still in training and I am quite sure I knew far more about my condition than she did.

I would rather have have no treatment than be treated by someone who has very little knowledge of the condition to be honest. I do however hope that you manage to sort this problem out :hugs:

[NoPoet]

Go here and sign up for the free online CBT service:

www.livinglifetothefull.com

No messing about, no waiting times, no confusion about medication - just log in and work on it whenever you want.

Also there are free anxiety/depression tests which you can do as often as you want (weekly is recommended) and they keep charts which show your progress.

[xBettyBoopx]

Hi Lyn

I think this woman also is a CBT trainee! Your'e right, maybe I should be glad that they changed their minds, 'cause she was really annoying anyway!!!:ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy:

She rang me last Friday, I didn't answer the phone but she left a message wanting to talk to me about our 'meeting' from the week before - meeting, omg........lol. She wanted me to ring her back but said that if I didn't, she would send me a letter. I'm not ringing her, I want what she has to say in writing!

Thanks poet, I will take a look at the CBT online:D

Els

[goingmadder]

Hey,

as far as I know if someone is suffering badly with anxiety they tend to put you on meds to balance you out at least for the first few weeks of CBT so that your mind is welcoming to the new thinking patterns etc ...

SInce you were already on medication it could well be that they felt you were on too much for the therapy to be any good to you..

I would bet my life if you made another appointment with the doc/nurse etc and sat down and explained why you left and how their request made you feel you could all come to a happy solution...

Also remember how long you have lived like this... You've coped and managed, you may not be happy with your life but you are alive which means you're stronger than you think you are

Be brave and give it a good go!

X

[lonely]

ive recently been refused cbt, the reason beign i need more intense therapy then cbt which is only 8 sessions on our nhs

[Yvonne]

Elspeth

That's complete and utter rubbish about cutting down on your meds whilst doing the CBT. Who did you go to see - obviously someone at your local mental health team? What you have to do is get in touch with this person's boss. Don't give up push the b's on it if you really want it! This is disgraceful!!!! Oooh I'm angry.

I don't know your history I'm afraid but you've obviously been on meds for a while. Would you mind me asking what meds you're on? Have you only been treated by your gp for your problems? I would have thought you would have been referred to the CMHT before now. Is there a reason why your gp hasn't done this before now?

I have to say that in my experience, counselling is the one of the first steps, not for someone having suffered a long time - as I say I don't know your history though. It's normally about 8 weeks of counselling, then it would be maybe an occupational therapist, then a psychologist for the CBT or group stuff.

If they think you are not a candidate for CBT for one reason or another (can't see that myself cos the CMHT's think CBT is the magic wand) then if they think you are bad with your illness they would have referred you to a psychologist for other kinds of therapy, mindfulness and life issues, childhood etc.

You must really push for this it really isn't good enough.