Why is there so little help for people with Anxiety/Mental problems!!!

[sMINT]

The government need a good sorting out. No one takes me seriously.

Went to see my mental health doctor today for the 2nd time as the 1st time he referred me to some stress course and it done absolutely nothing for me. I suffer panic attacks and although yes fair enough they may be caused by stress I am not a stressful person.

I told him today that 6 weeks have been wasted as the course was just telling me what I already knew and it was more of a course designed to knowledge people on their condition where as I already knew everything from here and other resources.

He wouldn't have it, telling me that what the problem is I should forget what I know and just listen to them on the course and re learn it again to put into practice. Firstly the course has given me nothing to put into practice all they do is sit there telling us about anxiety, mostly stress, sleeping, depression, anger, and panic a tiny bit. form all the topics covered I sleep fine, am not angry or stressed extremely or depressed. so 95% of ther course didnt even relate to me in the 1st place.

He seen me today thinking that that course would cure me for good and was supprised to see me again.

I asked for CBT and all he gave me was the poxy website living life to the full which I already have and been trying to use. I wanted face to face CBT with someone.

What on earth do I do know? Can I just contact the NHS to be put on a waiting list for CBT or what becuase my mental health nurse will not put me on it so I feel completely lost :mad::mad:

Sorry for waffling on. Thanks

[sMINT]

nobody know what I should do no? What is my next step? Is my only option to go private for CBT

Anyone please lol.

[Rachel424]

I suffered with chronic anxiety for over 7 years before I was took seriously and my GP referred me to see a psychiatrist, even though I had been begging her to refer me for years. My GP had to phone a psychiatrist to approve the diazepam that she prescribed me after I became suicidal. I thought this is ridiculous - do I have to die before I can see a proper doctor?! I have had a few CBT sessions and they didn't really help me. I have just started an anxiety management course so I am hoping this will help me more. Also I have been referred to see a clinical psychologist but have been told that there is a year-long waiting list just for an initial assessment! It is all very frustrating!:mad:

[krog]

Hi there,

I'll start with an apology !
I do not mean to offend with my comments and I apologise if I make the wrong interpretation of your situation.

Anyway, your post reminded me of how I felt when I first was diagnosed with anxiety. I thought that I was not the person that my GP / therapist was describing me to be.

I wanted a quick fix to my situation. I was fed up with feeling the way I was.
All the 'help' I was given just seemed too obvious and I did not really pay much attention to it or else I just dismissed it as not being for me.

Needless to say, my situation did not improve. I could not understand why. I was armed with all the information that I needed, but I felt no better. In actual fact I felt worse because I could not see an end to my nervous illness.

It took something that I downloaded from this site to make the penny finally drop. It was one of those Claire Weekes audio files.
I was just casually surfing this site and I came across them and just downloaded them because I had nothing better to try !

Although the contents of the audio on the files did not, in itself offer an immediate cure, it gave me an insight into how I needed to change my attitude towards my condition such that I could begin to start to help myself.

I'll not go into the details at length but the key thing for me was the term 'acceptance'. I think that before you can move on you have to truly accept your condition and not fear or hate it. Its part of what is you in this current phase in your life.

As I said, the audio files will not be the single item that drags you out of your current state of mind, but they may give you an insight into how you need to change your thinking at a very basic level such that you give yourself a chance to allow other methods of treatment to work.

I guess what I am basically saying is that the 'cure' lies completely within you already. Of course, prescription medication and external therapies will help, but ultimately you and you alone hold the key to shaking off your nervous illness.

Try to stop looking for too much help from others and you may find that you are a lot stronger in yourself than you give yourself credit for.

Just my thoughts :)

Take care,
krog.

[Rachel_123]

Hi there,

I'll start with an apology !
I do not mean to offend with my comments and I apologise if I make the wrong interpretation of your situation.

Anyway, your post reminded me of how I felt when I first was diagnosed with anxiety. I thought that I was not the person that my GP / therapist was describing me to be.

I wanted a quick fix to my situation. I was fed up with feeling the way I was.
All the 'help' I was given just seemed too obvious and I did not really pay much attention to it or else I just dismissed it as not being for me.

Needless to say, my situation did not improve. I could not understand why. I was armed with all the information that I needed, but I felt no better. In actual fact I felt worse because I could not see an end to my nervous illness.

It took something that I downloaded from this site to make the penny finally drop. It was one of those Claire Weekes audio files.
I was just casually surfing this site and I came across them and just downloaded them because I had nothing better to try !

Although the contents of the audio on the files did not, in itself offer an immediate cure, it gave me an insight into how I needed to change my attitude towards my condition such that I could begin to start to help myself.

I'll not go into the details at length but the key thing for me was the term 'acceptance'. I think that before you can move on you have to truly accept your condition and not fear or hate it. Its part of what is you in this current phase in your life.

As I said, the audio files will not be the single item that drags you out of your current state of mind, but they may give you an insight into how you need to change your thinking at a very basic level such that you give yourself a chance to allow other methods of treatment to work.

I guess what I am basically saying is that the 'cure' lies completely within you already. Of course, prescription medication and external therapies will help, but ultimately you and you alone hold the key to shaking off your nervous illness.

Try to stop looking for too much help from others and you may find that you are a lot stronger in yourself than you give yourself credit for.

Just my thoughts :)

Take care,
krog.

you pinpointed exactly what I was thinking.
its not really about the help available, its about helping yourself. its about changing your attitude to life.people can only givr you guidance and support. its up to you to change your life.

[nomorepanic]

I think self-help is the best medicine and gives you a sense of achievement.

Having said that I really benefited from some CBT to help me down that route.

[sMINT]

Thanks but I really do not benifit from reading self help guides etc. I have tried countless different ones and read endless lists of books about panic/anxiety.

It was the same at school, If a teacher said read this book, nothing would sink in, if they demonstrated it and drew diagrams etc etc I would learn a whole lot better. Same way in why I think I would benefit more from CBT. Having someone to talk me through things will really help.

My mental health liason nurse who referred me onto this stress cause which hasnt done nothing told me yesterday when I go tonight ask to be put on another course. So I go there and ask and they say they have one specificly for panic/anxiety so now I am thinkg WHY didnt my stupid incompetent mental health nurse put me on this in the first place? Idiot!

Also she cannot put me on it I need to go back to him and he has to referr me again. Idiot again. The next appointment with him is not untill 3 months.

Now all I want is to be referrred for CBT is it worth just going to my normal GP not the mental health nurse and explaining everything I have been through and can they just referr me straight?

Sorry if I sound a bit angry in this post lol. I didnt mean to

[nomorepanic]

You can ask for CBT but the waiting lists are stupidly long!

Some people wait a year for a referral. The last time I went I did it privately and we had private health care so they paid for it.

I know it is frustrating.

One other thing you could do is the No Panic telephone recovery course - that is 12 weeks long and done over a telephone in a group once a week for an hour. How does that sound?

[nicros]

Hi, I was diagnosed with GAD about 3 years ago although I have suffered for longer than this. I had to go to the Dr and ask for help. I tried the health visitor i had seen whilst I had post natal depression but they said that as my kids were at school now I was not entiltled to their help but they put me in touch with my local hospital trauma team who arranged a visit from a mental health link worker. I saw 3 over 3 years as they kept changing, I only went when I felt unable to cope by myself. I would ring and meet them at my Dr surgery for an hours session every week or so . I was luck enough that when I mentioned CBT to one of them that she had done a course recently and then used that approach with me during our following meetings. It really helped. Also I recently asked for counselling as 2 close friends had died and I wasn't coping with the grief. I only waited 4 weeks and had a 6 week course an hour per week and discussed bereavement and many other things too. It was useful because the counsellor would watch my body language and challenge the way I reacted to certain things I said, it was a journey that helped me come to terms with a lot over my life .
However I know how you feel because last year we had one disaster after another and when I couldn't cope I rang my link worker who said that she had been made part time and couldn't see me for over a month. So I went to the Dr who said the same thing, and basically I couldn't talk to anyone unless I did something stupid and ended up in hospital. I was trying to avoid this and with the great support of my OH and friends I came through it. I was scared to death that 'all of a sudden' all my support had been withdrawn because of funding. Good luck and keep asking for help, but I found ringing my local hospital and asking to speak to someone from the trauma team was the best thing I could have:) done. Nic