Self referral ?

[Buster70]

Hi all , I haven’t posted in a while but still read the threads , I haven’t been doing too well so thought better to spare you , I’m now at a point where I need some professional help as I realise I’m only getting worse trying to get better on my own , I hit what I hope is rock bottom yesterday and rang the Samaritans out of desperation, I’ve also made the first appointment with my Doctor in over two years to get checked out and maybe find some way out of this nightmare.
my question is has anyone self referred to mental health since covid hit ? How long is the waiting time to get to talk to someone and do they do face to face now ?
I can’t go on like this anymore and accept I need help but what is there ?
Hope you are all doing okay .
Thanks .

[Catkins]

Last year I referred myself to the local crisis team and the response was really good. I had a couple of weeks intensive support and then was referred on to the local Mind and for CBT. The CBT was a slightly longer wait, but perhaps because of my circumstances wasn't too long - the CBT was over the phone due to Covid.

I'm not sure if I was lucky or if things in my area were particularly good at that point.

But I did also seek a private counsellor as well, in fact I sought help in anyway I could (probably out of desperation).

I can't answer specifics for where you are, but I think it's a good sign that you are asking for help.

[pulisa]

You can self-refer to the IAPT service which in my area offers CBT (6 session package) or Counselling for Depression (6 sessions). This is Level 2 for mild to moderate issues.

If you go to your GP he/she could refer you to The Community Health MH service but they can reject you if you don't meet their criteria of severity.

Your local Mind may be a better option although no doubt waiting lists will be long...but they may not be in you area.

I would book a GP appointment, Buster. Or else look into a private therapist who you can choose. There's a waiting list for private therapists too.

Do you have any safe haven hubs in your area? These are drop in centres for people in MH crisis and an alternative to A&E.

I'm glad you've decided to speak out. I really would recommend you seeing the GP and I'm sorry you feel so bad. Be assertive and don't hold anything back. I really hope you get some decent help as soon as you can. If you found the Samaritans were helpful then use them whenever you need to

[Darksky]

Sad that you’ve hit rock bottom Buster but from there the only way is up.

I hope you get the help you want as soon as possible. As Pulisa said, use the Samaritans whenever you feel the need to, it’s what they are there for. Ditto here, you can always offload, don’t feel you are bothering people because you aren’t.

I know you’re not a bloke for hugs…..but you’re going to get one anyway

[NoraB]

Sorry to hear you're still struggling Buster. Please ask for help. It's there.

And we're here for you too..

[Carnation]

Sent you a pm Buster

[Lencoboy]

Sorry to hear what you're going through right now Buster.

Remember hard times don't always last.

[Scass]

Really sorry to hear this Buster, but also really pleased you seemed help. That’s a huge step, and quite a hard one.

My self referral took a VERY long time, but I think they lost me, forgot about me and then found me. Definitely worth speaking to your dr about and talking about wait times.

[pulisa]

I think that waiting times and MH services in the south tend to be very patchy and you're probably better off living further north. I'm really envious when I read of other people's experiences but that's how it should be.

[Buster70]

Hi all , thank you for the kind replies, I’ve been to the Docs today with my surgery you never see the same doc twice but he seemed okay and didn’t rush me out the door with a prescription for antidepressants I’d never take , I told him about the chest pain and shortness of breath ive been getting and he checked me over , I’m getting skipped heart beats so he sent me for an ecg and booked blood tests , if I’m physically okay it would be one less worry and I could try and work on the rest , I’ve self referred as the doc said it doesn’t really make a difference if he does it or me , the waiting time is around 12 weeks which given that when you feel crap a minute seems like an age , The Samaritans rang me back last night and they were really nice and it did help to talk .
Im staying on my own now as things got too bad at home , I’m in a house not my van and it’s not winter so apart from not liking my own company it’s not too bad , I don’t know if it will be permanent but I still have hopes of a happy ever after .I’d love a break from working as for the last year all I’ve done is work then go to the coast at weekends to do more work on the two flats I took on , they’re now done but the work I do I can’t really take a break or someone else will step in , I’ve tried taking on someone to work part time but most people who are available are not working for a reason they don’t turn up .
Anyway I’ve taken a Amitriptalene for my back pain and to help me sleep and it’s kicking in so I’ll sign off and let you know how things go later on .
Thanks again .