18 Months To Get Help

[Ulrica]

After a quite a serious bout of SH I went to the A&E to get it looked at, thought I'd just get cleaned and stitched up and I'd be on my way back home. Little had I anticipated that I'd get to talk to a psych liason nurse at the hospital. She was great and tried to help the best she could. She'd read my assessment from the psych hospital I was at two weeks ago where they'd said I'd get in touch with someone to do some CBT work. Today she said the waiting list to the psyh clinic is 18 months. I thought I was either gonna punch the wall or cry my eyes out. Neither happened. I was just numb inside but my head was all over the shop. She tried to help and I'm getting to see someone at the rape/sexual absue centre next week to deal with those issues, that I still haven't dealt with, although it was sometime ago now that the incidents occured. She then said that the only help I'd get in the meantime was some CBT for GAD through the PCT, 8-12 sessions at the most. She also said that they're reluctant to treat BPD patients beacause they're so difficult, great, now I'm difficult as well (though that has been said before). She said they probably wouldn't treat me at all through the PCT unless it was just for GAD. She said that my best bet if I wanted to get some help was to look at voluntary organisations in the area in the meantime (ie 18 months or so). She said that over here (which is Warrington, Cheshire) there isn't much help for people with BPD at all. There is no DBT (which I was looking at trying) avaliable so I asked if it was possible to get referred somewhere else, like Manchester or something and she said that's about 2 in 100 chance and even then I'd have to get my GP on board (who I still haven't seen having only been in up here for 3 months) as well as writing and complaining to the PCT (they're in alot of debt apparantly) and that's a long process from which nothing might come of anyway. I said that sounded like too much and would probably break me completly should I get turned down. She agreed with me on that. She said that people with my condition are shunned at (well she didn't say those words but that's what she meant) up here beacause they're so difficult to treat and she said that since I'd spent 3 years in therapy in Sweden before that she wasn't sure therapy would help much anyway. She looked sad as she said it, she looked liked she wish she could help more when she just couldn't. So I left feeling lost, empty, hurt, angry and in despair. I'm not gonna get much help so how am I gonna get better??? I just feel at a loss and want to give up and hide under the duvet until the end of the world or something. I want it to go away, and then I wondered why did I have to be cursed with this, why me, why me, why me...

Sorry for the despairing tone. I'm just at a loss and have no idea what to do with myself.

[Marchmadness]

It must be really frustrating for you to have to wait all that time to not even know weather or not you will be able to

receive services. I myself get frustrated for everyone over there that is put on a waiting list. It also burns me up

when they say there isn't much they can do. That is a crock of bull! You can learn to deal, work, understand this

damn illness. There are different tools that work for different people, and meds help with the depression, ptsd, gad.

So it isn't as bleak as the system makes it to be. You have to be proactive in your recovery. The fact that you came

here, and talk to us, is one tool you have. Keep talking here, there are others who have been in the same place and

some that still are, but you can each talk with each other and see what is and what is not working. Living with this is

a challenge not a life sentence. Take care

Marchmadness

[coco]

I hear you ulrica. I just wanted you to know i care.

Love Eva xx :bigarmhug[1]:

[drew]

try to think of the postive at leats u are going to see some one next week who will hopefully help you with some issues . i think 18 monrths is the average waiting time in this country yes its very frustarting when u are ill and needing help. try to build other postives into your life . try looking at volunterr organistaions

i hope u manage to get some help soon

[Lily-Bee]

Im sorry to hear this, it sounds like you are going to get some help though now and later on, take all the help you can get and hopefully you´ll learn copingskills and get better.

You can also always talk to us about issue´s, there is lots of people here with good advise and help.

About DBT here is a website for dbt selfhelp.

www.dbtselfhelp.com

Lilly