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What do you think of the mental health system in your country?

Weiland

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I live in Australia and I hate it. Do you know how goddamn hard it is to get a social worker or to see a therapist or counsellor? It's ridiculous. You can't see a counsellor if you're an adult without a disability plan. I should be getting one soon and I'll be able to see someone for my mental health problems, but for those in my country who are adults who can't get it...I feel so sorry for them.
Suicide is a rising issue here in Australia. And you know why? Because they can't afford to see someone!
Ugh, I'm just so mad and felt like ranting. But I digress. What do you think of the mental health system in your country?
 
I'm in scotland and it's complete and total ****

for young people there's CAMHS (children and adolescents mental health service) and just look up the tag 'camhs logic' on twitter and you'll see how bad they are. I've been through their service twice, when I was 17 I demanded to see their psych, because they only gave me nurses, which was no help + I needed anti depressants (not that I got them). I didn't see the psych until like 6 months later, and he just brushed me aside. When I was 18 I demanded to see the adult psych through the NhS, and god I wish I hadn't. At one point I was really suicidal and someone phoned the police before I could do anything, and the psych's exact words were 'that was very naughty'. I eventually got anti depressants but they weren't helping so I stopped taking them, and the psych's only concern was withdrawal symptoms and I was sent on my way without any alternatives. I had a counsellor for a while, but my sessions ran out, I was told if I was re referred I would get more sessions, so I did that, heard nothing back from the service, phoned them, they said my referral was through and I should expect to hear from them soon with appointment details, that was over 2 years ago and I still haven't heard anything from them lmao. I haven't had any help since and honestly I don't know if i'm better or worse without it, but I've had way too many bad experinces with it all to even go to my normal GP lmao
 
It's terrible in Canada. I've been lucky and got to see some therapists for free because of work programs - but it isn't a psychiatrist or anything like that.

I am really lucky and I have a really good doctor (GP). She gives me what I need, and she knows me. This is great because she will be rather generous on giving me medication when I need it (i.e. anti-anxiety and sleeping pills).

Essentially besides having a doctor that gives me my medication sIm alone in the healthcare system for what I need. Thank goodness I have a supportive family and friends.
 
theyre trying but it sucks. my psychologist is going to quit in october and they dont seem to know what to do w me bc im 17 which means that i will have to switch therapist in seven months when im 18 so theyre kinda like "uuuhhhh maybe uuhh go to a group for autistic people even though your problems aren't about being autistic, or you could go without a psychologist for seven months until you can start in adult psychiatric care !!!" like great thanks im suicidal though.
i hate BUP (psychiatric healthcare for ppl up to 18 yrs old) for a bunch of reasons and i don't feel like i'm getting better at all and my psychologist and everyone else have just been able to keep me alive for two years. but still i am really scared of being all on my own and having to seek psychiatric care from somewhere else idk and i feel like theyre trying to make it sound like my case isnt That Bad so they can just leave me lol which sounds pathetic and dramatic but hdshsjvhdjsjshff
n i feel like because i havent gotten better theyre kind of giving up. i mean i get it but it sucks

also it's really hard to find psychologists and psychiatrists who arent really mean or focus on the wrong stuff. ive met so many mental health professionals who have told me or implied that i am weak, selfish and a bunch of stuff because i'm mentally ill and suicidal. when i was at the BUP emergency room in february last year the doctor i met basically said that i was really selfish and that i was ruining my parents' lives because i had plans on jumping in front of a train :')

idk i just hate a lot of things about it. im sure there are people who are helped a lot and i dont think all of the people who have treated me have been bad, but the mental healthcare system sucks and everything sucks and i hate it.
i wish the stigma around mental illness wasnt as bad, even in psychiatric treatment there's a stigma and i'm so tired of it. i wish mental illness wasnt shameful or something you have to hide and never talk about, unless youre telling the story of how you stopped being mentally ill because that's what everyone wants to hear. no one wants to think about mentally ill people who are ... like that, telling people youre currently mentally ill and that it is affecting you a lot will make them really uncomfortable because it's not something youre supposed to share with other people.

sorry for the long post but uhhh i have a lot of Issues w the mental healthcare system in sweden lol and i guess i have a lot of issues w how mental illness is treated in general haha
 
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I live in the US, and it's...pretty bad. People with mental health issues are usually categorized as whiny teens, soon-to-be serial killers, or people with severe mental disabilities (I.E., people who need around the clock care for basic day to day activities). While there are certainly people who could fit those descriptors, the broad range of individuals with mental health concerns are so 'normal' that you wouldn't look twice at them, or even know they need help.

My best friend and I both have major depressive disorder and struggle with suicide ideation all the time, and since both of us are seriously low income, we can't afford medications or get any therapy. It's gotten to the point that we both joke about how close we were to ending our lives the previous week, which probably isn't healthy behavior, but we don't really have any other way to cope.

We also don't have any universal healthcare here, so there are a lot of untreated sick people who fall by the wayside and lose everything. That...probably is just going to get worse for the next four years, so that's great. :L
 
Pretty bad, especially when trying to get money because you can't work. They (your doctor) has to pretty much write that you have three legs, is glued to your bed and only eat paper to get anything lol. Especially if you have like asperger's/other asd it's real hard to get money.
 
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It's terrible here in Northern Ireland too.
I've been really down lately especially with nearly losing my mum to breast cancer and when I told my doctor about my depression he basically told me I had to arrange my own counselling.
Seriously how can you be expected to sort these things out yourself when you feel your whole world in caving in around you.
 
It's terrible here in Northern Ireland too.
I've been really down lately especially with nearly losing my mum to breast cancer and when I told my doctor about my depression he basically told me I had to arrange my own counselling.
Seriously how can you be expected to sort these things out yourself when you feel your whole world in caving in around you.

yeah this is really weird. when people have disorders that make them, like, Way less motivated and more sad and depressed and all that....... it's kind of a bad idea to be like "lol yeah youre gonna have to fix that yourself buddy" because honestly that's really difficult to do if youre dead inside. there really should be a better system that doesnt make things unnecessarily difficult and that doesnt make the person getting help feel like a Giant Bother
 
I'm in scotland and it's complete and total ****

First off, I'm really sorry you have to go through all that bs (same for everyone else who has posted here really). Having any type of mental health condition is rough enough - it makes me both sad and angry to see how many people aren't getting the help and compassion they need.

Honestly, I think it's inexcusable in countries that consider themselves developed and in many ways above others. I just have no words right now, just wtf

Although it's not funny at all, I had to laugh when you mentioned the nurses, just because my cousin went to university in Scotland and would constantly baffle us with stories of the bizarre health care system >.<" You need to be able to have easy access to a doctor, whether for mental or physical issues! I just couldn't believe the hoops she would have to jump through to get proper treatment for something like a flu - they'd just talk to her on the phone, advise home-remedies or toss painkillers at her *face palm*
 
Im in the US and ive had some pretty good experience with mental health care and bad experiences also.

In freshman tear kf high school i was anorexic/bulimic and also depressed and self harmed a lot. I used a blog to vent and i guess one of my friends reported me to the school cuz they knew i needed help. At this time my mother the parent i lived with did not believe in mental illness/i just needed god and church/ constantly call me coocoo and "bulimic" like it was my nickname. She would express her upsetness towards me whenever she had to drive me to therapy. Tho i dont blame her cuz its time out of her day and money out of her pocket even with insurance. I didnt ask for it. She also caught me in the act once and drove me to the hospital but luckily they let me go outpatient, cuz I was a good student & had grades to maintain. While i hated it at the time... I realize how good it was i was put into the system, I was in need of help even though I couldnt see it, and I got it.

I can say therapy during that period helped and i learned effective coping strategies. I didnt need therapy for a couple years, though i would still still have on and off bouts of self harm or suicidal ideation and disordered eating. I started seeing an adult therapist towards the end of senior year, i had a total emotional break down in class during an AP test (psychology, coincidentally) bc my mother that morning was being kind of a bully intried not to let it get to me but i burst anyway, crying in the classroom that was supposed to be silent hah. My teacher was so kind and empathetic. I was able to talk to the school counselor pretty much right away. I think my school had a good system (it was a public school) and we were able to find a therapist that would be covered by my mothers insurance without too much difficulty. i was seeing that adult therapist and was also put on antidepressants, then i started college stopped antidepressants and havent seen her since. If i do need someone again, my college provides a counselling/therapy service on campus, just need to schedule. Its a private college.

The only thing I dislike is that whenever I would mention suicide or thinking of it, professionals would eventually jump to the idea of hospitalization. I dont think im a threat to myself. While I do think a bit often than normal of suicide, or *feel* suicidal, I do know theres so much to live for still and I couldnt actually do it, or wouldnt actually want to.. even if i feel like i want to. Im just talking about it because these feelings upset me, because I DONT actually want to, and I want to get them out. :( Also i have things I need to do that I couldnt get done while hospitalized, I would feel so much more anxious knowing of all the things id need to catch up on.
 
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I don't know, I'm in the UK and I've been in and out of the mental health care system since around 7 years old.

I've had terrible experiences, OK experiences, and pretty good experiences. I think that's dependent on the therapist / psychologist / ect. themselves and not reflective on the whole system.

It's free here, which is a massive plus, if it weren't, I would never have been able to receive any care for my mental health. However, the waiting lists are extreme, waiting months definitely isn't ideal most of the time. Impatient treatment is also free on the NHS which I appreciate. There's definitely flaws, but I feel the UK is ahead in mental health care compared to a lot of other places.
 
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Think it's sad about how a lot of instances/social insurance etc. are so strict when it comes to giving money and want people to suffer through random jobs they probably will be kicked from (in some cases) rather than giving us money. A lot of the times when not even bothering to read papers you send in or meet me in person etc. to get a better grasp on how I feel.

I could probably have some, job I don't know what in any way at all though since I have a lot of mental issues due to my asperger/asd and stuff and I don't know if I'm even ready to have one at this point in life.

I mean yes I get that they can't give money to everyone applying if they don't bother to fight (although a lot don't have that power and gives up because they know how strict they are) and there are probably some that fake their disease and disorders but if they wanna be somewhat successful they need to stop being inside those strict frames.
 
overall CAHMS ****ing sucks
they gave me the wrong medication (zoloft/sertaline) which also irritates my throat and they won't change it, the only time i felt a positive difference in my mood was when i took 200mg instead of 150, but it means i might grow to rely on it
seroquel/quetiapine which was supposed to be an anti-psychotic for me hallucinating and hearing voices has now attached itself to me and now i can not sleep no matter what without it as it makes me drowsy, and they have done nothing to help me not rely on it
my sister has had a few councillors just ****ing quit on her (one was because they werent getting paid AT ALL and they couldnt contunue their job which was completely understandable)
they keep on bringing up the same **** like "how was court remember court how do you feel about LOSING" to me all the damn time even when i say i dont want that to be brought up again
my sister's friend's dad is a family therapist and he drinks a lot and hits his wife/girlfriend, how the hell does he think he's capable of handling other families

a "benefit" for me is that as my mental illnesses are recognised so i get ?300 a month starting january so that's nice
 
It's upsetting to hear people having awful experiences with CAHMS, I have mixed feeling about them but they honestly helped me. Up until I saw CAHMS, I was ripped out of school, thrown around with exposure therapists as a young child, constantly belittled, treated like a "bad kid" and overall received nearly no help despite serious prevailing issues.

CAHMS were the first people to actually listen to me, the helped me reach diagnosis and to somewhat understand myself. There are a few things I did dislike about them however, they always urged me to speak about things I couldn't speak about and resulted in me bringing up repressed memories that I didn't think caused me any issues until I was forced to speak (never in detail, just in passing). Also, they seem to throw around anti-depressants too much, which clearly weren't suitable for me and sent me into disastrous mania, but all-in-all, I feel like I had more of a positive experience with them than negative.
 
It's upsetting to hear people having awful experiences with CAHMS, I have mixed feeling about them but they honestly helped me. Up until I saw CAHMS, I was ripped out of school, thrown around with exposure therapists as a young child, constantly belittled, treated like a "bad kid" and overall received nearly no help despite serious prevailing issues.

CAHMS were the first people to actually listen to me, the helped me reach diagnosis and to somewhat understand myself. There are a few things I did dislike about them however, they always urged me to speak about things I couldn't speak about and resulted in me bringing up repressed memories that I didn't think caused me any issues until I was forced to speak (never in detail, just in passing). Also, they seem to throw around anti-depressants too much, which clearly weren't suitable for me and sent me into disastrous mania, but all-in-all, I feel like I had more of a positive experience with them than negative.

CAMHS for me has helped with diagnosis, i used to be really REALLY depressed before people helped. and at the beginning it seemed like they were going to keep on helping, they helped me start eating again and they got me a social worker to help and it was very nice
but it took a shift all of a sudden when i realised that i can't take my meds forever and i have to get better without them someday
my social worker abandoned me
the connection between CAHMS and the police and how much information they shared about me was embarrassing, there was very little information shared between both parties even though that was very important
and when CAHMS sent more information about me for a second court date (i wasnt the one in trouble, and the only reason why formed a stronger connection with the police is because i was diagnosed with asperger's) the defense was even harsher against me even though it was supposed to make things better than last time
i realised that they kept on asking the same questions, it was tormenting me and they put me in the hot seat so many times
i also realise that they do work hard, but they also convinced my mom for a couple of days that i shouldn't be playing violent video games (SUPER SMASH BROS, A VIOLENT VIDEO GAME IN THE EYES OF CAHMS) and there were other things that my mom listened to that were very questionable, like a very limited phone usage, but they will never understand how i dont have friends irl, and i tell them this because all of my friends are online friends and i dont have much of those either

but anyway, i'm still grateful for some of the things they've done for me
it just slowly fell apart in my own world
i'm also glad you got the help you needed from them, i think they have told me that CAHMS isn't for everyone
 
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Never used the adult mental health services here in the UK as I'm with a private therapist but I did have an incredibly terrible experience with CAMHS who focused more on my gender identity than my anxiety and depression (which were the sole reasons I sought out help). They also screwed me around, in one letter they stated that they weren't going to give me an appointment and then in another letter they said that I had told them I didn't want an appointment which was complete and utter bull. Thinking back on it still gets me bitter and I wish I could bite back at them and put them in their places but as I said earlier in my post, I'm with a private therapist who's helped me quite a bit with my anxiety and I'm also on a waiting list for counselling as per referred by the gender clinic I'm attending.
 
Never used the adult mental health services here in the UK as I'm with a private therapist but I did have an incredibly terrible experience with CAMHS who focused more on my gender identity than my anxiety and depression (which were the sole reasons I sought out help). They also screwed me around, in one letter they stated that they weren't going to give me an appointment and then in another letter they said that I had told them I didn't want an appointment which was complete and utter bull. Thinking back on it still gets me bitter and I wish I could bite back at them and put them in their places but as I said earlier in my post, I'm with a private therapist who's helped me quite a bit with my anxiety and I'm also on a waiting list for counselling as per referred by the gender clinic I'm attending.

ive had this happen too both with my gender identity and my asd diagnosis and it really sucks in so many different ways. i mean i get it, those things are part of who i am and they affect my mental health but if i'm seeing someone for my anxiety and depression they really shouldn't focus on things i've told them aren't important.
when i went to a clinic for trans people the psychologist was good and nice until she asked me if i have a neuropsychological disorder and i told her that i do, i'm autistic. after that she only wanted to talk about my social anxiety issues and problems with social things (none of which were about gender... like at all...) instead of focusing on what i was actually seeing her for.
it made me feel really frustrated, misunderstood and like she didn't listen at all, it was like she had decided that i'm trans or that i have other issues because of my asd which is Really Not Cool At All.
 
In America it's kind of crap.

it needs to be treated like an actual thing.
 
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