Mental Health services?

LegacyUser

I don’t know what the procedure is when being referred to a psychiatrist/psychologist for depression. I’m so confused as to what services I have access to and I’m hoping someone can make it a little clearer for me.

I have been to a few different college doctors (before I had to drop out) and my family GP and none of them have been any way helpful. It took months for me to build up the courage to go to them and seek help but in the end I left the appointment feeling worse than I went in. I won’t go into what happened with all of them but needless to say none of the doctors I have seen have a clue about depression and have a poor attitude towards sufferers.

I was on anti-depressants but because of my experiences with doctors I decided to come off them because staying on them meant having to see the doctor. I felt so trapped. I was so scared of experiencing the same side effects going off them as I had when going on them but it was a risk I felt I had to take because of the doctors behaviour and attitude towards me. I was very careful coming off them and gradually cut down over a few weeks.

I was doing well for a few months but now I feel worse than I ever did before. I’m really reluctant to go back to the doctor. Apart from being very dismissive and a bit condescending and patronising she told me she wouldn’t refer me to anyone until my medical card came through. I accepted this at the time but afterwards it just didn’t make sense. I was only in the process of filling out the form and sending it off when she said that. It takes ages for applications to be reviewed and I didn’t even know for sure if I would be eligible for one based on mine and my parents situation. Even if I was granted one fairly quickly the waiting list after being referred is quite long and waiting for the card would just lengthen the delay further. What my doctor said has really confused me.

Are people who don’t have medical cards not eligible for counselling through the HSE?

What happens for the people who aren’t eligible for a medical card but can’t afford to go for counselling off their own back?

What sort of waiting times should I expect? (If anyone has specific info from county to county I’ll post where I am)

I live near a border. Even if my address is in county A and if my doctor is in county B can I access services available through county B if I somehow discover waiting times are a bit shorter there or does it all hang on my address and not where my doctors practice is?

If I know what services I have access to I might be able to make myself to go to another doctor. I’ve lost an awful lot of trust in doctors and I just can’t afford to be let down again so I want a better idea of the whole procedure of being referred before I go to a doctor again. My mind is pretty intent on telling me that I don’t deserve help so as you can imagine it’s very disheartening to find doctor after doctor doesn’t seem to care about you either.

I’m scared about even posting this because seeing it typed out makes it real and I’ve spent a lot of time and energy pretending it wasn’t because I was so ashamed of what was and is happening to me. I know I shouldn’t be but I am. My family’s attitude towards mental illnesses doesn’t help on that score and I haven’t had anyone to confide in because of their ignorance. I lost all of my friends because I unknowingly isolated myself when I was depressed the first time so I can’t talk to a friend about it all. I can’t even ring up a helpline like the Samaritans because I get very anxious making phone calls and I never get any privacy at home so I’d never be able to call them anyway. I don’t want to see doctors again and take anti-depressants again because I can’t afford the visits and I can’t afford to pay for medication that might not even work. Even if the medication were to work it can only go so far. Going to a counsellor is my only option right now.

I’m scared of my thoughts. I’m scared of what I am capable of. I’m just downright scared of myself right now. I want to do something to help myself before I have a complete breakdown and act on my thoughts. If I had the money I would go to a counsellor myself and not go though the trauma of going to yet another doctor trying to be referred but I just don’t have that option. I live in a really isolated place and I can’t drive so I have to rely on my parents to drop me anywhere so I don’t know how I’m going to orchestrate going to an appointment if I ever get as far as being referred anywhere but I guess I’ll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it.

I’ve no idea if this post makes any sense. I’ve tried looking on different websites like citizens information for more information but my concentration is really bad at the moment and I can’t make head nor tail of it all. If anyone can make things a little clearer I would really appreciate it.

Esoteric_

God, you poor thing. I really felt for you reading that post, and I know exactly how you feel. I've been through similar.

First, is the doctor you saw your GP? If so, change GPs. You need one who is understanding and accepting of mental health conditions.

The way to go is - GP, referral to psychiatrist for diagnosis, treatment plan and updates every few months. Psychiatrist refers to counselling service. Plenty of counselling services are done on a small donation basis, if you can't afford to go privately. Waiting lists can vary. I was waiting 8 weeks to see a psychiatrist and with the state I was in, I simply could not wait that long, so ended up going privately. I see a counsellor through a donation service though, and there was a 2 month waiting list for that, and I see her every week.

I know you've had bad experiences, but I think almost anyone with depression or other mental health conditions can relate to that, as most people will come across one idiot doctor in their time.

I would advise you to go to another doctor, and REQUEST a referral to a psychiatrist.

If you genuinely fear for yourself or others' safety, you can always go straight to a psychiatric unit and talk to somebody. Yours and the people around you's safety is of the utmost importance here.

Good luck OP and believe me, it does get better. Took me 6 years, but I'm happy again and you can be too.

LegacyUser

Confused and lost wrote: »

I’m scared of my thoughts. I’m scared of what I am capable of. I’m just downright scared of myself right now. I want to do something to help myself before I have a complete breakdown and act on my thoughts. If I had the money I would go to a counsellor myself and not go though the trauma of going to yet another doctor trying to be referred but I just don’t have that option. I live in a really isolated place and I can’t drive so I have to rely on my parents to drop me anywhere so I don’t know how I’m going to orchestrate going to an appointment if I ever get as far as being referred anywhere but I guess I’ll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it.

OP, forget your doctor, she's an idiot. I think the whole system is very confusing and is not very accessible to people who need it, navigating the obstacle course of well, everything, is tricky. I think maybe the easiest and safest thing for you to do considering the bit about being scared of what you could do, is to print off what you've typed there (or, if you're worried someone will see it, write it down by hand) and go to A&E. Some of what you've been thinking would obviously be damaging to you or to others. Don't play that down, people can't help properly unless they know how bad it is. Do go to A&E and please don't let them send you on your way until they've at least helped get you into the system.

I know you said money is tight and you live in a very remote place. Is there any way you can walk to somewhere you can get a bus from, or afford a taxi to somewhere that has a connection to a place with a hospital? Or is there even an out of hours doctor service near you that you could go to instead?

I really feel for you OP. You've been very brave and strong so far and it's just unfortunate that people haven't been working with you. It's so difficult when it feels like it will never end, but this depression will lift. I know it's a cheesy comparison to make but it's like trying to shelter from a storm and everywhere you try is leaky and broken and lets the wind and rain in, but if you keep trying different places you'll eventually find somewhere safe to wait it out. Please try another doctor or get to A&E. Try as many places as you can until you can force someone to actually listen and take care of you. *hugs*