If you have mental health problems have you ever had bad experiences or been let down by the mental health?
Question:
did you overcome it? if so how?
Answers:
yes, I can honestly say, I have, The problem is that many of the people have the book learning but they tend to think pills are the answer and they haven't a clue what side effects you may have , because they have never been where you are. And they have a rule that if your on a med. that you have to stay on it. I got off the meds .and I deal with my problem one day at a time . And it isn't easy but I don't have a bureaucratic system telling me that I have to take their mind bending drugs.
Of course this happens sometimes. Everybody is different and it is easy to label someone with a disorder but that won't solve your problems. This is one of my main complaints with the mental health industry they don't take the time or really have the ability to spend enough one on one time with each patient and actually work out their problems with them.
I was diagnosed with bpd, ocd,adhd, and bi-polar so I went to everything they said I should, took all the pills they told me to and I seemed to only get worse. No one would even address my problems and I soon realized that no one could. After wasting eight years of my life under doctors care I stopped it all and worked it out with a friend I could trust.
I would say almost everything is gone and I definitely have completely changed my life for the better. I also don't think that people give themselves enough credit as to how much power they have over how they feel or what they can control about their lives. Everybody deserves to be happy and I know everyone can usually it just takes a little support usually because they haven't had enough yet.
Fuzzy Kitty very good answer!
Yup Sure have more than onceI took myself of meds-They almost killed me w/o my consent I Looked it (meds)up on the net Possible side effect coma or death I was wondering why I would sleep 20 hrs a day My friends agrreed w/ me stopped md conselor wasn't thrilled about it but supported& guided me .She thought I should try other meds I just take it 1day @ a time.The mental health system sucks- I dont trust them anymore & I'm careful w/ counselers..I could go on & on but ur answer is YES
Ohhhh yeah!
I "fired" a number of therapists (3) for various reasons. One misdiagnosed me and had the attitude that any complaint I had was a sign that I was ill. That left me "no ground to stand on" so I was out the door. The other had a personality style that just didn't fit mine. The third was in way over her head with my dx, and could have caused a lot of damage -luckily I was relatively "together," and have since found somebody who knows what she's doing.
So yeah, buyer beware! There are a lot of clueless therapists out there. I think if you feel let down, or seriously dissatisfied with your therapist(s) the best thing is to just find another one. Arguing, or trying to change him or her is probably not going to work. You move on, and hope you learned something- if only how to stick up for yourself, which is absolutely necessary. I find it essential to trust my own intuition, and to know that a good therapist isn't afraid to answer questions and address any doubts you might have.
Remember, therapists have many different attitudes and approaches. If one doesn't work, the next one could be fine. You might have to look for a while. Sometimes word-of-mouth is good -do you know anybody who's found a good one?
Good luck!
I have been in mental health treatment for over 25 years. When I was an adolescent, therapists didn't "see" what was really going on as far as abuse and that. But since I have gotten older, and sought treatment on my own, I have been quite satisfied with all of my providers.
Good luck and take care of you!
Dee
Yeah feel like I was a bit and that the NHS don't have enough people able to help you. Also lot of the methods they use don't work that well. I have been suffering with anxiety and depression for 10 years. They were very good when I had my first panic attack and they got me help quickly. The help they got was just talk therapy which was good to talk about but it didn't help me with my anxieties. They percribed me on some anti depressants that made feel worse so came off them quickly and didn't wanna try anymore anti depressants. It was terrible time because was having so many panic attacks. It got a bit better but over the years the problem just got worse and grew even bigger. I tried some alternative therapies like Hypnotherapy. It did help a bit, it was relaxing and therapist understood my problem but my problem still continued to get more and more worse over the years and it didn't make my problem better. Over the years I just put up with it but few years a had panic attack and the anxiety and depression got unbearable where I just felt all quality of life had gone, felt would never be able to get over this and thought about suicide. My family contacted the Doctor and he referred me to physiologist or what ever their name is. The physiologist wanted me to go back on medication and I was told I would have to wait 9 months for a therapist which was awful because I going through a very bad time. I think they should do something to get people seen quicker. I saw another hypnotherapist why I waited and she was quite good and very nice but the problem wasn't going away. She also introduced me to technique called Emotional Freedom Technique and also saw an EFT therapist but couldn't afford the therapy after a while. After 9 months I was able to see therapist. She was a very nice lady and she did Cognitive Behaviour Therapy which was good but didn't solve my problem. It help detract me sometimes but it was still there in the background. Also they could only give me 9 sessions which weren't enough. I did feel let down as I really needed help. Just over a year ago I met this very nice American guy who is an EFT therapist on the net through a friend who he was helping. He has been helping me for about a year now and he has really helped me a lot. Lot of my symptoms have anxiety and depression has reduced a lot. I was 10/10 with depression and Anxiety but now at a 3/10 and feeling a lot better. The problem is actually reversing and I am finding that I'm starting enjoy life, looking forward to things and even happy sometimes. I think a lot more positive about things to. I think the NHS should do more research in to these alternative therapies.
I'm in the US, and I find that hospital providers can be quite abusive at times. Usually others are subject to that, and not me, but it is really very upsetting, and I have been targeted too. Most providers are not like that, but it only takes one to ruin things.
So far as the docs go, seems like about 1/4 have issues, so I move on to another one. The others have all been great, I get total control over what i am going to try next and can adjust my meds as I see fit. Others I know, who all have severe mental illnesses, they can mostly do that too, unless they are under court-ordered treatment.
I've lucked out in the realm of therapists - most have worked well for me, tho obviously some were better for me than others.
Our social services is through our county government, and they are not as helpful as they could be. We're rural, so there isn't any bus service. But people who have severe mental illness and their symptoms are acting up really bad have to do their own calling around to try and find a volunteer driver, including to get to a doc or to a pharmacy to get their meds. It's stupid. There are other gaps that are dumb like that.
My local Mental Health System is a cash cow for the court system. They did me far more harm than good and the one decent coucilor...didn't know anything about my problem (ptsd), but had the same problems with MD's and out of town Pro's including Psychatrists. Yea, beyond frustrating. I heard about a particular treatment that I wanted to try and searched until I got a list of practioners.and called untill I found one that agreed to treat me Pro Bono. That helped more than anything. So..I don't know.still need somebody to talk to that understands..and don't give up.keep looking and calling and ask specific questions about your needs, there experience etc. In the mean time it would be nice to have list of friends or people that you can really "talk" to...hanging by your phone.. wish I had one. Think I wore out my Pro Bono therapist LOL
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