Woeful mental health care ...

It really is an area that needs more investment. I'm sure the police have enough on their own plates
I watched an episode of '999' a while back, and it was about mental health problems
People who were obviously having the most horrendous times were discharged from hospital a few hours after being taken in.. such a terrible pity.

We were told to call the police if necessary.

People are working their socks off; but until there are more of them, or some coherent plan for mental health care, they will be pissing in the sea.

A close relative has mental health problems and frequently has meltdowns. During the last one she was bashing her head on the walls and car windscreen, threatening suicide etc. so the "Crisis Team" was called. They declared that they could not help as she was not registered with them. Duh!?

l completely agree with Bluebelle too. Many mental health workers do a sterling job, but the resources are not there.. It seems some understanding is beginning to grow in society,but money is still very lacking. I feel my son has been put to so much unnecessary pain which at times has simply been caused by lack of information sharing between professionals.

I entirely agree with BlueBelle. Most staff in mental health services work their socks off while hide bound by endless paperwork and extreme lack of funding. It's a very difficult area to try to work in. Getting the right help can vary enormously from episode to episode and can depend so much on individual staff members care, commitment and experience. Many are now quite burnt out from years of bearing the brunt of underfunding leading them to be blamed by the families that they know they are letting down. and

You can't treat people with mental health problems the same as you can those wth a physical illness. You cannot see or measure how a mental health problem is progressing, or otherwise. There are no scans, X-rays, blood tests, etc for monitoring such conditions.

Appointments with mental health professionals don't often reveal the extent of the problem as it's an inexact science and depends so much on the experience or ability of the professional and how much the patient is able or willing to cooperate.

It relies on the patient to take their medication, which may or may not work anyway and on other people to support that person. Many have no support in place.

It's a shambles, but I'm not sure what can be done to improve it.

You have my utmost sympathy. Trying to get help for someone with a serious mental health condition is almost impossible. The amount of bungling inefficiency in this sector has to be seen first hand to be believed and people are dying because of the failure to provide adequate care.

The unbearable stress on families trying to get help for their loved ones is apalling. No-one has to fight to receive care for a physical health problem, why should it be any different for a mental illness?

The word mental asylum has negative connotations yet their purpose was to offer refuge to those who needed it. When they were closed down nothing was put in place to support and care for those who needed help. I can't imagine why it was felt that 'care in the community' could ever work. It's an astonishing underestimate of the sort of care a severe mental health condition requires. It's like sending a terminally ill cancer sufferer home with a few tablets and maybe a visit by the district nurse once every few weeks.

I think that it would be a major step forward to build new mental health asylums giving safety and care to those who need it. Massive funding needs to be put into a country-wide programme.

Whilst I totally understand your pain and frustration I want to say a word of support for the mental health workers of this country The service has been woefully neglected over the years and governments have never seen it as a priority it is run down, it is dreadfully lacking in money and nothing is ploughed into it, that's why you can can get help for physical illness easier than mental health If you add to this the dreadful amount of form filling and report writing to prevent you (the mental health nurse) being in court accused of a death
There are no beds available for people needing inpatient nursing they have all been closed down in the quest to keep people ' in the community' and to save money' A nurse can spend all day ringing around the country to find a bed maybe hundreds of miles away a precious day that could have been spent with the patient The red tape increases each year and the staff numbers and the beds decrease rapidly
If you add to this equation the fact that many mental health problems can be tied up with drink or drugs ( which need but doesn't often get) different input

The front line workers are on their knees but get nothing but the blame for the woeful lack of funds They are blamed by the relatives and by the managers and judged by the country it's a thankless job and often takes years and years to manage a patient ...lthere are no quick fixes in mental health you can't put a plaster on it like in the general hospital
I do hope your son gets the help he needs and I can honestly feel for you but I know how wrung out and ill many of the workers are getting

There is no adequate mental health care in this country. Never has been.

So sorry for those whose loved ones need help and support and don't get it.