Has anyone self referred and paid for a private psychiatrist? (UK)

[thesimpsons83]

I suffered with quite severe post natal depression following the birth of my child 4 years ago.

Since then I have suffered with persistent depression, mood swings, anger outbursts and anxiety.

I’ve always been an anxious person my whole life - but always just put it down to my personality but the anxiety has gotten much worse since giving birth.

I have been to the GP numerous times and I have been given antidepressants. I’ve also been told to try talking therapies. But whenever I’ve finally got the courage to call up they tell me all they can offer is online CBT courses.

I’m at the point where my MH is affecting my marriage, work life and my child. I need some professional help.

I’ve wondered about self referring and paying for a private psychiatrist appointment. There is a Spire hospital nearby and I’ve seen on their website you can self refer and pay for a consultant appointment. Now I don’t know what this would cost or what I would get. I would hope it would be a face to face appointment and not a phone call as I just freeze on phone calls and don’t know what to say - hence why I’ve barely spoken to my GP in a year as they’ll only do phone appointments.

Does anyone have any experience of using a private consultant or does anyone have any other suggestions on what I could do?

Thanks in advance.

[ongaku666]

Hi, have you considered seeing a psychotherapist/counsellor first?

Psychiatrists typically work with the more extreme/debilitating mental illnesses.

Unfortunately the NHS is very sloppy with psychotherapy and pretty much everyone will be sent to do CBT whether or not it is of any use to them... (same happened to me, made me so mad!).

From what you describe, I think you need to find a psychotherapist.

This is easily done online nowadays. You can either go to psychotherapy providers that work together and they will choose a therapist among their staff for you or you can look up profiles online, as everybody has a professional website for therapy these days (and details of their specialization).

examples

psychotherapy.org.uk/

bacp.co.uk/search/Therapists

Also you might want to try counsellors and psychotherapists first because psychologists and psychiatrists charge typically well over £100 per hour.

It is important however that you do some inner thinking as to what might have caused the issues you are experiencing: post-natal depression might have given you a sign but since you mention anxiety issues for a long time, you probably need to talk about events of your past that have caused you this. Don't think it has to be something "big", often small experiences can have detrimental effects in the long term too.

This will help you to find the right therapist, even just something like "my mother wasn't very nice to me when I was a child" or "I was bullied at school" etc.

When you contact the therapist (typically on the phone), you'll be able to book an appointment with them and often they will offer the 1st one for free so you can then decide if you want to continue.

Make sure to ask as many questions as you want, what they specialized in and if you have any financial needs, they can reduce their costs a bit.

It might feel daunting at first, but finding someone suitable for you and someone who you find pleasant to speak with is veeeery important!

[thesimpsons83 in reply to ongaku666]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply.

I was a bit confused as to who I might need to talk to and get confused with the different terms ie. therapist, councillor, physiatrist etc.

CBT through the NHS I have tried before but didn’t find it was for me and that’s all I seem to be offered via my GP which is why I’m considering paying for some private help.

I’ll take a look at those links and see if I can find someone to talk to.

It is daunting but I’m trying to take the first step and admit I need some help and hopefully I can find someone to help me.

Thanks again

[ongaku666 in reply to thesimpsons83]

You're very welcome!

Same here trust me, most of us have all had the same experience with having mental health issues but not being considered severe enough for NHS intervention.

This is likely to change in the near future because the conversation about depression and anxiety is becoming more and more common and widespread among people, but for now we have to seek help on our own.

I think it is great you have this awareness, because many people will not notice for a very long time and often they have not had the right support to improve their life.

I've struggled with the same problems you have mentioned and after lots of talking and digging into my past, I've identified some of the things that will trigger me and why. And I've learnt at times to stop, watch myself and try not to react (with anger typically) but... hell it's hard still! 🥺

I've always found therapy validating and a warm environment to just let go of my fears. Everybody has a different experience of it but I do hope you will be able to rip the benefits and find some peace and understanding. Often we feel alone in our struggles but we must be there for each other at least for support.

If she resonates with you at all, try checking out The Holistic Psychologist / Dr Nicole LePera (on instagram/facebook too)

youtube.com/channel/UCtEWTa...

Maybe you might find something that strikes a chord in what she says.

And let us know how your journey goes!

[mommala]

I pay myself but not often but sometimes I wish I had found someone that takes insurance. Good luck. I know the UK is mot the same as the US.

[lillyofthevalley37]

They all use the same medication

What you should try is natural progesterone cream you can buy it on ebay Biovea is a good brand I really think it could help you

After giving birth progesterone drops dramatically giving rise to many health issues , mental health included, check out Katherina Dalton and her work treating women with natural progesterone

[thesimpsons83]

Just wanted to pop back here to give an update. I found a private psychotherapist and have had my first initial chat over the phone. I felt so nervous finally speaking about all of this. She thought 1-2-1 talking therapies would be a good place to start. I’d prefer face to face rather than over the phone/video call so hoping to be able to start some sessions in a few weeks if the covid restrictions ease.