some advice would be helpful

[611954]

Hi folks

I am new to site and have been diagnosed with depression since last September and attending my GP regularly. and on medication - it took me a long time to accept that I had this illness and at the end of April he said he would do a urgent referral to a psychiatrist which he said I needed - on my next visit last week I got so frustrated and felt so desperate I told him I would not bother coming to surgery as he inferred at last app he had done all he could - On reflection I feel that I have been abandoned as I have heard nothing from the psychiatrist and I am doing nothing but cry as I am so desperate - at times I think I am the patient and suffering this horrible illness so surely he should have advised that I continue with appointments until the other team get involved. I feel so lost and so unsure of everything and just dont know what I am to do!!!!!! Life just seem worth it at the moment and even as I write this I am sobbing and in pain!!!! I will stop now because the one this this illness has taught me is that I either am very naive or my expectations are too high before this all started I had not visited a GP for years!!!!

[ilovemusic]

So sorry you're going through that! I would call your gp & let him know you still have not heard from the psychiatrist. Best of luck to you and hope you find relief soon.

[611954 in reply to ilovemusic]

thanks for ur advice - but now we need to book an appointment to even speak to him - rang surgery today as he does not work Fridays but no response and as I've said I am afraid at the moment I feel so vunerable and so unsure of everything - thanks again I will look for other sugeries in my area

[ilovemusic in reply to 611954]

Good for you. I know it's not easy to make the effort when you feel like that. I've been in a similar situation during a really severe depressive episode where I was crying all the time, wanted to die, just agony and I remember the psychiatrist I called had like a two month waiting list and just feeling like "you don't understand. I need help NOW!" My heart hurts just thinking about how you must be feeling right now. Anyways I somehow made it through the waiting period til I saw him, got some meds and WOW did they make a difference. I started to enjoy life again, which truly had felt impossible weeks before. Because of that, I try to remember that nothing is forever, even if it feels like it. I'm rooting for you!

[GF86]

It's appalling how stretched mental health services are. They will be doing their best to fit you in, but they are so dangerously under funded. When will the government realise that mental health is just as important as physical health?

[Olderal]

NHS psychiatrists are very busy and when my GP referred me to one it was a while before I heard anything. However you should certainly not have just been left floating and wondering when the psychiatry team would contact you. GPs are also more and more over worked but they are well paid and should not have left you feeling abandoned.

i would go back to your GP and explain that you have heard nothing ,you feel desperate .and ask how long it will be before the psychiatry team contact you. It might be easier if there is another doctor in the practise you could ask for an appointment with but I suspect that its important you are careful not to give the impression you are criticising the first doctor. I certainly don't think you are being naive or have too high expectations.

When you are suffering from depression a few weeks can seem like a lifetime. Don't expect instant miracles when you see a psychiatrist , but to know that someone is dealing with you , will in itself give some relief. If you have a very close friend or family member you can discuss your depression with and will keep your discussions confidential that might also help until you see the psychiatry team. if that is n't possible then sharing your experience with others by posting on this site may also give some relief. At least you'll know you're talking to people who have at times gone through similar pain and might be able to give some helpful advice and encouragement.

Being diagnosed with depression was a terrible initial shock to me but eventually I realised how common it was and gradually got better at dealing with it,which was just as well as ,with me, it reoccurred regularly. I do hope that for you it is a one off experience and although it seems hard to believe at the moment ,it will definitely end and go away.

Do go back to your GP though. Taking some action always gives a better feeling than being left in uncertainty feeling there is nothing you can do but wait. That's a terrible feeling and the last thing you need while suffering depression.

Olderal

[611954]

Oh dear this is such an awful time - I know the resources are scarce with mental health services - reading the news it is no freeking wonder that people are ending their lives through despair - unfortunately I have lost all empathy with others and the one time in my life I need help I feel I have been abandoned - selfish I know - but this is something that ihas taken over my life and I have forgotten who I am -the pain and despair just never ends!!!!!!!

[611954]

UPDATE

thank you for your replies - my brain was so addled I just could NOT tell what was right and what was wrong. Last Monday my 23 year old daughter rang my GP surgery and asked for an immediate appointment to speak to my GP "on a serious matter". She got an app that same day and went on her own - obviously he could not discuss too much but she told him that it was NOT right that I, as a patient who had depression I was "cast adrift" and why did he NOT advise me to continue apps until mental health team kicked in - to cut a long story short she made an app for me with him next day - I was unsure whether to go but my daughter advised that I did - app went well - have another app next Thur - did say to him that fortnightly would be okay but he insisted so in future I will let him dictate how often - thank God for my daughter - my one true champion!!! Still crying a lot and feeling so low but at least someone is listening.

Stay strong everyone and lots of love - will keep you posted and again thank you for listening to me it really helps xxxx