Northcroft Erdington CMHT

The doctors they give me keeps leaving and there no one in place to take over the last doctor i was under was supposes to be getting back to me about medication i was waiting phone just under a week later to be told he left this place need looking at. all i was told by the secretary was well they are only temps i said i was not told that and i told her a independent psychiatrist said i need to be seen more often than i was the secretary said well it the nhs not help full at all

I was referred to the service after my anxiety and depression had been managed locally by my GP for many years. Due to the recurring nature and length of time I was having to take off work I got a referral. Once in the system I was seen by a lovely Psychiatric Nurse, who spent the time to go through my history, what I was feeling and asked me what I wanted out of this referral. I was started on a new course of treatment, given out of hours contact details if I was worried about anything and booked for a return review. I also saw a clinical psychologist who took an overview of my case. This was all a year ago. I am now back at work. I have a a couple more tweeks to my meds and some counselling (in the community).

Impossible to get an appointment - secretary was rude to me on the phone.
I have suffered with depression and anxiety for 20 years. My care has been sporadic and sometimes not very helpful. I have tried to work but am now too ill to do so.
This account is the most recent one to date. My nurse practitioner decided to change my anti-dep (Paroxetine) after it was felt that it was no longer working. I have been on this drug for 18 years. She didn't follow a proper tapering procedure and I became very ill, whilst on our first holiday for 4 years. I suffered with extreme withdrawal symptoms, hallucinations, sickness and diarrhoea but the worst was the suicidal thoughts. I seriously was considering hanging myself from a beam in the cottage. I saw my husband's razor in the bathroom and considered cutting my wrists. I have never been a self harmer so all this was very alarming to me and my poor husband couldn't cope. I honestly don't know how I survived this latest episode.
I think it is disgraceful that I was taken off a 40 mg drug in one week - with the reintroduction of fluoxetine. It has been 5 weeks of hell. I am unable to get an appointment with my Psychiatrist. I don't know how they expect you to cope when the support system is not there when you are very ill. I have been to see my GP twice and even she hasn't been able to get me an appointment. The system as at breaking point. Mental health is poorly funded and people are suffering because of this. 1 in 4 people have mental illness so why is the government not providing proper medical care?

I referred myself 16 months ago, I have been assessed three times, but to date, have not had any treatment. Priority of the service seems to be to crisis manage, rather than attend to the needs of patients. There have been a couple of occasions where the team seem to have wished discharge me despite the fact that they have acknowledged I do need help and support. On my last visit I was told that as I was in a "crisis situation" currently it would not be suitable to treat me. I find this, to say the least, baffling.