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How soon can your GP refer you to a mental hospital?

I'm seeing my gp tomorrow and I want to ask if I can be admitted to a mental hospital, will this be done on the day or is there normally a long waiting list?

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Your GP will do his best to treat you in the community. Have you ever had contact with the crisis team? They can call you or come visit you as an alternative to hospital.

If you definitely need to be admitted where you go will depend on where there is a bed free, this could be a long way from home if you're unlucky.
Reply 2
Original post by Sabertooth
Your GP will do his best to treat you in the community. Have you ever had contact with the crisis team? They can call you or come visit you as an alternative to hospital.

If you definitely need to be admitted where you go will depend on where there is a bed free, this could be a long way from home if you're unlucky.


yeah ive tried everything but nothing works, which is why I need to be in hospital, I don't feel safe at home anymore, my dad's screaming and yelling at me and my health anxiety is so bad I'm in constant fear of my life.
Reply 3
I just want to know if this will be done on the day.
Original post by Anonymous
yeah ive tried everything but nothing works, which is why I need to be in hospital, I don't feel safe at home anymore, my dad's screaming and yelling at me and my health anxiety is so bad I'm in constant fear of my life.


When you say you're in constant fear of your life, do you mean that you're in danger of seriously harming yourself, or that you fear excessively that something will happen to you? Psychiatric wards are seriously short of beds for all the patients that need them, to the extent that even people who are actively suicidal aren't always admitted.

Like Sabertooth says, care in the community is the preferred option for most patients, and is usually the better option as well. Long hospital stays can lead to institutionalisation and loss of ability to look after yourself, and it disrupts things like being on benefits or NHS waiting lists. In addition, you might not even receive much or any more treatment in hospital than you would on the outside (from personal experience, they just gave me my medication and we did a few craft activities - there was no therapy or counselling, and the ward's doctor only came round once a week).

I absolutely don't want to discourage you from seeking help, and if you are in serious danger of hurting yourself and others it may well be that hospital is the best short-term option. But please don't think of hospital as being a cure-all, or that it's anything other than a last resort.

To answer your question, the day I was admitted to hospital I say my GP (who had already discussed hospitalisation with me as a potential future option) for an emergency appointment in the morning, explained that my depression had become acute to the point of being in serious danger of ending my life. She asked me to return at 6.00 to see if there was any improvement throughout the day. I did this and since there was no change in my mood she said I'd have to go into hospital (to this day I'm not certain if I would have been sectioned if I'd refused, but I'm glad I didn't have to find this out!). A taxi took me to A&E, where after a few hours' wait a psychiatrist saw and admitted me. It was about midnight by the time I actually got to the ward itself, so yes it did happen within the course of one day.

Stay safe OP, and I hope your health improves soon. :smile:
Reply 5
I mean I constantly think something will happen to me. Despite going to A&E every day for over a year about health fears my GP wont admit me. I really am desperate now and I will seek somewhere privately if I have to. I already looked at the nightingale hospital but its 642 pounds per night! Im beyond the kind of help I can receive as an outpatient, I need to be admitted.
Original post by Anonymous
I mean I constantly think something will happen to me. Despite going to A&E every day for over a year about health fears my GP wont admit me. I really am desperate now and I will seek somewhere privately if I have to. I already looked at the nightingale hospital but its 642 pounds per night! Im beyond the kind of help I can receive as an outpatient, I need to be admitted.


Without in any way wanting to belittle what you're experiencing, how do you think being in hospital can help you? :s-smilie: If you have (so far as we know) unfounded health fears, I would think being admitted to hospital would merely strengthen those fears, rather than diminishing them. Yes you need treatment, but if there's nothing physically wrong with you and you're not at risk of harming anyone then there's no call for you to be in hospital, so far as I can see. Being in hospital won't necessarily bring you any closer to treatment, and indeed in my experience hospitalisation actually lengthened my wait for therapy.

I know that being mentally ill can be beyond scary, but try and think with your brain rather than your emotions. There are a ton of charities and NHS teams who can help people like us in the community, so you're far better off looking up those sorts of things than trying to get yourself put in hospital (which from what you've told us shouldn't even be an option for you right now). There are various talking therapies that might be appropriate for you, or recreational groups organised for those with mental health problems (such as arts or gym on prescription), as well as there being various lifestyle changes you can do yourself to improve your health as a whole (eating healthier, sleeping at appropriate times, exercising, meditation, etc.).

Hope I've helped a little. :smile:
Reply 7
Original post by superwolf
Without in any way wanting to belittle what you're experiencing, how do you think being in hospital can help you? :s-smilie: If you have (so far as we know) unfounded health fears, I would think being admitted to hospital would merely strengthen those fears, rather than diminishing them. Yes you need treatment, but if there's nothing physically wrong with you and you're not at risk of harming anyone then there's no call for you to be in hospital, so far as I can see. Being in hospital won't necessarily bring you any closer to treatment, and indeed in my experience hospitalisation actually lengthened my wait for therapy.

I know that being mentally ill can be beyond scary, but try and think with your brain rather than your emotions. There are a ton of charities and NHS teams who can help people like us in the community, so you're far better off looking up those sorts of things than trying to get yourself put in hospital (which from what you've told us shouldn't even be an option for you right now). There are various talking therapies that might be appropriate for you, or recreational groups organised for those with mental health problems (such as arts or gym on prescription), as well as there being various lifestyle changes you can do yourself to improve your health as a whole (eating healthier, sleeping at appropriate times, exercising, meditation, etc.).

Hope I've helped a little. :smile:

As I said before I tried having treatment as an outpatient an it didnt work. It doesn't help me at all to tell me to think with my brain, and with my dad being a significant source of my anxiety sometimes to the extent where I feel unsafe in his presence, staying at home for much longer isn't an option.
The NHS is seriously ****ed up and they dont have the resources or else I would have been admitted. In any other country with a good healthcare system I would be admitted.
Original post by Anonymous
As I said before I tried having treatment as an outpatient an it didnt work. It doesn't help me at all to tell me to think with my brain, and with my dad being a significant source of my anxiety sometimes to the extent where I feel unsafe in his presence, staying at home for much longer isn't an option.
The NHS is seriously ****ed up and they dont have the resources or else I would have been admitted. In any other country with a good healthcare system I would be admitted.


I'm still confused as to how you think being admitted would help you? It might be that your home environment isn't the most helpful, but that's not the NHS's problem! :tongue: Yes the NHS has many things wrong with it, but I really do think they've done the right thing in not admitting you into hospital. Generally speaking, delusions or damaging beliefs ought to be challenged, not pandered to. A person with psychosis wouldn't benefit from people going along with their fears of persecution (a pretty common delusion) - it's far more beneficial to discuss their fears rationally, accepting that they're of great importance to the person, but not pretending that these fears exist outside of the person's own head. I see no reason why the wrong medical resources should be used on you in treating the wrong problem. The problem is not your perceived danger, it's the fear of that non-existent danger.
Hospital isn't the only solution to escaping an abusive home (if that is the case). The GP could support an application to move out of your father's house, but it's social services and potentially the police you need to talk to not the doctor really. If your father is unwittingly exasperating your anxiety perhaps try taking him to some of your counselling or therapy sessions so he can be a part of the solution.
Original post by superwolf
I'm still confused as to how you think being admitted would help you? It might be that your home environment isn't the most helpful, but that's not the NHS's problem! :tongue: Yes the NHS has many things wrong with it, but I really do think they've done the right thing in not admitting you into hospital. Generally speaking, delusions or damaging beliefs ought to be challenged, not pandered to. A person with psychosis wouldn't benefit from people going along with their fears of persecution (a pretty common delusion) - it's far more beneficial to discuss their fears rationally, accepting that they're of great importance to the person, but not pretending that these fears exist outside of the person's own head. I see no reason why the wrong medical resources should be used on you in treating the wrong problem. The problem is not your perceived danger, it's the fear of that non-existent danger.

It will be the NHS` problem when it escalates to a point that I end up harming myself, or my father ends up harming me. But its good to know that the services are there just as soon as its too late to do anything about it. :/
The NHS cannot afford to have me going into A&E every night, and its a lifestyle I can no longer sustain. Im exhausted, depressed, anxious, miserable all the time and borderline suicidal. Whats it going to take?
Original post by Anonymous
It will be the NHS` problem when it escalates to a point that I end up harming myself, or my father ends up harming me. But its good to know that the services are there just as soon as its too late to do anything about it. :/
The NHS cannot afford to have me going into A&E every night, and its a lifestyle I can no longer sustain. Im exhausted, depressed, anxious, miserable all the time and borderline suicidal. Whats it going to take?


You still haven't answered what benefit you think you'll get from being in hospital though. :s-smilie: Psychiatric wards are largely there to keep you safe short-term, and that's just something we all have to work with. There are sound reasons behind not admitting people to hospital unless it's absolutely necessary, some of which I've outlined above. I agree that you're in need of help, but nothing that you've said suggests to me that your GP was wrong in not referring you to hospital. :dontknow:

I'd suggest that if you feel your GP is not helping you sufficiently, try doing your own research on what's benefited others with similar problems. It could be that CBT or other talking therapies will help, or some form of medication. A consultation with a psychologist or psychiatrist might be helpful in pointing out which of these might help. But by focussing solely on hospitalisation you're not doing anyone any favours, least of all yourself.

Edit: I also suggest speaking to your doctor about potentially contacting social services if you're living in fear of your dad.
Original post by superwolf
You still haven't answered what benefit you think you'll get from being in hospital though. :s-smilie: Psychiatric wards are largely there to keep you safe short-term, and that's just something we all have to work with. There are sound reasons behind not admitting people to hospital unless it's absolutely necessary, some of which I've outlined above. I agree that you're in need of help, but nothing that you've said suggests to me that your GP was wrong in not referring you to hospital. :dontknow:

I'd suggest that if you feel your GP is not helping you sufficiently, try doing your own research on what's benefited others with similar problems. It could be that CBT or other talking therapies will help, or some form of medication. A consultation with a psychologist or psychiatrist might be helpful in pointing out which of these might help. But by focussing solely on hospitalisation you're not doing anyone any favours, least of all yourself.

Edit: I also suggest speaking to your doctor about potentially contacting social services if you're living in fear of your dad.


Ive had cbt and other therapies and tried every medicaction under the sun and nothing has worked. There are no cases similar to mine because no one goes to A&E every day, so no one knows how to help me. I need respite and the only way im going to break the pattern is if I stay at a mental hospital where im not able to go to A&E and they can treat my condition. Several doctors in A&E have written to my GP recommending I be admitted.
Might try asking for referral to the priory hospital, ill pay for it myself.
suffice it to say that if you're so worried about the resources of the NHS I'm spending, I'm spending far more of their resources now than I would be if I was in a psychiatric ward.
Original post by superwolf
Without in any way wanting to belittle what you're experiencing, how do you think being in hospital can help you? :s-smilie: If you have (so far as we know) unfounded health fears, I would think being admitted to hospital would merely strengthen those fears, rather than diminishing them. Yes you need treatment, but if there's nothing physically wrong with you and you're not at risk of harming anyone then there's no call for you to be in hospital, so far as I can see. Being in hospital won't necessarily bring you any closer to treatment, and indeed in my experience hospitalisation actually lengthened my wait for therapy.

I know that being mentally ill can be beyond scary, but try and think with your brain rather than your emotions. There are a ton of charities and NHS teams who can help people like us in the community, so you're far better off looking up those sorts of things than trying to get yourself put in hospital (which from what you've told us shouldn't even be an option for you right now). There are various talking therapies that might be appropriate for you, or recreational groups organised for those with mental health problems (such as arts or gym on prescription), as well as there being various lifestyle changes you can do yourself to improve your health as a whole (eating healthier, sleeping at appropriate times, exercising, meditation, etc.).

Hope I've helped a little. :smile:


I'm sorry but you aren't being helpful. You think it's a simple case of telling someone to 'think with their brain and not their emotions?'. You think saying that to someone who is refusing to eat, or someone who is suicidal will help? No different here, how she feels is currently out of her control, don't add guilt to make her feel even worse.


The last bit was helpful but the first was just patronising.
Original post by TolerantBeing
I'm sorry but you aren't being helpful. You think it's a simple case of telling someone to 'think with their brain and not their emotions?'. You think saying that to someone who is refusing to eat, or someone who is suicidal will help? No different here, how she feels is currently out of her control, don't add guilt to make her feel even worse.


The last bit was helpful but the first was just patronising.


:s-smilie: Nowhere have I said this was simple. I've been trying to explain why (based on the facts OP has given) hospital is not an appropriate treatment option at this point. The bit about not thinking with their emotions was what I'd say and have said to any person suffering from a mental illness that was interfering with how they saw the world. Consciously making an effort to look at the world objectively can make a massive difference to how a person feels, acts and to the state of their mental health - why else would doctors recommend CBT?

Nor was I trying to make OP feel guilty. I objected strongly to the other poster's suggestion of lying in order to obtain a hospital bed. I also stand by my opinion that OP would not benefit from being in hospital currently, for the reasons I have outlined in multiple posts. The point I have consistently been trying to make is that OP is better off in the community, and not sitting around in an oversubscribed NHS hospital bed.

You did make me laugh with the 'you're not being helpful... except for the part where you're being helpful' bit though. :tongue:
Original post by superwolf
:s-smilie: Nowhere have I said this was simple. I've been trying to explain why (based on the facts OP has given) hospital is not an appropriate treatment option at this point. The bit about not thinking with their emotions was what I'd say and have said to any person suffering from a mental illness that was interfering with how they saw the world. Consciously making an effort to look at the world objectively can make a massive difference to how a person feels, acts and to the state of their mental health - why else would doctors recommend CBT?

Nor was I trying to make OP feel guilty. I objected strongly to the other poster's suggestion of lying in order to obtain a hospital bed. I also stand by my opinion that OP would not benefit from being in hospital currently, for the reasons I have outlined in multiple posts. The point I have consistently been trying to make is that OP is better off in the community, and not sitting around in an oversubscribed NHS hospital bed.

You did make me laugh with the 'you're not being helpful... except for the part where you're being helpful' bit though. :tongue:


But you aren't in any way equipped to decide what will or will not help an individual that you don't know, who is suffering with mental illness. Nor am I for that matter. Especially considering you said in one post that being hospitalised didn't help you but in another you said you wouldn't be here if you didn't get a bed in a hospital?

It's not up to you (or me!) to decide whether hospitalisation would benefit the OP. She feels like she'd benefit from it, I don't know why you are so adamant that she firstly doesn't need it, and secondly it wouldn't help her. She's her own person.

Tell me, why else would doctors recommend CBT, why else would people pay so much privately for CBT, and why would there be so many professionals trained in It when it's as simple a case as just saying to someone 'think with your brain, not your emotions?'. It's a lot more complex like that and takes a lot of dedication and support.

Also, I don't agree with how you reduced her home life situation to such a minor issue describing it as 'not the most helpful'. It sounds like it could well be a family abuse case and by you reducing it to just not being that 'helpful' you may be reducing the likelihood of her recieving help for it by leading her to believe it's not the issue she's making it out to be.



I don't want to sound harsh but I just want what's best for the OP. And I did agree with your last part.
Original post by TolerantBeing
But you aren't in any way equipped to decide what will or will not help an individual that you don't know, who is suffering with mental illness. Nor am I for that matter. Especially considering you said in one post that being hospitalised didn't help you but in another you said you wouldn't be here if you didn't get a bed in a hospital?

It's not up to you (or me!) to decide whether hospitalisation would benefit the OP. She feels like she'd benefit from it, I don't know why you are so adamant that she firstly doesn't need it, and secondly it wouldn't help her. She's her own person.

Tell me, why else would doctors recommend CBT, why else would people pay so much privately for CBT, and why would there be so many professionals trained in It when it's as simple a case as just saying to someone 'think with your brain, not your emotions?'. It's a lot more complex like that and takes a lot of dedication and support.

Also, I don't agree with how you reduced her home life situation to such a minor issue describing it as 'not the most helpful'. It sounds like it could well be a family abuse case and by you reducing it to just not being that 'helpful' you may be reducing the likelihood of her recieving help for it by leading her to believe it's not the issue she's making it out to be.



I don't want to sound harsh but I just want what's best for the OP. And I did agree with your last part.


Look I really don't understand what you're getting at. I didn't say hospital didn't help me - I said all they did was give me medication and keep me safe. The medication helped, and I was discharged when I was no longer such a danger to myself. I have no idea what you mean by the paragraph about CBT, as I can't make out what you're talking about. Are you pro-CBT, anti-CBT, or just anti-me? As for the last bit I didn't say much about OP's home life because I don't like offering advice on things I know little or nothing about.

It also seems to me that OP has expressed little understanding of how psychiatric wards tend to work, which is why I find it questionable that they're so adamant that they need to be on one.

If you want to keep having a go at me or the points I've raised, I'd appreciate it if you both read my remarks properly and took them within the context of the thread.
Original post by TolerantBeing
But you aren't in any way equipped to decide what will or will not help an individual that you don't know, who is suffering with mental illness. Nor am I for that matter. Especially considering you said in one post that being hospitalised didn't help you but in another you said you wouldn't be here if you didn't get a bed in a hospital?

It's not up to you (or me!) to decide whether hospitalisation would benefit the OP. She feels like she'd benefit from it, I don't know why you are so adamant that she firstly doesn't need it, and secondly it wouldn't help her. She's her own person.

Tell me, why else would doctors recommend CBT, why else would people pay so much privately for CBT, and why would there be so many professionals trained in It when it's as simple a case as just saying to someone 'think with your brain, not your emotions?'. It's a lot more complex like that and takes a lot of dedication and support.

Also, I don't agree with how you reduced her home life situation to such a minor issue describing it as 'not the most helpful'. It sounds like it could well be a family abuse case and by you reducing it to just not being that 'helpful' you may be reducing the likelihood of her recieving help for it by leading her to believe it's not the issue she's making it out to be.



I don't want to sound harsh but I just want what's best for the OP. And I did agree with your last part.

Thank you.
I spoke to a nurse from the crisis team (as my gp recommended) who was sympathetic but otherwise unhelpful, and ive emailed my mums psychiatrist in spain who has contacts in england, to ask if he will refer me to the priory hospital.
I'm sorry but it really sounds as if Superwolf is right . . .

I haven't seen anything here that makes me think you are at severe risk of hurting yourself or others. This is the sole reason for psychiatric wards . . . and they are not fun places to be. I get that mental health problems are exhausting but if people could go to hospital for anything no one would ever truly get better, you have to learn to manage your condition within the community. The therapy and medications you've tried may not be brilliant but it can take a long time to find the stuff that does work, on average it takes about 10 years. Personally I've been in ill for 7 years and only recently found a solution that lets me function normally and vent hen I have blips that I have to deal with, and it's about gaining the skills to deal with it, hospital doesn't really help with this.

You say that you are using more resources at A and E every night but this criteria isn't accounted for when assigning beds. Beds are at a shortage and we need to give ones to those who are suffering the most. And to be frank if you've been in A and E every night for a year the fact you haven't been given a bed is telling that you might not benefit from it, hospitals are a short term solution. Trust the doctors, continue with therapy and medication, don't give up and stay strong and I'm sure you will recover in time.

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