How soon can your GP refer you to a mental 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.

No no and no. I cant waste another 10 years going to aene every night, my whole youth will have gone by then and i might as well kill myself if its going to take that long to recover. Care as an outpatient hasnt worked and im not going to waste years like that hoping that a miracle wil happen.

honestly mental hospitals are not nice places to be, you certainly shouldn't wish to be in one... I agree with what others have said that if you're struggling with health anxiety etc being in a hospital is not what you need, you need distance from medical places in general and unfortunately an IP unit is not going to offer you anything special that an OP therapist cannot give... inpatient is used when a person is a serious risk to themselves or others, so as a last resort to keep that person alive until their illness can be managed... what you need to do is challenge your anxiety and so on, which you can do more effectively outside a hospital setting

I do think the NHS fails in terms of mental health care in some respects but I think it is a good thing that they do not admit people to hospital easily, I don't think admissions to mental health units are helpful if they can possibly be avoided

Just a question: Why do you go to A and E every night? Is it to get emergency medication? To get out the house? Because you are at risk of hurting yourself or others?

Anther question: How long have you been in outpatient care? Do you have an official diagnosis? How many medications have you tried? How many therapy sessions have you had?

Of course you don't have to answer these questions, I get that it's personal stuff and you might not be comfortable disclosing this info, I just wanna get a better sense of how to help.

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.

Because i get chest pain and i get scared its a heart attack. They wont even test me anymore which makes it worse.
Ive been in care for 2 years now, had cbt and psychotherapy. Ive been on citalopram, sertraline and chlormipramine. Things are only getting worse.

Essentially you seem to be suffering from anxiety. (I assume as you haven't actually had a heart attack). Being scared of being harmed is not sufficient reason for admission to a psychiatric ward. You need to be in real and immediate danger.

Also I know it's not what you want to hear but 2 years and three medications really isn't that long in terms of mental health.

It may seem like I'm being a bit harsh, but I honestly feel hospital will not help you, and it might even make things worse. How often do you see your care co-ordinator? It might be worth talking to her/him and asking to see her/him more regularly, attend some more therapy sessions and tell the therapist exactly what you struggle with. When you feel scared that you are in danger think thoughts like 'I've felt this way every night for the last year and nothing bad has happened, nothing bad will happen this time'. Do you live with anyone that you trust enough to confide in?? Maybe spending time with them when you feel bad and set up a system that they will call 999 if they think you need it, rather than you calling/going to A and E.

It's little things like this that make the difference - not locking yourself away from society where you will not learn any techniques and will possibly be ten times worse when released.

I dont have a care coordinator.
Thanks but youre really not helpful.

Why don't you have a care co-ordinator???

I dont know.
As ive said im looking to get referred to the priory hospital which is private.
Nobody here understands the severity of my problem. Nobody has had to rot in a hospital waiting room from 10 in the evening to 3 in the morning.

I spend most of the time in hospital anyway, and its not nice. At least if im placed somewhere privately it would be more homely. Im just going home from hospital now in fact, at 3 in the morning.

Nobody here understands the severity of my problem. Nobody has had to rot in a hospital waiting room from 10 in the evening to 3 in the morning.

a psychiatric ward will be worse than an a&e department...
to be honest it sounds like you are A. a bit entitled, in the sense that care is given to the most extreme cases and those in most need, you do not get to decide what you do and don't get (e.g. dont be resentful if you don't get an ECG) and B. in denial, ultimately you need to stop doing these negative behaviours like seeking medical treatment and only by forcing yourself to stop can you actually help your condition, I know it's hard but it wont be any easier in a mental hospital, they don't have any special cure that OP therapists don't have access to

Incorrect. I've been in A&E when I badly cut my arm on broken glass and had to wait for about 4 or 5 hours to be seen (since I wasn't dying of blood loss they had me as low priority since I just needed stitches).

Just remember that anxiety isn't life threatening and therefore won't be a valid reason to be admitted to hospital.

What kind of mental health care do you get at the moment? I assume there must be someone you can talk too about these issues. Hospital really won't help, I've been there, I know what it is like. If anything I felt more anxious in hospital than I did when I was at home.

How dare you say im entitled?? You dont know what I have to go through every day, my life is a living nightmare and being treated as an outpatient hasn't worked.