Posted by Quintal on March 19, 2007, at 14:42:52
In reply to Re: Isn't the NHS great?, posted by deniseuk190466 on March 19, 2007, at 13:45:21
I had a similar experience with my last pdoc. He too insinuated I had a personality disorder (Borderline/Schizoid/Avoidant) because nothing works. When I agreed I did have traits and asked for treatment he said "most people do have traits, because they are human beings, not categories. In fact I don't believe you even have social anxiety at all Mr.Quintal. I think you're just trying to get benzodiazepines for recreational purposes". He discharged me after that and I haven't been able to get any further care, not that I really want to anymore to be honest.
I don't mean to be pessimistic, but the CBT you get on the NHS is of the same calibre as the general psychiatric care. They told me I was too unstable for it to be effective and to come back when things were going better. I'd already been waiting for two years to get that appointment and worked really hard at the homework they set me - it ran into 34 pages of my deepest thoughts. The worst thing is I suspect the only use it came to was giving the secretaries a laugh over their lunch break. The waiting room door used to open onto their office and I could hear them sniggering and cackling like witches about the freaks who's notes they were reading. I found the whole thing depressing and demoralizing, and it was based in a creepy disused mental hospital. There was only one room used in the whole building and the corridors were full of dead leaves, rusty beds and strange medical appliances. There was even a pool of what looked like dried blood on the waiting room carpet. Thank God I don't have Paranoid Schizophrenia or anything like that. My imagination would have had a field day (think of the ambience of Stephen King's "The Shining" and you'll be pretty close).
The only talk therapy I found helpful was the Humanistic Counselling I got free from the college after I started cutting myself. I always used to leave the session with a warm glow and a spring in my step. Elaine actually hugged me once - you can't get that on the NHS.
Q
poster:Quintal
thread:741208
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070314/msgs/742167.html