Hi everyone, I only joined this site recently with the hope that there would be someone who could help me with my concerns and that I could help others with theirs.
I have an appointment with a community mental health nurse from CMHT soon, can anyone tell me what to expect? My GP referred me to them for depression and anxiety. It was not really explained to me other than it was like counselling. I have never had any kind of counselling or therapy before so I am unsure of what to expect and how long the appointment is going to last etc.
I am quite reluctant about seeing doctors, taking medication and receiving counselling.
I will be pleased to hear anyone's experiences.
My advice is to go for counselling as it definitely helps you to see things in a totally different way. It doesn't necessarily stop you getting depressive thoughts but it helps you challenge them. Good luck
I think I understand your reluctance to see doctors or therapists or taking any anti-depressants it was the same for me. I went to councellors on different occasions but I always found it unsatisfactory apart that it is good to have a good chat with someone who completely listen to your problems.
I never liked the initial procedures with appointments paper signing etc but pushed myself to go again as for me it was a way to get away from my loneliness and it was good to talk to someone from time to time. Each one of us has different reason for being depressed so I can only talk for myself and how I coped without GPs or therapists. During my depressed melancholic states I used to write a lot mostly in poetic form and also I expressed myself by painting (I am not a painter neither a writer) when I was in the depth of depression I just slept or cried my eyes out. Never ever took any medication because I don' t believe in it.
With time and some powerful social experiences I had away from our western culture I came out of my depressive shell.
Thankyou both for your replies. Thankyou Howie, yes I am at a stage now where I do definately want to try and go for some sort of counselling because it's kind of the only option being offered to me, I don't think I can get better on my own.
Much to my disappoinment I gave in to taking anti-depressants at the beginning of november, but after 8 weeks of taking citalopram I found that it wasn't really working for me so this week GP has prescribed mirtazepine instead. If given the option I think I would have preferred to try counselling first before anti-depressants, unfortunately it was a 2months waiting list for counselling and was too desperate for help that I couldn't wait that long.
Genziana, it is strange that you say that you wrote poems, I have found that writing poems has been helpful to me aswell, and I am not a poet at all!! It's not about my poems being good though, it's just a way to write down how I feel and like you said express myself. I do normally like art, drawing and painting, but I have found that it hasn't helped me as much as writing.
I do feel that talking to someone about how I feel will be helpful to me, just very anxious about it.
itssofluffy, You certainly don't want to hear the experience I had with my Community Mental Health and I don't want to taint you're experience with them either. Hopefully they will help you but they may not. If they want to put you on all kinds of medications and they will, please don't readily accept what they tell you regarding the label they will put on you following all kinds of drugs. My friend who also attends the same Mental Health facility is on 14 different psychiatric medications including a very nasty addiction to Klonopin in which she's going through hell from our shrink decreasing her daily dose in HALF. That is not a taper but a forced withdrawal giving her no support or information what so ever concerning the withdrawal symptoms she not only may but WILL experience from that drastic of a reduction. And please do you're homework on every single drug you ingest from them especially concerning the withdrawals if you ever decide to try to get off them. Mental Health told me it was perfectly 'fine' to just stop my Klonopin 'cold turkey' after being addicted to them for over 8 years, so I did. This is where I do not want to share my story with you because of the horror. I can't stress enough after going through what I did that you find someone, anyone who will listen to you, take you serious when you start exhibiting side effects and I can't stress this enough - Prepare yourself for any kind of withdrawal on down the road. I sadly didn't even question my mental health workers but I paid the price dearly. I know now after doing extensive research on Benzodiazepines, how they work and how to withdrawal - properly and it is NOT 'cold turkey'. I almost died.
So go in there confident that you know what and how you want them to treat you and don't let them railroad you into a bunch of drugs you may not even need or want. They ALL have side effects and even anti-depressants are hard to come off of, I'm going through Effexor & Trazodone withdrawal right now and have been for a week. Not pleasant at all but no where near what my Klonopin withdrawal was like. I wish I could attend your appointment with you just for support. I am currently getting my friend who's on 14 meds out of our Mental Health system before they kill her.
Hi Sanderella, thankyou for giving me an honest reply. I am not one to accept medication lightly, if I feel I don't need it I'm not going to take it.
I am currently taking 30mg mirtazepine and I understand that there can be undesirable withdrawal symptoms with it, this does worry me but I guess I will have to see what happens when it comes to it.
What is Mirtazepine? Is it an anti-anxiety ? I can't seem to find it on the net. What is it prescribed for if you don't mind me asking. Therapy really can help if you get a 'good' therapist. I didn't have that. But I have since found one that's wonderful. I didn't want to taint you're experience with Mental Health because I can't even imagine one that is as bad as incompetent as ours here in my county. I sincerely hope they're able to help you and that was music to my ears when you mentioned that you won't readily take the handful of pills they're probably going to offer you. They are just trying to treat the patient when they seem to have no idea how addicted you'll become or how to help you when you ever decide to come off them. So please go forth with care. After all, it's you're body and life that's going to house those drugs they prescribe.
Take care.....Be happy
Oh I found it. I was spelling it wrong. It's Remeron, an anti-depressant. Seem to be a weight gainer by what I read. Just because it's an anti-depressant don't get the false hope that you won't experience nasty withdrawals if you ever run out or something. I am currently cold turkeying from Effexor and Trazodone from hating the side effects, blurred vision, no sex life, and being so damned dependent on a pill to put me to sleep. I've been pretty sick but nothing measures up to a Benzo withdrawal. Nothing measures up to that. I am now medication free and I haven't felt better in my life after being on psyche meds for over 30 years. I'm finally free.
If you don't mind keep me posted how Mental Health is going for you. It's such a process too, nothing will happen overnight. Take care.....Now I want to look up what 'really' is in the fine print as far as withdrawals go. No, I'm not going to share with you what I find cuz it sounds like you already know.
Hi Sanderella, yeah sorry I had spelt it wrong there, it is Mirtazapine, was prescribed to me for depression, anxiety and insomnia. Not had the CMHT appointment yet, as it gets closer am feeling more as though I don't need it or want it. I have improved from the way I was when I was first referred and calmed alot in myself, which was why I was first referred.
Sure am happy to hear you're feeling better. I didn't realize that Mirtazapine (Remeron) is an MAOI anti-depressant. On the labels in fine print when they say: new or worsening depression/psychiatric conditions - including new/worsening anxiety, panic attacks, trouble sleeping ect...PLEASE pay attention to this as this is exactly what Klonopin does to you when taken long enough, in my case. (and millions of others) and no Dr. will ever recognize these symptoms as being related to the drug you're taking (in my case and millions of others) MAOI's are also associated with several significant drug interactions. These are their words, not mine. So Please be careful.....PLEASE...
Thankyou sanderella, yes I am starting to feel an improvement in myself, and I guess I just feel that counselling isn't going to be for me anyway, not decided yet whether I will keep my appointment with them.
I'm not sure as though it is an MAOI. I believe it's called a NaSSA (noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressant) but can also be classed as a tetracyclic antidepressant (TeCA) in terms of structure. There are drug interactions though.
I think my GP takes me pretty seriously when I go to see them because I very rarely go, only when I feel it is absolutely necessary (this is mostly due to an intense fear of going to the doctors), so any problems I might have from the mirtazapine I hope would be taken seriously by my GP.
A community mental health nurse (CPN) I have one of these and I find her okay she was the one who got me my therapy, Just don't call the crisis team as they are a waste of time.
Hi Zora, what can I expect to happen at my first appointment with a mental health nurse? I have my first appointment at the end of the week and I was hoping to understand what to expect, because I am nervous about it and want to prepare myself for what is going to happen. I have been waiting for this appointment for weeks and now I'm getting too worried about it and keep changing my mind about whether I should go or not.
Are you going to see her? Normally they visit you in your home.
Mine already knew my history so I didn't have to her anything, Maybe he/she will ask you questions and what your struggles are? Do you see a Pdoc? If not the nurse could refer you to one if needed and also therapy, I find mind useful and she is the one I call if I am struggling.
Hope it goes well. x
No this is going to be my first kind of counselling, I have been referred by my GP. I have to go to the doctors for my appointment.
Hi itssofluffy
Counselling is not something to be feared although i was very apprehensive when i 1st went. Talking through my deepest feelings with a complete stranger didn't sit right with me. I saw an NHS counsellor 1st but had a limit of 6 appointments with her so i then moved on to a private and reasonably priced counsellor that i see as and when necessary.
It might not seem like it now but it is such a relief to unburden yourself of your problems and to try and find the root cause of your problems.
Its comforting to know that there is someone out there i can call as and when needed to talk through any problems i have in total confidentiality. Go for it and you may surprise yourself - i certainly did.
Best wishes
MP
Hi Meganpooch, thanks for your reply.
Yeah that's the thing I feel nervous about, going over and over everything, I don't feel like it is going to help me and I can't really think of anything worse. Mine is with the NHS.
The last thing you said may be helpful to me, It would be good to know there will be someone I can call when I need it. I haven't had any for a while now, but there have been a few moments when things were getting too much for me and I didn't know what to do.
Hiya itssofluffy
Mine too was originally at the doctors surgery so it sounds like a similar set up. After finding out a little bit about you, counsellor's will ask you questions about how you feel and what brought on those feelings. They don't actually say that much but make you think with their soft questioning.
It was certainly weird the 1st time but i see my current one almost as a friend now.
Worry not, you will be fine. Good luck on your 1st appointment.
Best wishes
MP
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