UKH

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-45804225

Suppose it highlights the issue for a day 

I hold no hope of any change.

The system is broken , uninterested in really helping anyone , they just don't like to look bad.

I Called the Dr 5 times yesterday and didn't get any answer.

That's how much they care .

They offer drugs to kill your emotion and senses in order to cope with the shitty social and economical conditions people have to tolerate while doing nothing to address these issues.

There are many charities such as Mind who offer services to help. Also drug and alcohol services are provided by councils (at least in my area).

NHS route is not the only one.

However I do agree with the general thrust of your post - mental health care is an unaddressed time bomb.

The drugs don't work, they only make things worse...

I agree with your general point, but there is only so much any one agency can do about mental health / depression.

People have mental health issues for all sorts of reasons. This day may not achieve much, but it will help raise awareness globally. That can't be a bad thing.

Is that the pre 09:00 rush? You have a short window in which to book an appointment for that day. It's not 'they don't care', more that they are a crap practice. I'm sure that they are aware of their failings, and are probably asking for more money.

I'm sure there was a point I was going to make.... Anyway, take care.

In addition to the system for fixing mh being broken, the whole social system seems designed to create the problems in the first place. 

Not sure if this will help but you can text this number and chat to crisis counsellor 

07725 909090

I was sent this today by a doctor who is a parent of my daughters football team just so it can be passed on

Re: drugs and Alcohol.  Derbyshire drug and alcohol service for adults (Derbyshire Recovery Partnership) employ in house counsellors to try and support clients but also to deal with the issues around mental health and substance misuse.

Only saying as Wild Scallion has Derbyshire as their location... to its topical

I know, they aren't that helpful in my case.  And people suffering MH conditions don't always have the will or capacity to fight for the services that should be available to all that need it.

This is a scandal in my mind.  and given the general state of the world it's just going to get so much worse. 

What does a nation have underscoring everything else ? , take away all other stuff , technology , money,  most things you care to name .

People . We are the foundation of this albeit shitty temple of humanity .

It might not sound like much to some but humans are a valuable resource and yet we are happy to let something like 84 men alone take there own lives per week.   What a waste of human life and capacity.   

The others sit silently unable to get help and without a voice .

I cannot agree more , and I'm glad someone other than me can see the truth for what it is.

That itself is less alienating .

Thanks .

Generally had rubbish experience of crisis teams.

They nod but are unable to do much for me.

We are asking a limited group of crisis teams to do the impossible , how do you correct the social and economical , enviromental conditions that bring about the problems in the first place ?

We don't even try,   we just pay lip service to the end result when someone kills themselves or takes others with them. 

Aside from whether the system is broken, not working, unutterably buggered beyond repair and the like, what have *you* done to offer a hand to someone who may have mental health issues today, yesterday, last week, ever?

Sometimes people just need a pair of ears they can trust to listen patiently while they tell their story; other things can come afterwards.  Have you offered your ears to someone that might need them today?

I think having a mental health day to raise awareness about issues which are invisible on the surface but sadly all too common is a terrific idea, and I hope it makes those suffering more inclined to speak up and those who know them more inclined to listen.  The grumbles about the very real issues with system can wait for another day.

T.

That’s possibly a bit unfair.  I’ve helped friends with issues in the past, and they’ve not been there for me on the rare occasions when I’ve needed help.  It pissed me off at the time, but I later realised that they are struggling so much themselves they don’t have the capacity to take on other people’s problems. 

Youre right in the wider sense though. Caring for others and lending a patient, non-judgemental, caring and trustworthy ear to friends and colleagues is incredibly valuable. 

Mind not helpful? I'd be surprised it they could offer nothing. You can self refer to Drug and alcohol services but may have to wait a week or so.

Many other organisations listed here.

https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/what-are-mental-health-problems/mental-he...

From some recent personal experience I can say that there are MANY good people out there to help.

So, you're asking somebody who can have problems with their mental health, what they've done to help somebody else?

I don't know what personal experience you have of mental health problems, but when one is going through it, providing an ear or help to somebody else who is going through it can be a challenging thing. It's very hard to give from an empty cup. 

Your question would best be aimed at those who are doing fine. 

This is incredibly important, and needs saying way more often.

To a lot of people world MH day is a day to post on facebook saying "message me if you need support" but little else, while there's a lot of pragmatic things that can be done (not necessarily by those same people) to help.  Specific example - I struggled with poor MH throughout my PhD.  I have friends who offered support when I was struggling and I'm grateful to them, but I've realised now what I truly needed, and I'm trying to make sure other people get it now I'm doing better.  

It's really easy for people in a position of poor MH to feel like they have no options, when what options are available aren't well publicised.  They're expected to find them.  Personally, if I'd had the presence of mind to find support I probably wouldn't have needed it quite so much.  As well as that, it's so difficult to make sensible choices to safeguard your own physical and mental health when your own brain is trying to sabotage any move you might make to help yourself.

What might be helpful across the board from the NHS and the general public is a bit more sensitivity and sympathy.  Making a suggestion to a friend or peer that you think is helpful might turn out to be an impossible task for them, or not applicable to their specific situation.  They may not look like it a lot of the time, but they're really trying, and they possibly can't show you how grateful they are.

Samartians don't recommend you use that over the normal number as you won't necessarily get a quick reply.

It's probably a bit much to expect doctors to solve them along with everything else they do.  And the folk I know working in the field do care - astonishingly so, to my layman's eyes - but no doubt get overwhelmed by the volumes they're having to deal with. Presumably the situation looks even worse if you're not feeling quite how and help doesn't seem forthcoming. 

Hopefully people's responses here will (mostly) at least be of some little help, and can qualify them for their 'reaching out' points for today's WMH awareness

I know it's a song, but the drugs do work, when you get the right dose and the right drug.  

I'm not exaggerating, I wouldn't be alive now without antidepressants.  

It's crappy I know.   Do you feel able to turn up at opening time and tell the receptionist you need to be seen?   Easier than phoning sometimes.  

As for the drugs, I'm sure you are right in many cases, but there was no social or economic problem in my situation.  I needed antidepressants because I was depressed.  I couldn't get out of bed.  

You can self refer for talking therapy online here.  

https://www.derbyshirehealthcareft.nhs.uk/services/talking-mental-health-de...

And they have troubles of their own:

http://php.nhs.uk/resources/suicide-in-doctors/

Probably ditto for me, or I'd be in a gloomy place. A recent study found that they do, too. Some people ponder capitalism, and the system, and wonder why they should take medication to mean it's easier for them to conform or slot into things without feeling down. A friend was posting as much on facebook, and I tried to put across that 'an experiential approach' might be the one to think about, more than a philosophical one, in that if they're helpful they're helpful*, whatever one thinks of society or capitalism.

*I'm not saying they're always helpful, or that it can't be a challenge to find something which helps. 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/oct/10/preventing-mental-hea...