Frustrated with professionals (Trigger warning)

[Bounty]

How much distress do you have to be in to be taken seriously. My GP and the Crisis team referred me to a Psychiatrist, I had an assessment and they added in meds then referred me back to GP care.

I get the sense I'm not believed that I have unwanted thoughts, flashbacks, jumpy all the time, not sleeping well, feel suicidal most of the time, I self harm and have issues around food.
Yet I don't seem to being getting any help, they have put me on a waiting list for a core skills group which is basically CBT which does not work for me so it's feels like they have put me forward for the group just to keep me quiet and look like they are trying to help.

I appreciate the current situation in the world makes things difficult but I feel like i don't matter.

Am I just being over sensitive? Is there more I can do?
I have rang the duty team and out of hours when needed and they don't help either.
Am at a loss 😭😭😢😢

[owl25]

You are not being oversensitive, not at all. This is tough road, even in the best of times. I am sorry you are going through this, and are having difficulty accessing the help you need.

Do you feel able to go back to your GP and express that you do not think the CBT will be helpful, because you have done this before, and ask if there are other options?  Is there anyone who could help advocate for you when you see your GP?

Our mental health system is lacking no matter what country you are in. People are left to cope with too much on their own while they wait for help for 3 months, or longer.

It often takes a lot of time and effort to figure out what help we need and to then find the right people to provide us with that help. I've done a lot of reading over the years trying to make sense of what I was going through and trying to find ways to heal. I don't know how long you've been struggling like this, and how much help you've received in the past. I've come to a point where I think that IFS (Internal Family Systems) therapy is the best approach, but the difficulty is finding someone who is trained in that and has lots of experience treating trauma. Depending on where you are located you may have resources available. Even if it's not IFS right off the bat, if you can find someone who specializes in complex trauma and/or food issues, that could be a good starting point.

In the meantime, as you try to figure things out, we are here to offer support and share any learnings that might be helpful to you. There are tons of resources here at OOTS, it's really quite something, so hopefully something will stand out to you that is helpful to help you keep moving forward.

You're not alone in what you're going through, and I can relate to a lot of what you are experiencing. It is a struggle, but things can improve, and not be quite as bad as they are right now.

[Kizzie]

If you feel up to it Bounty there are some forms you could complete and take in that detail your symptoms and abuse, along with some informational pdfs for healthcare professionals about CPTSD. They are located here - https://www.outofthestorm.website/downloads. 

Unfortunately Complex PTSD is relatively new diagnosis (at least officially), so not all in the field of mental health/medicine know about it.  It may be that if you can give your GP detailed info about your symptoms, how they developed and then info about CPTSD, s/he will refer you to a professional who does know about CPTSD for proper treatment.   

Hope this helps 

[Not Alone]

I'm am sorry that you are not getting the help that you need. You are not being over sensitive. You are in trouble and you need help. You do matter. I'm wondering if the medical personnel that you saw are uninformed and not understanding about cptsd. It may be that they just don't know what to do to help you.

Do you feel able to go back to your GP and express that you do not think the CBT will be helpful, because you have done this before, and ask if there are other options?  Is there anyone who could help advocate for you when you see your GP?

      Also what Kizzie wrote.

[sigiriuk]

I get the sense I'm not believed that I have unwanted thoughts, flashbacks, jumpy all the time, not sleeping well, feel suicidal most of the time, I self harm and have issues around food.

Hi Bounty. Professionals just don't get it sometimes. I have had therapists who are not trauma informed, and it is so frustrating.
It took me years to find one who understood trauma.
I will say that most UK psychiatrists label everyone as Borderline, and ignore trauma.
However, i learnt more about myself, and my pain, on this site. It has helped me when i was frightened, desperate, and had nowhere to turn. The people on this site help each other, and I trust them.
I hope you can too.
Sending healing vibes
Slim

[Bounty]

Thank you for all your replies, my GP agrees I'm suffering from C-PTSD and even said what else can it be so is going to try and get me the right help. I just won't hold my breath as I have been let down so many times before.

[Kizzie]

Hope your GP can find you the right kind of help Bounty