"Traumatic & Inappropriate"

Part 1: I contacted the police in an attempt to 'self section' as I felt I would manage suicide if I was left alone.

I was taken to William Harvey A & E instead of St Martins Secure Mental Health Unit.

I waited for 3 hours during which time I was assessed physically.

It was a very overwhelming environment to be in when you were experiencing a mental health crisis.

I waited on a chair inside A & E for quite some time.

Then a male health professional said 'somebody will be seeing you now.' and promptly dissapearded.

I waited a firther 20 minutes not knowing what was going on and then a female health professional said the same to me then also dissapeared.

10 minutes later I saw the same woman laughing and joking woth her colleagues at the reception area there.

With no sense of urgency she then came over to me.

I was angry and distressed and complained about the way I had been treated.

'CALM DOWN!" she said.

To me, that was like a red rag to a bull.

I left A & E immediately.

What followed was a whole day of going in and out of A & E as my phone was faulty so I could not ring the police to get sectioned and taken to where I should have been form the start - St Martins in Canterbury.