"Bad mental health service"

My son arrived in Scunthorpe Sept 2009 after been realised from Lewis prison in Sussex. He was very ill. He had been diagnosed with Bi polar in 2005 in Coventry. He recovered very well after been on section 3 for 6 months with medication. He located down to Brighton for a new start. It wasn't long before he was sectioned in Brighon after been told he didn't have Bipolar. He then went into the criminal justice and spent the last few years in prison, hospital and finally homelessness.

When he arrived in Scunthorpe he was admitted into the local mental health hospital. After a week there they decided he had to be transfered back to Brighton as his GP was there. It made no sense as he had nothing to go back to. I followed him to an intensive care ward where he was held for 7 days and then realised with £50 and told to get himself a hostel. He was diagnosed with Personality disorder and I feel discluded from the mental health services. I was utterly shocked with his treatment or lack of it. I had asked to whether my son had been misdiagnosed with bipolar on several occasions and was told there was no comment.

I had to leave my son in Brighton and on my way back to Scunthorpe I had a call from the police to pick him up from Doncaster. This I did and picked him up out of a dirty sleeping back he had spent the night, homeless. He had tried to get into a hostel and no one would take him in.

He was admitted back to Scunthorpe. I understand that this whole trip had cost just under £10,000. I understand he never received any medication or treatment. I knew he was very ill and it seemed the services wouldn't offer us help, I couldn't even get through to the crisis team.

I tried to nurse my son with my 82 yr old parents. He was over whelmed with voices and self harming, this hit crisis on many occasions. The only support we were able to access was the police. We did this many times and each time we came back to square one. The only service my son was offered was taking therapy but that had to come from out the area. It was a joke really as my son was in a reality where he couldn't engage. I was advised to take him to a alcohol misuse service as the staff said he had a drink and drug habit, the illness always came first.

As next of kin and carer for my son the frustration was no one ever listened to what I said. I had written a 6 month daily diary from the time my son was in my care that was an honest and documented trauma of how the whole family was experiencing, including my sons suffering.

Eventually my son was arrested on public disorder charge and went again through the criminal justice. I have fought through the courts and finally got him out of the prison and into a medium secure where he is now undergoing medication and treatment. I have been told he has bipolar and had become critically ill as he had been left untreated. The hospital welcomed my diary as to get a better insight to the last few months

When anyone is diagnosed with personality they should be treated with a mind disorder and not discluded from the mental health services.

I have joined Rethink as an activist and thanks to this wonderful organisation I was able to get the help my son so desperately needed.

There are too many people who find themselves in the criminal justice who are very mentally ill.

I hope to see some big changes within the very near distant future. I will campaign until the changes are made