"Mental Health Assessment Process"

I visited my GP in December 2016 to discuss my low mood and negative feelings toward myself. I was prescribed an antidepressant and referred to Healthy Minds.

I received a letter a few weeks later prompting me to call Healthy Minds to book an assessment. There was another couple of weeks wait for this, and it was completed over the phone which seemed impersonal. After I answered some questionnaires the assessor suggested that I was probably struggling with anxiety, not depression. I told him that my goal was to find something to help me manage my negative thoughts and he suggested I choose the counselling route.

My counselling assessment was arranged in the same way and held over the phone in mid February. The counsellor understandably asked lots of personal questions to try and get a picture of me and my mental health but I found this really insensitive over the phone as I was having to explain distressing personal details with no form of support. Following a difficult hour of questioning, she asked why I chose counselling, explaining that it would not help me because I don't have underlying historic issues so should have chose CBT instead. The most frustrating thing about this is that she then looked at the notes from the assessor and said that based on what he'd written this route would not work for me. I feel that if this had been read before the assessment it would have at least saved me having to delve into difficult memories, only to be told it was a complete waste of my time.

Six weeks later I have heard nothing regarding further help, but called Healthy Minds and was reassured I was still on a waiting list. Since visiting my GP I have been waiting over three months and feel I'm not any closer to having someone listen.