Losing A Lifeline

at

Minister of Health Stephen Donnelly

This morning.

An open letter to Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly from mental health service user Lisa Naylor.

Minister Donnelly,

‘I am a 35 year old mother of one living in Dublin. I won’t bore you with a lengthy backstory, but I have struggled with my mental health for the majority of my life. Depression, self-harm and a personality disorder are just a few of my difficulties. As a result, I have been accessing public and private psychiatric services for 17 years. I have been linked in with my current local mental health clinic in Coolock since 2014.

At the beginning of this year I suffered a pregnancy loss which negatively impacted my mental state. Shortly after this, Covid-19 hit and we went into lockdown and I deteriorated further, relapsing into old, maladaptive coping strategies.

Fortunately, the registrar assigned to me was incredible and offered plenty of support and guidance. She scheduled phone appointments with me every 2-4 weeks (if you aren’t aware, this is considered intensive support by the HSE).

I was still struggling to stay afloat, like many people during this pandemic, but at least I had that lifeline – the appointments with my doctor. Being honest and open with someone over the phone was difficult, but I knew my doctor and trusted her so it made the Covid restricted appointments easier. My depression was worsening but I was coping; I was surviving, with help.

When the phone rang on the 3rd of August I answered immediately. I was in desperate need of that supportive and rational voice on the other end of the phone. However the voice on the other end was unfamiliar.

The registrars had rotated in between my appointments and now a complete stranger was asking me how I was feeling. I don’t think I can accurately describe how unsettling and jarring this was, being asked to show my emotional scars and vulnerability to a stranger. A stranger who hadn’t read my file. The appointment ended with them telling me to continue doing what the previous doctor had advised. It was a waste of time.

My next appointment was scheduled for 3 months’ time. The intensive support had been withdrawn.

Life carried on, Covid continued, my depression and anxiety increased. I had another pregnancy loss. Then lockdown 2 was announced and the months of loneliness, despair and fear overtook me. I sobbed until there were no more tears, until I nearly threw up. Sharp objects started to look so appealing; I drank and ate more trying to quell the growing despair.

My appointment was scheduled for the 3rd of November and I knew I needed to speak up; to give my new doctor a chance to help me. I had to try.

I was sitting in the kitchen, my toddler running riot behind me, when the phone rang. I took a deep breath and readied myself to be honest and forthright. I told them I was struggling, that I was anxious, that I had had a miscarriage; that I was struggling. When asked about a scale of 1-10, 1 being the worst, I explained I was a 3 every day. This is a snapshot of the response I received:

“How is your child?”

“I hope you haven’t been binge-eating”

“Have you ever self-harmed?”

“Do you get irritable? Make sure you don’t let that turn to anger as it wouldn’t be nice for your husband.”

“Just wrap your child up warmer and bring him for a walk” (He’s 2 and it’s November)

“I was going to discharge you today, but given what you’ve said I will give you one more appointment in 3 months”

Minister, can you please explain to me how, in the space of a few months and in the midst of a pandemic, I went from intensive support to being ready for discharge? How a person who has never met me can decide that I no longer need help? A person who didn’t even know that I self-harm, who was more concerned with my son and husband than me. This is what happens when you underfund a vital service: Doctors who are poorly trained and/or have no incentive to do good work.

At this point in my life I am a veteran of the HSE’s mental health services so I was able to temper my reaction to being so dismissed. If that had happened 5 years ago, my response to being so horribly disregarded would been catastrophic.

I now apparently have one remaining appointment in the clinic in Coolock. I am severely depressed and fighting not to lapse back into self-harm and my eating disorder. I feel helpless and rejected.

How many other patients are experiencing similar feelings, with doctors being rotated when appointments are phone only? How can you expect people who are mentally ill to trust in a stranger when they can’t even trust themselves?

The mental health service was in dire straits before Covid-19 and we as a country were losing too many people to suicide as a result. If the current system continues, if you keep expecting those that are suffering (the ones lucky enough to be given access to psychiatric services) to ask a stranger for help through a phone, the number of suicides will rise exponentially.

You need to do better, for those that cannot do better on their own.’

Regards,

Lisa Naylor

RollingNews

Sponsored Link

18 thoughts on “Losing A Lifeline

  1. uncle gaybo

    I have also personally witnessed a lot of HSE responsibility around care for the elderly and people with mental health issues being passed onto family in the past few months. I have also heard of similar incidents from other families in my area.

  2. Micko

    Jesus, reading that is heartbreaking.

    Poor woman.

    We’re only now starting to see the cracks in society that lockdowns are bringing.

    2021 is going to be bleak I’m afraid.

      1. millie

        Sorry to hear that queenie. My condolences to you x

        This time of year is always difficult, I think. The dark evenings catch up with me all too quickly and the mood dips. Made even harder now with lockdown – irrespective of whether you agree with it or not.

  3. Johnnythree

    Its actually unethical to print that. She is in no state to be rationally thinking through the consequences of going public on this. I see this all the time – a great story today and then tomorrow? What then? She is still without support. I say this as someone who had pretty much the same situation and I look back now and shake my head at my thought process. I wish her well but this is not how to get help.

    1. millie

      What would you recommend, Johnnythree? I went through mental health services, for pnd, a few years ago – and I was very lucky with my experience. We had an excellent volunteer counselling service in my local area and I was referred by my GP, and was seen within 4 weeks. I’m aware that my experience was a very positive one, but that I’m in a minority. So, I suppose what I’m asking is if you’ve come the other side of a similar situation, what advice, generally would you offer?

    2. Ragamuffin

      I take your point Johnnythree, people using these services can be at an incredibly vulnerable point in their lives, and may make decisions they later regret. On the other hand, we have had a culture in Ireland of brushing mental health issues under the carpet. And so the mental health services have traditionally been under-scrutinised, as the perceived shame and stigma has stopped people speaking up about their bad experiences. We know from Vicky Phelan et al that a personal narrative can have a huge impact on changing things.

      Sadly I think you’re right that speaking up will not change the input this individual receives. However it may have a longer impact on the systems involved, by increasing the public & politicians’ awareness of how the HSE is letting ‘real people’ down.

    3. Lisa

      Hi, I appreciate your comment but I didn’t write this to get help for myself. I wrote it because there are so many other people facing the similar issues within the mental health system during the pandemic. I have publicly spoken about my mental health for years in an attempt to help others and I won’t regret this tomorrow or the next day. I also had my husband read this before I sent it in to ensure it was appropriate.

  4. Ragamuffin

    My heart goes out to this person, who has been through so much adversity in their life. I’m surprised though, that someone with that much experience of mental health services would be relying on doctors for support. Don’t get me wrong Psychiatrists are great for writing prescriptions for drugs that can be life saving, but many wouldn’t have the skills/ time/ experience/training to offer any meaningful counselling. I would strongly recommend this person ask the Dr for a referral to the social worker/ psychologist/ occupational therapist/ nurse on their team, for regular supportive input. I wish them the very best in their continued recovery.

    1. Daisy Chainsaw

      Even before the lockdown, mental health services were rubbish. If this woman was to request a referal, she’d be put on a public waiting list for a couple of years.

      1. Ragamuffin

        The problem is usually the waiting-list for the Dr, but once open to the Dr, she should have access to their multidisciplinary team.

        There is a problem with vacant posts not being filled in HSE, so for instance the social worker might be on mat leave without any cover. But you would hope someone on the MDT would be able to see her.

        A lot of people are under the impression from American TV that psychiatrists do therapy. In general they don’t in Ireland& uk.

        1. Sarah

          Yes, she *should* have access to the mental health team. Emphasis on *should*. Have you ever tried to access public mental health care in this country? It’s largely non-existent. The commenter above you is right – she’d be waiting years for an appointment, and even when she got it would be unlikely to get ongoing, weekly therapy and counselling sessions. The funding and resources and training simply aren’t there.

          Why on earth do you think there’s so, so, so many private counsellors, psychotherapists and psychologists around? Because there’s no funding or jobs for them in the public system.

          1. Johnny

            What makes you think Ireland is such a “outlier” or awful at mental health,the math or stats don’t indicate that.
            Are any numbers outside EU norms?
            In my opinion the whole area is riddled and rampant with fraud by all the characters / charities / chancers crowding the space,looking for govt funding.

  5. Johnny

    (Do you not have “zoom” shrinks / therapy – all the rage here,people claiming / saying telemedicine or virtual appointments are here to stay)

    After my mum passed when I was young,I unknowingly self medicated for years on alcohol and drugs.

    A friends sister died and she was struggling,so I went with her to a alternative treatment center called Carin,which deals with healing from grief,before I went this talk I didn’t even know I had any problems,just awfully fond the drink and drugs,im European was always my excuse …

    After,a few messy bottoms and too many mornings sick of feeling sick,I finally took some action.

    For me,prayer and meditation were my salvation,I picked up or learnt a few other tools,to cope with living in this insane world.

    Fook the doctors,i had seize control so if you can,work on your own mental health,anyways,here’s a link to OA-friend had eating issues found it great.

    The fresh air long walks while the delivery was poor,is actually sound advice.

    Free podcasts-lots meetings daily on zoom-the govt ain’t coming,but they never were, Covid or not.

    https://oa.org/podcasts/

    Caron center on grief.

    https://www.caron.org/blog/unresolved-grief-and-loss-can-fuel-an-addiction

Comments are closed.

Sponsored Link
Broadsheet.ie