what to do when crisis team wont step in?

To tell you the truth I have never used them, have been put off using them with what I have been told.

I just think their experiances suck to be honest!

is there anywhere that we can forward this thread?

Damn I may go and raise this with my local MP. It just is not good enough, and I supect he might welcome someone talking to him about something totally unrelated to perks, flights etc, seeing that I'm in Epsom

Seriously, what the hell is the point of a Goddamn "crisis team" if they intervene in an alcohol induced crisis, which is most of them !

I rung the team one night, I felt so bad. Not suicidal, but totally helpless and hopeless.

They simply spoke to me, and kept asking me what do you want us to do?.....All I could think was, your the expert, you tell me.

I do think there are many in the whole mental health arena, that shouldnt be there.

Well my husband was on suicide watch and all they did was phone us. He was later diagnosed as extremely ill but they refused to visit the house. In hindsight I should have insisted and when they refused, rung the police. I mean, where do you turn when you are in a crisis with a mentally unwell person FGS?

This is really putting me off ringing the crisis team if I need them.

Hmm, Mylife. Yes some people have had bad time with crisis teams, Including myself. But they have also pulled through for me a few times as well.

I know they have also pulled for a few of my close mates.


But dont be put off calling them. They are good, even if some times they dont do what we need them to at the time.

thanks woppow, hope you are ok now,

I have had a pretty rough time with Crisis (Psych Emergency) to the point where I asked my Aunt who I am very close to, to collect me and take me to the hospital, they couldn't get me respite but to add to the indignity of the situation they made a hurtful comment about my problem being that I had no friends and was just lonely. I walked out of the hospital but managed to get into respite the next day, only to OD a couple of days later... oh and get discharged from psych care 2 days later. I hate the way the system really ignores the overall care of the individual, it's not like I want to be hospitalised but I'm like a duck up sh*t creek without a paddle at the moment.

Recently I had to use the services of the "crisis team" . The lady I spoke to was very good - and reasonably reassuring under the circumstances. The problem came when I had an appointment with my Doc the next day and the supposedly faxed information that I had spent half an hour pouring my heart out to her about didn't arrive at my mental health team and they had no idea that I had phoned crisis at all. I had left it with my Doc that if I did phone crisis - which would only be if I really needed to - that I would need a respite bed immediately. I was really p. off and my Hubby and I felt really let down. I know they are understaffed etc but the left hand doesn't seem to know what the right hand is doing. Its very frustrating as they are a much needed service for us when we are very unwell. I am sorry that you were treated in such a horrible manner. How dare they make judgements about your support system and friendships. I hope you are feeling better than you were!! Remember you have a support system right here - we all understand how frustrating it can be.

The crisis team are useless!

My brother suffers from schizophrenia and we would only call them in a crisis, not all the time. They ALWAYS told us to call the police. I would tell them I wasn't going to as my brother hadn't done anything and he just needed respite care for a rest as he wasn't sleeping and would be out ranting at the neighbourhood or something similar, which really embarrassed our mum and probably wasn't pleasant for the neighbours, but he thought they were tormenting him. Only when we got mad at the Crisis Team would they come and actually help. Respite care ALWAYS helped in these instances for my brother and was what he wanted, but they would always tell him they had no beds or some other excuse. It took him getting this unwell to have anything happen and even then, only after I demanded they do something. They would never do it when he asked and that put the whole 'know me before you judge me' campaign to shame as far as I'm concerned as if mental health professionals treated someone suffering from a mental illness like that, well, what total hypocrisy!

If they are not helping anyone, what is their job? The term 'Crisis team' is misleading IMO.

Well I have suffered many an indignity from the hands of the crisis team - the most recent when they rang me after I was discharged from hospital with a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis... they seemed to think it was a good idea for me to go for a walk - but considering I am now restricted to using a walking stick and live in a rather dodgy area, I failed to see how that would be of any benefit to my personal or mental health! Needless to say I hung up on the stupid woman!

Yes I do feel let down by the team, I was on suicide watch for 3 months, my daughter was at the time also on their call list.
The doctor looking after me was hopeless and just prescriped meds and decided that since I wasn't "extreme" at the time they could stop all calls. Bear in mind that I am paranoid and extremely anxious so was at the time thinking that they hated me and that's why they weren't returning my calls, the same time they stopped calling me they also stopped calling my daughter. She had only seen them once, and was also on watch, for the whole week before they stopped contact. They had apparently referred us both back to our GP, by the way.. neither of us were told of this happening, including my GP who had just seen me for another relapse (I could not get hold of crisis team!!). I am seeing my GP again today because I have got bad again and definately feel that he is a better choice!

i have no trust or faith in much of the system after both being a consumer many moons ago and then also working along side them, the system i deal with is so flawed and wrong is it any wonder people are killing themselves, example being that in recent times 2 people have killed themselves after escaping the unit, a top doc left after near 10yrs after having enough and the list goes on, the waste of money, over rep of bean counters and minimal frontline staff etc etc, and this is not in a city either, i am blown away that not much has changed after all these years and all the money spent on ad campaigns, glossy brochures etc seem to dupe the public that the system is functioning top notch, yeah right, as for crisis teams and the rest, i wouldn't trust most of them to care for my dogs, let alone have my life in their hands, grrrr.

Hi Fedup,

On the off chance you're still around, I just want to let you and others know that I have been doing a bit of research lately and think that I've found a doorway into the system. I can provide more details if you're interested.

For what it's worth, I have a feeling that a percentage of health workers are just as stumped as the public about what to do. The difference is, though, they should know. That's their job and responsibility.

How are you and your mother getting on at the moment?

Any unresolved issues that you want taken up?

I want to help.

Scamp