How mental health services work in the UK (a non-expert account)

I've seen a few less than happy social media posts over the last couple of months from people who have felt let down by the NHS and the support that is available for those with MH difficulties. In a couple of cases I kind of got the impression that some of the upset was caused by the NHS not being able to offer a level of support which, in my experience, doesn't exist. I mean, maybe it does in America. Maybe it does if you have lots of money and can go private. I'm not sure. But it's not something I've seen in the UK in a number of years navigating the NHS mental health provision. I also know that sometimes the NHS is not exactly clear or open as to how to get access to the help it DOES offer (there is a story here about how I wound up in hospital one time as a result of this) and that can be very frustrating.

So I thought I'd write a blog post aimed at providing a bit more information on psychiatry, NHS MH services, third sector additional support services and how to navigate the system. I add this disclaimer - this is based on my experiences as a patient in the NHS in three different regions, as an administrator in a psychotherapy centre in London, and as a fundraiser in a couple of care charities in Scotland. It's not exhaustive, I don't know loads of things and if anyone has any corrections they can make, I beg that they do.

This is just me writing down some facts which I thought might be useful in giving people new to the NHS MH services a realistic view on what they can and should expect, and how to get it.

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