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Help with BDD and Agoraphobia

JazCo
JazCo Community member Posts: 48 Courageous
edited September 2019 in Mental health and wellbeing
Hi,

Apologies in advance for such a long post. I was going to make it short but then once I started typing, it just contnued.

I have tried and failed several times to get a referral to my local mental health centre for analysis. I feel weird asking for a diagnosis of particular problems like I'm seeking it, but I'm actually mental health educated and can recognise symptoms in particular things. I can't self-diagnose but can make connections. MY first GP said, "why do you want a diagnosis if the treatment is the same?" I am already diagnosed with social anxiety disorder and as such was, at the time, waiting for CBT from the "light touch" mental health team. They are called Access Sefton. They can't diagnose but they can help treat certain mental health issues with therapy, CBT etc.
The referral was sent to the Mental Health Service, and without any notice to myself, was sent to the post-natal team as I had given birth 6 months prior. Then again, without notice to myself, the referral was rejected from the post-natal team (which I have since found out was a big NO-NO was I am at high risk of further mental health issues if under a year of giving birth, so don't know why they did that). Anyway, the mental health service just cancelled my referral and I didn't find out until I rang up several months later for an update. I had to go to the GP again, this time I saw a lovely man who suffered PTSD and was very understanding. He assessed me as severe for both depression and anxiety and made the referral. Or so I thought. Months later I found out he had forgotten to send it on. I requested this be sent ASAP. Months later again, I heard nothing. I rang up the MHS to find they had rung me many times from a withheld number with no voicemail to say they had once again rejected my referral, saying that my issues can be managed with medication and Access Sefton services. I explained that the services they provide are not what I am after. They cannot diagnose, neither can the GP when it comes to more acute issues that I suffer from. I suffer panic attacks whenever I am around people or could potentially be around people, like public transport, lifts, shops, public areas, and my potential BDD is so rarely understood by GPs that I felt I really deserved to talk to someone who might know a bit better why I feel the way I do about myself and whether it is BDD due to the extremity of my symptoms.

I could not face seeing a new GP, as my previous one has left, or the same one who dismissed me the first time, so I wrote to my MP who has requested a new referral be made yet again. I hoping for good news this time. I feel like, because I am not a risk to myself or others, they just want to stick my issues under this one umbrella of anxiety and wash it away with this copy-paste therapy of CBT, which doesn't work for me and be done with me.
Southport, where I live, seems to fall short of all recommended services that operate nationwide and are highly praised in the mental health circle. Anyone here knows if there is a service I can access for exploring agoraphobia and body dysmorphia and diagnosis via email for example? I feel so lost and like I'm expected to just "get on with it" and suffer in silence in the seclusion of my own home, rather than access help.

Thanks!

Comments

  • Adrian_Scope
    Adrian_Scope Posts: 10,821 Scope online community team
    Hi @JazCo. Please don't apologise for the length of the post. I'm glad you were able to get it all out!

    Something distance-based but helping to tackle agoraphobia sounds ideal really, but unfortunately I've not come across any services like that. Perhaps one of our members has?
    Community Manager
    Scope
  • JazCo
    JazCo Community member Posts: 48 Courageous
    @Adrian_Scope
    Thank you, I appreciate that. The Mental Health Unit has a specialised eating disorder unit, although that is not my issue, I'm hoping the close connection between BDD and eating disorders will mean that have people trained in BDD also in order to advise or treat. I'm seeing the GP soon to make yet another referral to the same centre, hopefully, this time with better luck. Everyone suggests CBT, not sure what my options are when this doesn't work.
  • Adrian_Scope
    Adrian_Scope Posts: 10,821 Scope online community team
    Hello @JazCo, how are you getting on? Have you made any progress with the GP referral? 
    Community Manager
    Scope
  • rete
    rete Community member Posts: 17 Connected
    Wow this sounds just like what's is happening to me the go as try ed to get me to see the mental health team but they seem to think I am nit that bad that's one service.another said I have extreme ptsd due to truma as a child .abuse .another service I went had an assessment  to be told they can't help because I have counselling else where ?? Which is with a charity fir the past abuse not persific mental health have now the same as you given up asking for help and being passed around getting no where .
  • Chloe_Scope
    Chloe_Scope Posts: 10,586 Disability Gamechanger
    Sorry to hear this @rete, I imagine it is not nice being passed around! All of your concerns are valid, even if they are not deemed bad enough. Is there anything you think we can help with?
    Scope

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