As I have said before I am one of the lucky ones. Whilst I am in therapy and especially at the moment whilst having EMDR I have got a wonderful support network around me. This ranges from the constant support & love of my husband to text messages, phone calls and visits from friends. At my Church people are also praying for me and willing to chat whenever.

The last time I had EMDR I also had the support of a CPN. It meant that I could check in with a professional between sessions and talk about how I was feeling. It also meant that my family and friends were reassured as someone with greater knowledge was supporting me and keeping an eye on any changes which maybe my family and friends had missed.

Due to the cuts in my area I am no longer given that support and because according to the mental health system and ‘professionals’ who had only met me twice I was told I didn’t have a long term mental health problem! Having suffered with bi-polar for over 10 years and been in and out of hospital for 15 years I find that staggering. I also had a very distressing time when a psychiatrist who had never met me tried to change my diagnosis in order to justify a discharge from the system.

So where does this leave people like me? Well it firstly makes me angry and I will fight to try and help others that don’t have a good support network. I am also convinced that what is needed in lots of cases is someone to talk to and to feel that you are supported. I am sure that if this consistency was in place for more people that more ‘crisis’ could be avoided and there might be less admissions. Surely in the long run this approach would cost less?

I will don’t think that this is rocket science – just about listening to people who often are the best people to ask what is best for them. I for one do not need anything over complicated just someone who I can talk to once every few weeks and who can help me to build on my strategies.

When my therapy finishes I will be discharged from the mental health system and when I have a relapse (which because of my history is a very certain possibility) I will have to start working my way through a very complex and inflexible system in order to get any support.

Good luck to all trying to work through the same problems and battle with such difficulties.