Lived Experience Forum

[Penny3]

I am struggling with fi ding the correct medication to suit me. Cannot get a psychiatrist appointmrr t for months. Next week i am switching from one medication  which i have been on for 3 montns to another see if tnat helps. Pychologist helps with breathing exercises but tnats not so easy to do. Is everyone else having trouble getting into to see a professional doctor for help.

[tyme]

Hi @Penny3 ,

Welcome to the forums 🙂

I think you are describing a pretty common issue, unfortunately.

For me, I would ask to be put on the waitlist in case of any cancellations.

Also, once I had an appointment, I would book 4 appointments in advance (several weeks apart) - this was because I knew it was easier to cancel my appointment than make on in the first place!

I've also found that if I agree to telehealth, I have a more likely chance of seeing someone faster - but this is not for everyone. Some people only want face to face sessions.

Whatever it is, I hope you get to see your psychiatrist soon!

tyme

[Bow]

Hey @Penny3  welcome to the forums! 

i think finding a psychiatrist is really hard at the moment, I rang around a lot of places last year and like you had to wait months or their books were closed. Not helpful when you are in a crisis and needing help now. And community mental health at the time wouldn’t take me on. 

have you heard of the PHN? It’s another option for government funded mental health care. I tried it for a while, i could get an appoint quickly via Telehealth or could wait longer, I took the quicker option cause I was desperate. I didn’t have the best experience, but that was just me. The psychiatrist I was allocated to didn’t seem to take my eating disorder seriously. But it is an option that you could try through your gp- they can complete the referral for you. 

all the best!

[Natasha3]

Hi, I’m going through the same thing. I’m 32 weeks now and can’t get into my psychiatrist until may even though I need help with medication now, my panic attacks have become so intense, I can’t be alone & when I am I panic from 5am until late at night when my partner gets home from work. It’s horrible. I am contacting my mental health team at the hospital I am giving birth at to see if they can recommend me a different medication & will then contact my gp.

[Paperdaisy]

Hi @Natasha3, I can empathise with your situation as I've also been there. I experienced panic attacks during my second pregnancy and I too didn't like being left alone. I appreciate you sharing your story here. I personally found it really helpful to talk about my fears, as just saying them out loud made me feel better. Do you have a psychologist or antenatal counsellor as well?

I can see you are reaching out to your mental health team and GP, I think that's a really good idea. I found the midwives at my hospital to be very understanding, I'm wondering if your midwife could help you get the care you need? 

I hope you find some support, but in the meantime if you need to talk we are here or the counsellors at PANDA are really good and there's also Gidget Foundation  💝You don't have to go through this alone.

I'm also popping the SANE support services  here as well. 

Take care, 

Paperdaisy 😊

[Natasha3]

Thank you so much for your kind words! I see a psychologist too. So fingers crossed a medication change helps. I’m lucky to have family who try and be around as much as possible, I just carry so much guilt for my baby when I do panic. 💗

[Bow]

Hey @Natasha3  firstly welcome to the forums, I really hope that you find some supportive friends here, there is usually always someone around to offer a listening ear or just some distraction. 

Im really sorry that you are experiencing such intense panic attacks during your pregnancy. Is it something that you experienced prior? Or is this a new thing? It wasn’t something that I experienced, but I had other issues that made my pregnancy not so great. I think in some ways it put a dampener on what should of been a really positive and happy time of my life- I was disappointed. 

Id really encourage you to reach out to your midwife. They should be able to help you get the support you need and deserve. They can often push through referrals because there was time constraints on it. 

And please don’t feel guilty. You are doing the best you can with what you have been dealt and hopefully soon you can get things sorted out. I know it sounds really simple but do you do deep breathing? My psychologist had me practice deep breathing at least 3 times a day when I was feeling ok, so that when I needed to do deep breathing during an anxiety attack my body knew what to do and was better able to pull on those skills. There are other things that I would be happy to suggest, but thought I would ask if there are coping tools that you already try? 

please be kind to yourself 💕