2 years ago today I was checking out of William Harvey Hospital in Ashford after enduring 23 hours on the cold hard floor of their A&E department.
I was struggling with strong suicidal thoughts and had tried to take my own life on more than one occasion in the space of the previous week.
The treatment, or rather, LACK OF treatment that I received during this time was truly disgusting. Bearing mind the reasons I had admitted myself, and the fact that I would have been arrested for trying to leave the premises...I was still left completely unsupervised.
Nobody even knew I was there let alone what my case was- I could have easily walked out and jumped in front of a train without anyone even noticing!
If it wasn't for 3 amazing friends who stayed by my sides at different points during the ordeal to ensure I wasn't alone, I would have found the experience too much to take.
After almost any entire day of no information, no sleep and no care or attention, I was FINALLY granted some facetime with a medical professional. However the advice I received was worse than useless.
I was told to "go back to my GP to be prescribed more meds".
Then I was simply shown out the door. I was miles away from home, my phone had no charge, I hadn't had any food or water in hours and I left feeling more worthless than when I went in...and bearing in mind I went in feeling suicidal, that is quite a bold and heartbreaking statement.
Two years on and I am glad to say that I am a lot happier and healthier than I was...however this does not mean that my experience at the hands of the crisis team did not happen.
The NHS is in a state of shambles. It is underfunded and understaffed, which puts strain on the existing staff members and causes them to act in ways that are less than pleasant.
This is not new information and yet nothing seems to change. It doesn't take all that you have to make a difference, it's what you do with what you have that counts...
Courage --- Alice xxx
#depression#recovery #ed#eatingdisorderrecovery#eatingdisorderawareness #anorexia#bulimia #bingeeating #itgetsbetter#thereishopeafterall #anxiety#mentalhealthawareness#mentalillness #edrecovery#bodypositive #sexualabuse#asexualpride #asexual#mentalhealthwarrior #ptsd #ocd#strongnotskinny #balancednotclean#suicideawareness #timetotalk#livingmybestlife #happyplace#recoveryblog #inspirationalquotes