(Thread) So, a #mentalhealth update: had my initial assessment phone call with an absolutely wonderful man from Brighton & Hove Wellbeing today – 75 minutes, rather than the intended 45! Really in-depth chat that confirmed that I need ongoing counselling...

Combined with the online questionnaire I did and the conversation today, it was clear that this chap was very experienced, took a genuine interest in my situation/condition and made me feel at all times that it was a ‘safe space’ to talk. I was impressed and relieved to know...

that someone was, at last, taking me seriously. He also reassured me that I’d made the right decision in reaching out for help and was amazed that, given my circumstances, I’d coped for so long.
It was an emotional and cathartic conversation – lots of long-buried stuff bubbled...

to the surface – but that just helped him to identify the kind of therapy I needed. Psychology/psychiatry is a complex field, and some solutions work for some people and not for others. The relationship and sense of trust between patient and therapist is also crucial...

Another couple of sheer flukes that aided the conversation were 1) the guy was originally from Italy, and I’m an Italophile; and 2) he knew what wargaming was and collected model soldiers himself! Sadly, however, his senior role as an assessor means that he can’t be my counsellor

...which is probably just as well because we’d just fill the sessions with hobby talk! But whilst, of course, your own route to getting the help you need may vary, my point is that I feel better for having done so and starting a process that will help me identify precisely...

the kind of help that I need, and I would encourage you to take the first steps on your own journey. #anxiety #depression and other #mentalhealth issues are deadly serious and in the current circumstances, it’s all too easy to think that you don’t want to make a fuss, that...

there are people out there with more serious illnesses/issues than you or that as an adult, you should be able to ‘pull yourself together’ and cope.

Bull. Shit.

You wouldn’t do that if you realised you had early symptoms of Covid or some other disease – you’d get help....

The same is true of #mentalhealth issues: the longer you leave it to reach out, the more embedded unhelpful behaviours and self-images become. I now realise I should have confronted some of my demons 5 or 10 years ago, but fortunately at least I’ve woken up now. How about you?..

Lastly, useful organisations for UK tweeps via NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mental-health-helplines/

Thanks for reading and good luck on your own #mentalhealth journey; I’ve just started mine.