self harming cahms does anyone know what to expect?

[rosey1228]

my school recently found out that i have been self harming, and now its getting really bad i was seeing an councerllor within school and that has not been helping and also i have developed another problem where i binge and purge. anyway i have been doing it at school and now i have been referred to cahms. ive heard loads of storys. im really scared that they will make me go as an inpatient. does anyone know what could happen?
x xthanks x x

[Dark_Desires]

Nothing bad will happen there not going to send u to the looney bin.And cahms in most experiances are a good thing.And its a potential way for u to recover.As i said before u will be fine there youth mental health profesionals.And if want to know what to expect i think the 1st thing i some kinda psych exam and then i dont know really it goes a few diffrent ways.

[foreverautumn.]

The first session will be an initial assessment. It is very unlikely you will be made to go inpatient right away, they will try to help you as much as possible without hospital.
If you're unsure about anything, ask.
Don't worry, be honest, let them help you.
Good luck

[anonymous53]

my school recently found out that i have been self harming, and now its getting really bad i was seeing an councerllor within school and that has not been helping and also i have developed another problem where i binge and purge. anyway i have been doing it at school and now i have been referred to cahms. ive heard loads of storys. im really scared that they will make me go as an inpatient. does anyone know what could happen?
x xthanks x x

Well, if it's anything similar to where I live, no they will not require you to go to inpatient unless you are in immediate danger to yourself or others. Most likely they will set you up with a therapist and psychiatrist to help you get through your problems. Maybe even group therapy depending on what they believe would help you most.

[Fiction]

I've been referred to CAMHS three times now, and i'm still free :P In my experience CAMHS will do as little as they possibly can.

I was first reffered by A&E staff after a suicide attempt, second by my GP for eating disorders, and third again by A&E staff after trying to take my own life. All three times where also for self-harm as well though.

All three times my counsellor has given me just a few appointments and then told me i'm fine and left me too it. Counselling with them is a completel waste of time on the most part. Don't let them discharge you before you feel ready.

They'll only refer you to inpatient services if they are extremely worried about your wellbeing, for example if your eating problems are causing life threatening complications or if you tell you plan to commit suicide. Even then they don't really care- of they did surly my second hospitalised attempt would be a warning sign :P

Sorry i'm just extremely cynical of CAMHS, but they really are nothing to be scared of.

[FullyAlive]

i'm with kathy on this. Its great you're looking for help but be prepared a lot of it has to come from you camhs haven't helped me at all. I was referred last year for self harm by my doctor it took a while to be seen and even then the woman who did my initial assessment was clueless. She tried to tell my mother to take all sharp items from me. I was sort of referred again after I became suicidal and the police were called although since I already had a referral it just hurried the process.

I've only seen my counsellor a handful of times and i'm still waiting for an appointment with a psychiatrist. My counselor has been no help in fact at one point he told me to stop cutting or he'd discharge me..

So yeah i'm being really negative now but just be prepared camhs probably won't be the answer to all your problems, go in their open mined prepared to accept what they say and listen.But at the end of the day its down to you and you alone to help yourself.

[georgiamay]

I agree with the above.

I've heard a lot of stories from a lot of different people about CAMHS, each of them with different problems, but all of them self harmed. Honestly, none of the stories were good.

One of my friends that was actually taken seriously admitted that she was lucky. She said she happened to be refered to the right psychiatrist.

I was lucky as well. I was lucky because my dad happened to have medical insurance, so I went private. My experiences were good. My mum had awful experiences with the NHS as well. It's not CAMHS, but both are run by the NHS and are basically the same thing, but CAMHS is only for kids and teenagers. Anyway, she basically begged a hospital to admit her because she didn't know how to cope, and they turned her away. She tried to kill herself, they treated her for the physical side affects, but they discharged her as soon as they could. It wasn't until she got a job that at a pharmacutical company that she managed to get medical insurance so she could go private, so she finally got the help she needed.

So to some up, no, you won't be made to inpatient unless they're seriously concerned about you. From what I've seen, you can beg them and they still don't take you sometimes.

It's a joke, really, it makes me so angry. The NHS is so good, but the mental health service is so awful and it basically means it's really really hard to get help if you don't have money, and it's so fucked up.

Truth is, any help is better than none. Even if we've all ranted here about how it's failed us, it's always worth a try.

[foreverautumn.]

The first time I was referred the psychologist was awful, I only saw him a few times and then refused to go back. But since going back it's been much better, actually helpful. A good psychologist is a blessing really.
Have to agree though, they don't like taking action much. I told my psych (the good one) that I'd started taking pills now and then for no reason, then that I was taking more. She didn't do anything or take it seriousley until she got the call that I was in hospital after an overdose :L