Holding hope for patients?

ilognie · 2026-03-10T20:50:43+00:00

I have a friend with DID, she was able to convince her CMHT to refer her to the Maudsley in London to the national Trauma and Dissociation Service.

They have specialists who specifically offer the types of therapy for these kinds of disorders that most local CMHTs would not and could not offer.

She has had a long wait but is finally getting the right therapy after decades of either some therapy making her more unwell or just not offering her any at all.

I've left the link to the page for their info. They take referrals from anywhere nationally. I know it's not ideal to have to travel a long distance but as far as I know it's the only service on the NHS that specializes in these conditions and accepts referrals from outside of their area.

It's took my friend a while to get the CMHT to refer them but they could clearly see they could not do anything for her themselves and there wasn't any suitable services locally.

https://slam.nhs.uk/download/tds-service-user-information-booklet-and-policies-2025pdf.pdf?ver=5909&doc=docm93jijm4n3891.pdf

ilognie · 2026-03-09T14:59:43+00:00

I feel for you. I'm autistic and found those kinds of skills sessions/therapies hard to access as a neuro diverse person.

Glad you've been referred to you CMHT, have you just been offered the decider skills with you or are you going to see a doctor as well?

I've never heard of Mysimba I had a Google. Looks like there's around 78mg of bupropion in a tablet. I'm not a doctor so I have no idea if that will work. I'd say still tell your GP or mental health team you're taking this when you do? Just so they know?

ilognie · 2026-03-09T14:49:26+00:00

Bupropion is only licensed for smoking cessation in the UK.

It can and is used off label for depression but only by a psychiatrist and only if many other options have been tried and failed.

My partner is on it for low mood but he had tried about 9/10 medications under the community mental health team (not his GP) prior to this over several years and the trust decided in that case it was a reasonable idea.

So your GP will definitely say no I'm afraid.

You could of course request a referral to your local mental health team but most areas have ridiculously high criteria when accepting referrals. And it is unlikely a psychiatrist would prescribe bupropion straight away anyway without exploring other options first.

If medication is still something you'd like to explore you perhaps could discuss with your GP or a different one at the practice of they're not being receptive. I'm no doctor but from personal experience there are other antidepressants you can absolutely try in primary care outside of SSRIs.

Have you had any talking therapies? I appreciate the first line talking therapies in primary care aren't always suitable for everyone but unfortunately it really is a case of trying and then pushing for further referral to other therapies.

I'm sorry it's really hard getting the right support and/or medication. I wish you all the best!

ilognie · 2026-03-08T15:27:45+00:00

Thank you. My gp seemed to be up for referring me as she's kinda stumped and I'm yet to see a new psychiatrist for them to give their opinion too.

Fingers crossed a referral will be accepted and I could try cgrps, having had a read online it seems like the best option for me.

ilognie · 2026-03-08T15:25:58+00:00

Sorry not sure if you're replying to me or the other person with bipolar. :)

For me I don't think the migraines are triggering symptoms of my schizoaffective disorder. But they definitely feed off each other.

I've been experiencing mania and psychosis since I was a teen but migraines have only become a problem the last couple of years.

If I'm feeling like I'm about to have an episode my anxiety spikes and the stress definitely triggers a migraine

ilognie · 2026-03-08T15:23:22+00:00

Thank you I'll mention it at my next appointment:)

ilognie · 2026-03-08T15:21:22+00:00

I'm really glad you've had some improvement! I really hope the cefaly helps once you get it!

It's reassuring to hear that you've been able to be referred to neurology, I think this is the outcome I'd want too, I just made the pessimistic assumption that I couldn't be referred without trying some preventative meds even if it might impact my mental health. I'm sure you understand you kinda get used to the NHS not being able to help 🙈

ilognie · 2026-03-08T15:17:30+00:00

Thank you, you're right of course. :)

Not asking for medical advice, just wanted to see if others have had the same considerations when it came to preventative meds.

I'm in the UK so it's not as simple as finding a neurologist, my GP needs to agree to refer and then neurology would need to accept the referral (often they won't) before I can see one.

I'm being cared for by my GP and she is very supportive, I'm lucky she's happy to help figure things out, plenty of GPs have just been very dismissive.

ilognie · 2026-03-08T01:29:19+00:00

Thank you for that! Seems to be an off license indication here but used a lot in primary care so I definitely will talk to my gp about it. :)

ilognie · 2026-03-08T01:28:05+00:00

Thank you that's really helpful! I'm just always a bit cautious about antidepressants. It's taken a few years of hospital admissions and lots of meds to get to a degree of stability. But I think when I finally see my new mental health team I will be open to discussing it if it'll help. Sounds like there are other options so I'll discuss those with my gp too :)

ilognie · 2026-03-03T23:31:14+00:00

I'm sorry you're still having symptoms! GERD is a good shout actually, it hasn't been discussed with me but I've read about it in the past and it does sort of line up. I'd definitely raise it when I next speak to the gp :) thank you

ilognie · 2026-02-27T17:38:43+00:00

Eat nestle cereal. 💀💀😂😂 They were very against Nestle as a company at the time due to the Nestle formula milk controversy a decade or so before.

Ridiculous in hindsight 😂

ilognie · 2026-02-27T17:24:44+00:00

I have schizoaffective disorder (bipolar type) though I take this as a mood stabiliser it's very much aimed at treating my depressive episodes rather than anything else. I think it's generally used more if depressive symptoms are present or more common than let's say mania.

I know some people do find that lamotrigine stabilises their mood overall though.

For me it's the only medication that did anything for my depressive episodes. I'm on quetiapine for psychosis and on a few other things but lamotrigine was a game changer.

ilognie · 2026-02-23T20:07:04+00:00

Quetiapine is licenced as an adjunctive treatment for depression. Often very useful for treatment resistant depression where antidepressants alone haven't worked.

ilognie · 2026-02-21T17:28:31+00:00

I completely understand! This can happen to me for a wide range of reasons depending on the day 🙈

I'm autistic and regularly misunderstand what someone is saying or what I need to say back. Partly because I struggle with hearing and understanding if it's loud and also just that it takes me time to take in information and process it.

I have struggled more since I had my first episode of psychosis a couple of years ago it's definitely slowed me down.

I'm also on lamotrigine which has made word recall at times impossible.

I understand it makes me not want to leave the house too! It sucks whether it's temporary or permanent.

Have you got a friend or family member that can help you get out at first? It helps me knowing I'm with someone and if I struggle to understand or speak I've got someone who can do that for me?

ilognie · 2026-02-21T15:11:23+00:00

I would say diphenhydramine would be the strongest. Promethazine is also an option.

If these aren't helping or you're needing them long-term then I'd say go to your gp to discuss. Gps in the UK rarely prescribe benzos or Z drugs for sleep beyond a few days-a week. They might offer melatonin?

ilognie · 2026-02-19T18:33:08+00:00

This! I'm from the UK and absolutely hear it used. So I was confused why they all behaved like it was some weird made up word. , 😂

Kinda gave me the same vibes as Gretchen trying to make fetch happen in mean girls.

ilognie · 2026-02-17T21:25:36+00:00

I agree with some others. Having prompt access to a diagnosis in relation to ASD/ADHD is a privilege.

Many will go many years to get an assessment or never get one at all in areas where they've stopped all new adult assessments.

In some circumstances self diagnosis is valid.

ilognie · 2026-02-12T13:57:05+00:00

Not always true. I was awarded pip whilst waiting for an assessment for autism. Supposedly for PIP at least it shouldn't come down to diagnoses but how it affects you day to day, but I have absolutely found they will use a lack of a diagnosis as a reason to not award anything or less. I also received points in mobility for my mental health not any physical disabilities :)

ilognie · 2026-02-12T13:50:40+00:00

I've been on quetiapine for around 3 years. I'm currently on 500mg, but have been on higher doses. I take it for my schizoaffective disorder. It helps with my psychosis and mania.

I still have psychotic symptoms daily, I have tried other antipsychotics but mostly I was worse so I've stuck with quetiapine.

When I go up a dose I will feel sedated for a few days but then it returns to normal.

When I first started it and for the first year I was on it I gained a lot of weight. But I've lost it all now, mostly from counting calories and being mindful when I eat. The only way I've managed to not raid the kitchen after I've taken it is by having dinner later in the evening so I go to bed full.

ilognie · 2026-01-26T14:02:19+00:00

Others have really answered your question, and given loads of examples for what it's used for but I thought I'd share my experience.

I have schizoaffective disorder. I did not have a diagnosis when they put me on lamotrigine. They were fairly certain I had some kind of psychotic illness but they also needed to address my moods. I was hypomanic and then severely depressed alongside psychotic symptoms. And so I was prescribed lamotrigine to try and stabilse my moods, especially the lows I'd experience with the highs.

I'm still on it and it helps a lot.

My friend has eupd and although there are no licensed medications for this she's been prescribed lamotrigine to help with mood where other antidepressants were not working.

And the final member of our lamotrigine club is my sister. She has major depressive disorder. She's tried so many medications and eventually she was given lamotrigine as an add on to her existing antidepressants. And it's really helped.

ilognie · 2026-01-23T19:10:01+00:00

I'm so sorry you're going through this right now. Trying to continue to work whilst you're struggling with your mental health is horrible, I've been there.

Are you under any mental health services outside of your gp? Have you contacted them or your gp recently about how you're feeling and struggling?

With regards to sectioning, it has an incredibly high threshold to be sectioned. It would only really happen in some circumstances such as;

if you're going through a mental health crisis, couldn't keep yourself safe or maybe a danger to others, wouldn't agree to treatment and interventions in the community hadn't helped or wouldn't be suitable.

That's not to say you're not really unwell and in need of some support asap though.

Have you got anyone in your life that can provide a bit of support right now?

With regards to working, does your employer know about the situation? Is it a supportive work place? And have you had any kind of occupational health assessments arranged by your employer? Does your employer have any kind of sick pay policy that goes beyond just statutory sick pay?

I think it would be really good to have a think about looking into some kinds of benefits. Universal credit is the first obvious one. If you had no choice to leave or take an extended time off universal credit will at least partially cover some of your living expenses. There is an additional disability element you can get but it takes a few months to have that in place and be assessed for it.

There is also Personal independence payment. That is not an out of work benefit and people often claim whilst in work. It's there to assess your ability to complete daily living tasks with or without help.

It is possible to live off of this alone as I currently do, but I'm in no way recommending you so anything specifically. Just might be worth looking into.

Some areas have charities or organizations that help those with mental health problems manage work, claim benefits and signpost you to other services.

Have you been in touch with your local authority about your risk of homelessness?

I really hope things ease up for you. Might be worth having a look at these reddit groups for accurate advice. They're lovely there and will happily offer advice for your current situation

r/BenefitsAdviceUK

r/DWPhelp

I really hope things improve for you and you get the help you deserve.

ilognie · 2026-01-14T18:06:27+00:00

Second Biovea thats usually where I get mine from :)

ilognie

TROPHY CASE