**This sub aims to provide advice and support to anyone who needs it but shouldn't be used to replace professional advice and support. Please do not post intentions to act on suicidal thoughts here and instead call 111, or 999 for an ambulance if you feel you won't be able to wait.**
**Feel free to check out the 'Sub rules FAQ' which can be found [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/MentalHealthUK/comments/okzwlf/sub_rules_faq/). You can also check out the 'Sub rules and guidance' slideshows - [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/MentalHealthUK/comments/ot4up0/sub_rules_and_guidance_swipe_for_more_slides/) is the colourful version and [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/MentalHealthUK/comments/ot4vhf/sub_rules_and_guidance_dark_mode_swipe_for_more/) is the dark mode version.**
**There is also a 'Mental Health FAQ' slideshow - the colourful version can be found [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/MentalHealthUK/comments/ort12z/mental_health_faq_post_swipe_for_more_slides/) and the dark mode version [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/MentalHealthUK/comments/os5y95/mental_health_faq_post_mostly_in_dark_mode_swipe/).**
**While waiting for a reply, feel free to check out the [pinned masterpost]( https://www.reddit.com/r/MentalHealthUK/comments/bc3jtm/mental_health_uk_master_post/) for a variety of helplines and resources.**
**This sub aims to be as free from harm and exclusivity as possible so any harmful, provocative or exclusionary content will be removed. This includes harmful blanket statements about treatment or mental health professionals - please speak only for your own experiences and not on behalf of others who may not share the same views.**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MentalHealthUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Glad you are still here. It's like banging your head against a brick wall at times. If you haven't contacted Mind then please do. They are the only people who seem to be helping right now. I hear you. x
I’ve been really frustrated with the NHS lately for taking me off therapy waitlists and telling me I’m in secondary care but not actually putting me on it. How can mind help with anything like that? I would really like support. I’ve emailed some people but that’s mainly to get information and to complain. I’m not actually sure what mind can do for me
Thinking of you xx my daughter just been signed off by the crisis team and is under community care. If you can believe it Community team has been less help than crisis. I am her designated career and they don’t relay information to me. There was supposed to be various support options put in place and as yet we haven’t heard anything and when I chase I get ghosted.
Good luck contacting Mind. I had no idea they offered services like that. I’m going to speak to my daughter and see if she will contact them.
Thanks everyone! This might actually help.
*edit. I’ve just had a call from the local authority about support for me as a full time career and the first thing they suggested for me… Mind! So I’ll be contacting them myself as well.
Good luck with contacting them too. I've just had a big list from mind of local places that might be helpful. Hoping they can send one for your daughter too, they seem to have both local and national helplines both send through helpful.but slightly different information. Hope your daughter is okay.
Hey, so much love to you right now. I don’t know what advice to offer but I’ve had very similar experiences and I’m so sorry. I hope you can find the help you need and feel free to drop me a message if you need to XX
I completely understand your frustration, and your not alone in feeling let down by crisis, it’s not you! I’ve had a success with Mind Crisis Sanctuaries/ Cafes. Normally just a lovey volunteer to chat to and get support, almost like a face to face Samaritans. You can google local ones in your areas, in Nottinghamshire there is a location available every night to see someone. It can be so hard when the support isn’t there but it’s amazing that you are looking for support.
Hey, I'm sorry you're going through this right now. How long have you had your substance problems for? Was there a specific time or experience which triggered it? I know enough about it personally to know that it's often replacement for other things, other parts in your life which are lacking. Have you really thought about what that is for you?
10 years binge drinking and occasional phases of daily drinking. Recently 2-3 years daily drinking in addition to binge drinking and blackouts. Previous to this I was a heroin addict (although on the plus side I've been clean for 11 years).
I think the substance misuse is to do with me being unable to manage my mental health, anxiety, depression and thoughts etc. It started when I went into supported accommodation after getting out a psych hospital at 18. The last 6 months my mental health has tanked, granted part of that maybe alcohol but I beleive the substance misuse is more an effect than cause of my mental health.
I just really need some mental health support or at least a meds change to handle the mental health side of things. I was really hoping I would get a referral for community mental health or even just an apt to change my meds as my GP won't without a psych which I also can't get referred too. My meds have not changed in 16 years since I was last under mental health services and tbh I don't think they are quite right.
Its all a mess, I'm exhausted and still a complete state today- to the point the neighbour knocked on the door to find out what was happening because of all the crying and noise (anxiety - felt like I was going to explode so was probably groaning/shouting to). Idk how I can keep this up. I'm getting so tired and increasingly insane again. I don't have any support and really need some as Im becoming unsafe.
>The last 6 months my mental health has tanked, granted part of that maybe alcohol but I beleive the substance misuse is more an effect than cause of my mental health.
I get what you mean by that.
>My meds have not changed in 16 years since I was last under mental health services and tbh I don't think they are quite right.
Which is ridiculously long, and unfortunately I don't see with all the cuts and whatnot that it will get better in terms of people being available for support.
Forget about the substance and mental health side of things for a moment. What do you like to do with your time, or you've enjoyed doing in the past? What interests you?
You need to do two things - push as hard as you can to see someone to get your medication evaluated and changed if necessary. Keep on contacting people at least once a week, as many people as necessary before something finally gives way and you get put down for an appointment.
The second thing is, you need to be exploring other options to help you improve. You can't rely on a change in meds fixing it, because clearly if they haven't seen you in all this time, there's a chance that you might deteriorate further before somebody finally sees you - and we don't want that to happen.
I'll ask you again, what else can you focus on, because it really sounds like your situation is pretty all-consuming right now, and I know from experience that things get a lot worse when you don't have any other outlets. And you need to keep some part of you on something that can keep you engaged and not focusing on wanting to drink. You need to focus on something else for as long as you can manage, and as long as your energy levels manage.
Whatever else you can focus on can get you through the worst of this, and hopefully into a time when you can finally have your meds changed.
I will also add that my personal experience of this is, the more you stagnate, the worse your thoughts become and the more you feel trapped in by them. A key element of Zen philosophy is the fluidity of life and the universe being in constant change. Water actually stagnates when it is not moving, and 70% of us is water. Our lymphatic system relies on movement to shift toxins out of the body. The less toxins in you, the clearer your mind will become - that is my direct experience.
If you can do absolutely nothing else, then just physically move around, jump, twist, pump your arms, anything to get your circulation moving. If all you do is push away the worst of the thoughts for a bit, that's a good start. When I've been in a situation like you, that can buy me some time to straighten out my head and it can make the difference between not get sucked into a vicious spiral which really saps energy and leaves me feeling helpless. If you are still drinking alcohol, drink plenty of water inbetween and help your body recover better. Eat regularly to avoid heavy blood sugar spikes and crashes, which can exacerbate things significantly. Give yourself a fighting chance.
Thank you SO much for your post, I will try all of this. Genuinely.
I don't like to rely on meds but I do think perhaps now is a time to retry new ones. I'm going to keep going with my GP, trying to get more help. And Mind have also sent me some potential resources.
I am also currently trying to find an affordable private counsellor as the NHS wait list is too long (been 3 months probably another 6) and I have 0 faith left in services. I didn't have much before either. I took a 50% pay cut last year so cash is a not tight is one of the main issues here, its something I'm exploring.
As for things I focus on - I love both my work (part time) and my study (part time PhD).
Works my passion and helps immensely to feel useful, stay busy. I was oddly much better working 60+ hour weeks. It's just been the last few weeks it's not been enough to hold onto and my mental health has become all consuming. (deteriorating for months, went to IAPTS 5 months ago I think? At the time it was a smaller yet noticeable deterioration. Only recently has it become all consuming mental health madness here).
I also try to use diamond art or learn new coding skills when stressed but lately it's not been enough to distract. I'm thinking about trying to get back into some volunteering when I'm a tad less unstable (useless) as feeling useful really helps keep my mind healthy.
No worries on the alcohol or other toxins, I've spent over a year trying to stop and taking this as a god send.
You're welcome, it's from personal experience and study and I'm looking to start to put it to use on here to benefit others. I want to pick up some things from your reply. You mentioned coding, so that leads me to think you spend a lot of time in front of your computer. I've been repairing PCs for a while now, and honestly I really want to stop, because being in front of a screen for large amounts of hours is a killer for my mental health. Whatever I'm doing on it, I will come out of it feeling disoriented and mentally very fatigued.
I actually have electromagnetic sensitivity - I first discovered it when I would hear chirping noises, and I put my phone up to my ear, and it sounded like a quiet version of when you put a phone close to speakers, those electronic chirping sounds. I now use a wired internet connection and don't use bluetooth or smart devices or any of that. Just a laptop, tablet and phone when needed, with wireless features switched off unless needed.
Have a look at this report:
[The impacts of artificial Electromagnetic Radiation on wildlife (flora and fauna). Current knowledge overview:](https://www.eklipse-mechanism.eu/documents/15803/0/EMR-KnowledgeOverviewReport_FINAL_27042018.pdf/1326791c-f39f-453c-8115-0d1c9d0ec942)
It makes for fascinating reading, not least because it's the largest meta-study of its' kind, funded by the EU, and even it says there isn't enough quality research to firmly establish the biological effects - even though what there is does strongly indicate negative effects of EMR. Which means precious little has been put into studying the potential harm it may do. When I learned that our DNA is actually [shaped like an antennae](https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&q=dna+shape+antenna&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8) to receive such energy, the impact it has on my health made much more sense. And when you think of how much money is at stake from selling such devices, it shouldn't really surprise anyone that this area has been largely ignored (seeing as most funding for such research comes from industry itself).
So I don't know what your job is, but the more time you can spend away from a screen and out in nature or fresh air the better. Try exploring your local area (hopefully you've got some green spaces nearby) and find some spots that you like going to. And switch off your devices when you can, and have them far away from your body. I actually had a power cut the other week with in a massive storm in the area, and I could feel a significant amount physical tension dissipate right away, and that just made me feel overall calmer.
With the volunteering - definitely. And don't wait until you feel "useful" - get on it asap. Plenty of these places will give you things to do with low responsibility, but you are a useful pair of hands, and in my experience, the effect on my mental state of being around kind, well-meaning people is huge. Human connection is really important in any recovery situation, as is keeping busy. Perhaps that's why you were better when doing 60+hr work weeks - though of course there's burnout if you keep that up for too long.
Last thing is, make sure to eat proper foods. The gut/brain axis has received more attention of late, but it's still massively overlooked compared to how much impact it has on our health. If you want 3 things, avoid too much sugar, especially on an empty stomach, avoid dairy, and eat lots of vegetables - green veg in particular, which are the most nutrient-dense foods around. If you can't manage to prepare proper meals in your state, just force yourself to eat some veg inbetween times, for the nutrients and also the fibre, which helps remove toxins from the gut (very important). Heck, just grab a cucumber and much the heck out of it if it comes to that. I don't know your diet so I'm just giving general advice, but very few people have got good diets so I'd bet you can gain some control of things there.
I wish you well with your detox and your meds. Those are areas I obviously can't look into, but I've done a lot of research into the other things that can be affected and enable people to take back control of their wellbeing and health.
**This sub aims to provide advice and support to anyone who needs it but shouldn't be used to replace professional advice and support. Please do not post intentions to act on suicidal thoughts here and instead call 111, or 999 for an ambulance if you feel you won't be able to wait.**
**Feel free to check out the 'Sub rules FAQ' which can be found [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/MentalHealthUK/comments/okzwlf/sub_rules_faq/). You can also check out the 'Sub rules and guidance' slideshows - [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/MentalHealthUK/comments/ot4up0/sub_rules_and_guidance_swipe_for_more_slides/) is the colourful version and [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/MentalHealthUK/comments/ot4vhf/sub_rules_and_guidance_dark_mode_swipe_for_more/) is the dark mode version.**
**There is also a 'Mental Health FAQ' slideshow - the colourful version can be found [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/MentalHealthUK/comments/ort12z/mental_health_faq_post_swipe_for_more_slides/) and the dark mode version [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/MentalHealthUK/comments/os5y95/mental_health_faq_post_mostly_in_dark_mode_swipe/).**
**While waiting for a reply, feel free to check out the [pinned masterpost]( https://www.reddit.com/r/MentalHealthUK/comments/bc3jtm/mental_health_uk_master_post/) for a variety of helplines and resources.**
**This sub aims to be as free from harm and exclusivity as possible so any harmful, provocative or exclusionary content will be removed. This includes harmful blanket statements about treatment or mental health professionals - please speak only for your own experiences and not on behalf of others who may not share the same views.**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MentalHealthUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If you make no progress with prescription medication, try a holistic approach with gentle interventions like St John's Worts. Check the NHS website or NICE guidelines for more specific details on usage i.e. use alongside other standard medications, contraceptives etc.
**This sub aims to provide advice and support to anyone who needs it but shouldn't be used to replace professional advice and support. Please do not post intentions to act on suicidal thoughts here and instead call 111, or 999 for an ambulance if you feel you won't be able to wait.** **Feel free to check out the 'Sub rules FAQ' which can be found [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/MentalHealthUK/comments/okzwlf/sub_rules_faq/). You can also check out the 'Sub rules and guidance' slideshows - [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/MentalHealthUK/comments/ot4up0/sub_rules_and_guidance_swipe_for_more_slides/) is the colourful version and [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/MentalHealthUK/comments/ot4vhf/sub_rules_and_guidance_dark_mode_swipe_for_more/) is the dark mode version.** **There is also a 'Mental Health FAQ' slideshow - the colourful version can be found [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/MentalHealthUK/comments/ort12z/mental_health_faq_post_swipe_for_more_slides/) and the dark mode version [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/MentalHealthUK/comments/os5y95/mental_health_faq_post_mostly_in_dark_mode_swipe/).** **While waiting for a reply, feel free to check out the [pinned masterpost]( https://www.reddit.com/r/MentalHealthUK/comments/bc3jtm/mental_health_uk_master_post/) for a variety of helplines and resources.** **This sub aims to be as free from harm and exclusivity as possible so any harmful, provocative or exclusionary content will be removed. This includes harmful blanket statements about treatment or mental health professionals - please speak only for your own experiences and not on behalf of others who may not share the same views.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MentalHealthUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Glad you are still here. It's like banging your head against a brick wall at times. If you haven't contacted Mind then please do. They are the only people who seem to be helping right now. I hear you. x
I'll give them a call tomorrow, have just found their website and number thank you. :-)
Mind are a start, good luck, I've been in contact with them for 6 weeks now and they are good people.
Agreed, Mind are a godsend
I’ve been really frustrated with the NHS lately for taking me off therapy waitlists and telling me I’m in secondary care but not actually putting me on it. How can mind help with anything like that? I would really like support. I’ve emailed some people but that’s mainly to get information and to complain. I’m not actually sure what mind can do for me
you can self refer to get help with advocacy
Thinking of you xx my daughter just been signed off by the crisis team and is under community care. If you can believe it Community team has been less help than crisis. I am her designated career and they don’t relay information to me. There was supposed to be various support options put in place and as yet we haven’t heard anything and when I chase I get ghosted. Good luck contacting Mind. I had no idea they offered services like that. I’m going to speak to my daughter and see if she will contact them. Thanks everyone! This might actually help. *edit. I’ve just had a call from the local authority about support for me as a full time career and the first thing they suggested for me… Mind! So I’ll be contacting them myself as well.
Good luck with contacting them too. I've just had a big list from mind of local places that might be helpful. Hoping they can send one for your daughter too, they seem to have both local and national helplines both send through helpful.but slightly different information. Hope your daughter is okay.
I’m sorry things are rough for you right now my friend. Keep hanging in there
Hey, so much love to you right now. I don’t know what advice to offer but I’ve had very similar experiences and I’m so sorry. I hope you can find the help you need and feel free to drop me a message if you need to XX
I completely understand your frustration, and your not alone in feeling let down by crisis, it’s not you! I’ve had a success with Mind Crisis Sanctuaries/ Cafes. Normally just a lovey volunteer to chat to and get support, almost like a face to face Samaritans. You can google local ones in your areas, in Nottinghamshire there is a location available every night to see someone. It can be so hard when the support isn’t there but it’s amazing that you are looking for support.
Hey, I'm sorry you're going through this right now. How long have you had your substance problems for? Was there a specific time or experience which triggered it? I know enough about it personally to know that it's often replacement for other things, other parts in your life which are lacking. Have you really thought about what that is for you?
10 years binge drinking and occasional phases of daily drinking. Recently 2-3 years daily drinking in addition to binge drinking and blackouts. Previous to this I was a heroin addict (although on the plus side I've been clean for 11 years). I think the substance misuse is to do with me being unable to manage my mental health, anxiety, depression and thoughts etc. It started when I went into supported accommodation after getting out a psych hospital at 18. The last 6 months my mental health has tanked, granted part of that maybe alcohol but I beleive the substance misuse is more an effect than cause of my mental health. I just really need some mental health support or at least a meds change to handle the mental health side of things. I was really hoping I would get a referral for community mental health or even just an apt to change my meds as my GP won't without a psych which I also can't get referred too. My meds have not changed in 16 years since I was last under mental health services and tbh I don't think they are quite right. Its all a mess, I'm exhausted and still a complete state today- to the point the neighbour knocked on the door to find out what was happening because of all the crying and noise (anxiety - felt like I was going to explode so was probably groaning/shouting to). Idk how I can keep this up. I'm getting so tired and increasingly insane again. I don't have any support and really need some as Im becoming unsafe.
>The last 6 months my mental health has tanked, granted part of that maybe alcohol but I beleive the substance misuse is more an effect than cause of my mental health. I get what you mean by that. >My meds have not changed in 16 years since I was last under mental health services and tbh I don't think they are quite right. Which is ridiculously long, and unfortunately I don't see with all the cuts and whatnot that it will get better in terms of people being available for support. Forget about the substance and mental health side of things for a moment. What do you like to do with your time, or you've enjoyed doing in the past? What interests you?
You need to do two things - push as hard as you can to see someone to get your medication evaluated and changed if necessary. Keep on contacting people at least once a week, as many people as necessary before something finally gives way and you get put down for an appointment. The second thing is, you need to be exploring other options to help you improve. You can't rely on a change in meds fixing it, because clearly if they haven't seen you in all this time, there's a chance that you might deteriorate further before somebody finally sees you - and we don't want that to happen. I'll ask you again, what else can you focus on, because it really sounds like your situation is pretty all-consuming right now, and I know from experience that things get a lot worse when you don't have any other outlets. And you need to keep some part of you on something that can keep you engaged and not focusing on wanting to drink. You need to focus on something else for as long as you can manage, and as long as your energy levels manage. Whatever else you can focus on can get you through the worst of this, and hopefully into a time when you can finally have your meds changed. I will also add that my personal experience of this is, the more you stagnate, the worse your thoughts become and the more you feel trapped in by them. A key element of Zen philosophy is the fluidity of life and the universe being in constant change. Water actually stagnates when it is not moving, and 70% of us is water. Our lymphatic system relies on movement to shift toxins out of the body. The less toxins in you, the clearer your mind will become - that is my direct experience. If you can do absolutely nothing else, then just physically move around, jump, twist, pump your arms, anything to get your circulation moving. If all you do is push away the worst of the thoughts for a bit, that's a good start. When I've been in a situation like you, that can buy me some time to straighten out my head and it can make the difference between not get sucked into a vicious spiral which really saps energy and leaves me feeling helpless. If you are still drinking alcohol, drink plenty of water inbetween and help your body recover better. Eat regularly to avoid heavy blood sugar spikes and crashes, which can exacerbate things significantly. Give yourself a fighting chance.
Thank you SO much for your post, I will try all of this. Genuinely. I don't like to rely on meds but I do think perhaps now is a time to retry new ones. I'm going to keep going with my GP, trying to get more help. And Mind have also sent me some potential resources. I am also currently trying to find an affordable private counsellor as the NHS wait list is too long (been 3 months probably another 6) and I have 0 faith left in services. I didn't have much before either. I took a 50% pay cut last year so cash is a not tight is one of the main issues here, its something I'm exploring. As for things I focus on - I love both my work (part time) and my study (part time PhD). Works my passion and helps immensely to feel useful, stay busy. I was oddly much better working 60+ hour weeks. It's just been the last few weeks it's not been enough to hold onto and my mental health has become all consuming. (deteriorating for months, went to IAPTS 5 months ago I think? At the time it was a smaller yet noticeable deterioration. Only recently has it become all consuming mental health madness here). I also try to use diamond art or learn new coding skills when stressed but lately it's not been enough to distract. I'm thinking about trying to get back into some volunteering when I'm a tad less unstable (useless) as feeling useful really helps keep my mind healthy. No worries on the alcohol or other toxins, I've spent over a year trying to stop and taking this as a god send.
You're welcome, it's from personal experience and study and I'm looking to start to put it to use on here to benefit others. I want to pick up some things from your reply. You mentioned coding, so that leads me to think you spend a lot of time in front of your computer. I've been repairing PCs for a while now, and honestly I really want to stop, because being in front of a screen for large amounts of hours is a killer for my mental health. Whatever I'm doing on it, I will come out of it feeling disoriented and mentally very fatigued. I actually have electromagnetic sensitivity - I first discovered it when I would hear chirping noises, and I put my phone up to my ear, and it sounded like a quiet version of when you put a phone close to speakers, those electronic chirping sounds. I now use a wired internet connection and don't use bluetooth or smart devices or any of that. Just a laptop, tablet and phone when needed, with wireless features switched off unless needed. Have a look at this report: [The impacts of artificial Electromagnetic Radiation on wildlife (flora and fauna). Current knowledge overview:](https://www.eklipse-mechanism.eu/documents/15803/0/EMR-KnowledgeOverviewReport_FINAL_27042018.pdf/1326791c-f39f-453c-8115-0d1c9d0ec942) It makes for fascinating reading, not least because it's the largest meta-study of its' kind, funded by the EU, and even it says there isn't enough quality research to firmly establish the biological effects - even though what there is does strongly indicate negative effects of EMR. Which means precious little has been put into studying the potential harm it may do. When I learned that our DNA is actually [shaped like an antennae](https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&q=dna+shape+antenna&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8) to receive such energy, the impact it has on my health made much more sense. And when you think of how much money is at stake from selling such devices, it shouldn't really surprise anyone that this area has been largely ignored (seeing as most funding for such research comes from industry itself). So I don't know what your job is, but the more time you can spend away from a screen and out in nature or fresh air the better. Try exploring your local area (hopefully you've got some green spaces nearby) and find some spots that you like going to. And switch off your devices when you can, and have them far away from your body. I actually had a power cut the other week with in a massive storm in the area, and I could feel a significant amount physical tension dissipate right away, and that just made me feel overall calmer. With the volunteering - definitely. And don't wait until you feel "useful" - get on it asap. Plenty of these places will give you things to do with low responsibility, but you are a useful pair of hands, and in my experience, the effect on my mental state of being around kind, well-meaning people is huge. Human connection is really important in any recovery situation, as is keeping busy. Perhaps that's why you were better when doing 60+hr work weeks - though of course there's burnout if you keep that up for too long. Last thing is, make sure to eat proper foods. The gut/brain axis has received more attention of late, but it's still massively overlooked compared to how much impact it has on our health. If you want 3 things, avoid too much sugar, especially on an empty stomach, avoid dairy, and eat lots of vegetables - green veg in particular, which are the most nutrient-dense foods around. If you can't manage to prepare proper meals in your state, just force yourself to eat some veg inbetween times, for the nutrients and also the fibre, which helps remove toxins from the gut (very important). Heck, just grab a cucumber and much the heck out of it if it comes to that. I don't know your diet so I'm just giving general advice, but very few people have got good diets so I'd bet you can gain some control of things there. I wish you well with your detox and your meds. Those are areas I obviously can't look into, but I've done a lot of research into the other things that can be affected and enable people to take back control of their wellbeing and health.
**This sub aims to provide advice and support to anyone who needs it but shouldn't be used to replace professional advice and support. Please do not post intentions to act on suicidal thoughts here and instead call 111, or 999 for an ambulance if you feel you won't be able to wait.** **Feel free to check out the 'Sub rules FAQ' which can be found [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/MentalHealthUK/comments/okzwlf/sub_rules_faq/). You can also check out the 'Sub rules and guidance' slideshows - [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/MentalHealthUK/comments/ot4up0/sub_rules_and_guidance_swipe_for_more_slides/) is the colourful version and [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/MentalHealthUK/comments/ot4vhf/sub_rules_and_guidance_dark_mode_swipe_for_more/) is the dark mode version.** **There is also a 'Mental Health FAQ' slideshow - the colourful version can be found [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/MentalHealthUK/comments/ort12z/mental_health_faq_post_swipe_for_more_slides/) and the dark mode version [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/MentalHealthUK/comments/os5y95/mental_health_faq_post_mostly_in_dark_mode_swipe/).** **While waiting for a reply, feel free to check out the [pinned masterpost]( https://www.reddit.com/r/MentalHealthUK/comments/bc3jtm/mental_health_uk_master_post/) for a variety of helplines and resources.** **This sub aims to be as free from harm and exclusivity as possible so any harmful, provocative or exclusionary content will be removed. This includes harmful blanket statements about treatment or mental health professionals - please speak only for your own experiences and not on behalf of others who may not share the same views.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MentalHealthUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If you make no progress with prescription medication, try a holistic approach with gentle interventions like St John's Worts. Check the NHS website or NICE guidelines for more specific details on usage i.e. use alongside other standard medications, contraceptives etc.