Waiting

The thing that annoys me more than anything about suffering from a mental health problem is the time it takes for every stage of the process:

Visit the doctor. Wait. Invite for referral appointment. Wait. Appointment. Wait. Second Appointment. Wait. Diagnosis. Wait. Treatment Plan. Wait. Treatment.

I understand the NHS has a lot of patients, many of whom will have serious and life threatening conditions that need a lot more time and money than those of us with depression, anxiety and other disorders, but I can't help but feel mental health isn't taken seriously. Anxiety has a massive impact on a person's life, and when you are so frightened you are redued to merely shaking, you shouldn't be expected to wait.

Two months has passed since I saw my doctor. I have no fixed diagnosis, no treatment plan, no number to phone in a crisis. Nothing. And the longer I wait, the more anxious I become that they are just going to forget. I hate living with this anxiety and yet even when I ask for help, nothing seems to happen.