Three month wait between therapy

[Guest OCD-UK RSS]

During the last year or so we have plenty of anecdotal evidence that following a course of OCD treatment with an IAPT service (usually just 6-8 sessions), people are often told they have to wait 3+ months before they can have further treatment, the usual excuse is that it 'gives the patient opportunity to put into practice what they have learned'.

This is absolutely not the case, it is not a NICE recommendation and to ensure we have factual evidence behind our advice we confirmed this with NHS England who told us in October that:

“referrals should be progressed through the system in a timely manner, and so multiple month waiting times between treatments are not in line with current guidance, and are certainly not advocated by NHS England.”

Should you be met with resistance to offer you further CBT therapy at the end of a course of therapy, please show the therapy service this webpage or consult your GP and advise them of the NHS England advice from above.

This article first appeared in the OCD-UK members magazine in November 2016.

 

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NHS and Health

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[kaheath80]

It would be nice to get any therapy in the first place, I've been on the waiting list for 13 months so far.

[taurean]

This smacks of an attempt to get as many people into therapy as early as possible, just to boost the figures. 

For some people 6-8 sessions may be enough, but for many we know about here, with more severe problems, it may prejudice their recovery severely - since the first several sessions may be lost to getting to codify the problems rather than meaningful advice. 

Edited February 23, 2017 by taurean
typo

[Ashley]

Agreed, I said the same last night at the support group that call me cynical, but to me it sounds like an attempt to keep waiting lists down. Sadly by time most of us reach out for help for our OCD we are beyond mild and in the moderate to severe range and 6 sessions is unlikely to be enough time to work through our OCD.

Some services are working correctly and giving people extended sessions or bumping them up the ladder, but many are simply discharging patients and telling them they can have more therapy in 3 months, which is totally wrong.

[taurean]

I still find it outrageous that mental health issues are not given the support and resources needed. 

I know many places are worse off than us - but if we look at this more practically, people fitter and healthier mentally and physically may become more self-sufficient, able to find work and come off benefits, reduce their time seeing doctors. The benefits of a successful course of treatment are far wider than just the sufferer's health. 

Edited February 23, 2017 by taurean
typo

[legalseagull]

This is useful info thanks. In my area we really only get 5 treatment sessions as the first one is an assessment. My appointments lasted 15-20 minutes (despite being told that I needed a lot more help than they could give me). I've since spoken to other people who also only got 15 - 20 minute sessions. At the end I was told, like you said, to refer myself back after 3 months. 

[Ashley]

Where is this legalseagull, which IAPT service?  I certainly need to be addressing this.

Neither 5 sessions is likely to be helpful and 15-20 minute therapy sessions are absolutely pointless.  By time you get in, take coat off and discuss the previous week and homework time would be up.

 

[taurean]

Crazy. Even if you have 45 mins, as I did privately, the time flies by.

Who wants to make major effort to travel for a session of 15-20 mins?  It's outrageous. 

[taurean]

It just occurs to me that this practice is the carrying out of a misnomen. 

Offering talking therapy, but without giving enough time to talk. 

[legalseagull]

Yes you're both right, it is outrageous. I'd accepted it as normal. The whole therapy was a joke from start to finish.

My OCD is based on my phobia of vomit. When I had the assessment they asked me which thing I wanted treated - my vomit phobia or OCD. I explained that it's all the same thing and can't be separated. All my intrusive thoughts, avoidance and compulsions are about my fear of sickness. It would be like saying to someone who has harm based OCD 'do you want us to treat your fear of harming someone or your OCD'? It's all part of the same thing!

They refused to treat it as one thing and so I reluctantly chose my vomit phobia to be focused on, as it's the root of my OCD. They agreed that this made sense.

I had one 15-20 minute session talking about my vomit phobia, I wasn't allowed to mention OCD.The next time the therapist just started talking about OCD. I was happy thinking that she'd realised it was ridiculous to treat it as two separate problems. Then I mentioned the vomit fear and she said 'Oh we're not dealing with that anymore, it's too difficult. We'll deal with the OCD and you can come back in 3 months.' End of session.

That left me with 3 sessions (15-20 minutes) to tackle OCD. I wasn't allowed to mention my fear of vomit, which is what the OCD is based on. Anyone reading this (long) story - imagine trying to overcome your OCD without talking about the thoughts and fears which it's based on!

Unsurprisingly the therapy didn't help. Ashley, I'll email you with the details of where this happened. I don't like to give too specific personal info out on the forum.

[Paulie]

Thats terrible legalseagull and sounds like you havnt at all got the support you need.

I am on session 8 this week and feel like my treatment is only just beginning to make sense to me. I will see what they say, but I had to request a further 2 from the initial 6 so dont hold out much hope

[Snowdog]

On 23/02/2017 at 13:17, kaheath80 said:

It would be nice to get any therapy in the first place, I've been on the waiting list for 13 months so far.

It would be nice wouldn't it I been waiting four years and got another 8-9 months to wait that's why I started last week paying private because can't wait no more 

 

[kaheath80]

4 years?! That's awful, I'm sorry. I went private too.

[Snowdog]

12 minutes ago, kaheath80 said:

4 years?! That's awful, I'm sorry. I went private too.

That's ok it's not your fault! Did you  hope your found and good one like me 

[kaheath80]

Yeah mine's pretty good thanks, it's not CBT though.

[Snowdog]

Just now, kaheath80 said:

Yeah mine's pretty good thanks, it's not CBT though.

Aw what is it then if it not cbt 

[Snowdog]

1 minute ago, kaheath80 said:

Yeah mine's pretty good thanks, it's not CBT though.

If you want to speak inbox me if you like  I don't want to use someone else topic thread 

thanks h x

[kaheath80]

Sorry! Nothing to say really- having a mixture of therapy as I need to treat my BPD too

[Snowdog]

2 hours ago, kaheath80 said:

Sorry! Nothing to say really- having a mixture of therapy as I need to treat my BPD too

No need be sorry! Ok hope you works and you get well soon 

[legalseagull]

Paulie I hope you manage to get more sessions. It would be a shame for therapy to end just when it's starting to help.

 

Heidi I'm sorry you had to wait so long, that's unacceptable. In my area we seem to be able to see a therapist pretty quickly. This is probably because they're keeping waiting lists down by only offering a few sessions and very short appointments.