Mental Health Support - The Health Centre's Perspective

1. Mental Health Support - The Health Centre's Perspective

2. Background • Imperial is a toxic enviroment for mental health • Pressure  triggers stress, which triggers the emergence of mental illlness in those who are vulnerable • The pressures of the environment are not helped by current social and economic pressures, nor by unrealistic expectations of what can be delivered

3. What sort of mental health problems do we see? • Anxiety • Depression • OCD • Bipolar Disorder • Stress Reactions • Eating Disorders • PTSD • Bereavement Reactions • ADHD • Aspergers • Transient mental health difficulties

4. What Can the Health Centre Offer • A multidisciplinary team with lots of expertise • Hopefully a diagnosis - stress, distress, mental illness • In-house psychiatric assessment where there is: 1. diagnostic uncertainty, 2. lack of response to treatment, 3. high risk, 4. need for a tertiary referral e.g. ADHD/Aspergers  • Referal to local mental health servicesfor those at high risk or with complex needse.g. Crisis team/CMHT/long term psychotherapy • Referal to in-house counselling, psychotherapy or CBT • Liaison with or referal to other Imperial services - DAS, SCS • Liaison with departments re exams, mitigating circumstances, fitness to study etc

5. Important Messages • Managing expectations is sometimes very difficult • We cannot offer open access. It is not a drop in service and those with urgent problems can be seen in the morning or afternoon triage clinics • People with suicidal ideas don't always need to be seen immediately. Those with active intent do. • If you are worried discuss the individual with the duty doctor • A certificcate for mitigating circumstances is not an emergency • A patient's perspective of what is an emergency may be different from ours • Immediate (or rather early) assessment is available, immediate treatment is not - there is a 6 week wait for in-housepsychotherapy, a 4-6 month wait for in-house CBT and a 6 to 12 month wait for a tertiary referral for Aspergers or ADHD and a 3-6 month wait for long term psychotherapy

6. How do you manage those with mental health difficulties • Be compassionate, but objective • Know your own limits • Know who to refer to and how • If you don't know what to do, know who to ask • Set boundaries - don't be a magician and don't be manipulated • Consider whether those who require too much of your time are really fit to be studying • Look after yourself!