What’s your most controversial opinion? **Read OP** **Mod Note in Post #3372**

Not that I entirely disagree, but at the same time in general mental health services in this country are shocking to the point of medication being the only way unless a patient can afford private therapy/counselling/similar services or they’ll be on a waiting list for a few months or years.

I was attending HSE mental health services a few years ago, I met someone once every 3-4 months, who pretty much just asked general questions about how you currently feel (and maybe broaching the previous few months), sometimes would ask about the medication you’re taking, any side affects, etc, then you’ll be given another appointment.

After 3 appointments, without me asking or even hinting by the way, I was discharged back to my GP’s care, unless my situation “got worse”. So, I wasn’t at immediate risk of causing harm, then goodbye. The reason? Presumably to free up spaces for other people on the list.

It’s not the GP’s fault, I guess is what I’m saying. Not entirely, anyway. I suspect though you mean doctors overall including psychiatric, medical, dental etc, which I agree with, but at the same time, no matter which department of our health service you look at it’s all a mess. But the mess is caused by the HSE, not necessarily the doctors.

Surgical waiting lists, dentists removing themselves en masse from the GMS scheme, mental health services with waiting lists that never end and not even enough psychiatric doctors or nurses available, it’s not the individual fault of doctors it’s the health service under which they operate.

And equally the government that’s supposed to manage them (the HSE). So I’d almost suggest that doctors are basically just doing what they can, with the service they have to work with.

Like I said with depression or insomnia, mental health services don’t have space to see more people, money to pay for staff & therefore a lack of staff, restricting who they can see. It’s a spiral.

Someone with chronic pain, same problems, specialists are scattered throughout the country with waiting lists to see public & far too expensive for most to see private.

As a slight aside, private doctors I agree to some extent are part of the problem, but at the same time they’re highly trained and skilled so have a right to charge a price based on the training etc to get where they are, I guess you could argue.

But if your pain is one that requires surgery, more waiting lists (or hefty bills) and for most that just means the pain will need to be managed for a while and then pain medication comes into play. In fact, in this country doctors are huers for giving you just incompatible pain relief in relation to the level of pain you’re dealing with. Giving someone panadol for mind numbing headaches for example, they might as well take tic tacs & at least they wouldn’t harm they’re liver as much.