Although I’ve worked in healthcare for a few years, my experience with the NHS has mostly been as a patient. I don’t use the services often—maybe once a year, if that, for something small like a throat infection when I need antibiotics. The only service I’ve ever truly needed has been for mental health support.
Before coming to the UK, I didn’t receive the help I needed in Turkey either, at least not until I paid for it. So when I arrived, I was looking forward to the help the NHS could provide. After all, I had seen countless posts and campaigns about ‘speaking out’, helplines, charities, and services built specifically for mental health support. I thought things would be different here.
But I quickly realized that getting mental health support was a long, frustrating journey. Everyone seemed to start from the same point regardless of urgency, and it often felt like the system had a fixed timeline to follow—one that moved too slowly. From talking to others in similar situations, I learned that this experience wasn’t unique to me.
My Experience with the NHS Mental Health System
My journey usually began with me calling my GP surgery, often in tears or desperation. But my cries for help never seemed to go past the secretarial staff. It took me six weeks just to speak to my doctor on the phone—and even then, I wasn’t given the privilege of a face-to-face appointment. Instead, I was signposted to other services, which started the process all over again. None of these services had the power to address my actual need: a medication review.
I didn’t know where to turn during the night, when I was alone and struggling. I didn’t want to take up emergency services’ time, so I called a crisis hotline. No one answered, even though it was during their operating hours. I tried another one, waited 40 minutes, and the line went dead. I tried one more time. No answer. No voice recording. Just silence.
I ended up laughing at the absurdity of it all. All these billboards, advertisements, and awareness days—but when it came down to it, none of the services seemed real or accessible. I took myself to A&E where I walked out 8 hours later of not seeing anybody apart from triage. I was in disbelief but more exhausted than anything. From my experience, you’re not ‘deserving’ of the care unless you’re literally fighting the last fight you possibly can.
A Broken System
This isn’t just about me. My story mirrors that of countless others who have been let down by the system. NHS mental health services are notoriously underfunded and overwhelmed. Demand far outweighs the available resources, leaving patients stuck in long waiting lists and feeling lost.
It’s a lonely journey. After the initial panic wears off, you start to feel like an inconvenience. It’s almost like ‘okay you’ve had your help, now get better’ and they expect the support to act like an antibiotic and just get rid of everything. But mental health isn’t a linear journey, and stability isn’t guaranteed. It seems the system doesn’t account for that.
The NHS is broken, especially when it comes to mental health. Is it a lack of staff? A lack of passion among those working in the system? Poor signposting? Are we missing steps in the diagnosis and follow-up process? Or are we focusing too heavily on pharmaceuticals instead of holistic mental health care?
What’s clear is that the system is spending more time advertising all the support it can offer than actually providing that support. Patients shouldn’t have to fight for help. They’re already fighting enough. Mental health care is a right, not a privilege that patients should have to prove they’re “ill enough” to deserve.
Time for Change
How many others are silently struggling while waiting for the system to catch up? It’s not just about raising awareness anymore—it’s about demanding action. Mental healthcare shouldn’t be something that kicks in when all other options have run out. It should be there from the start.
We need more funding, more staff, and a system that listens to patients before it’s too late. No one should have to fight this hard to be heard. The time for change is long overdue—let’s start treating mental health with the urgency it deserves.
The strength you shall need exists in the noble blood
m.k aTATURK
flowing through your veins
English (UK) 
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