I don't understand!

[Hallelujah]

Ugh, I am SO confused.
I got diagnosed with depression by my doc, who reffered me to CAMHS to talk to this woman called Lynne. I've met her a few times, and had 3 more appointments with my doctor who says I need a consultant but he can't do anything. Said I have to wait for Lynne's team.
Yesterday Lynne said she didn't know whether to refer me to Mental Health services for talking therapy for my depression, or to Psychiatric services for the suicidal thoughts and self harm.
Today I got a call from a social worker who says I've been referred to them. I DONT UNDERSTAND. What's going on? No-one will tell me and I feel a bit abandoned. Not in a safe place now either, need support and it isnt there.
Help?

[Heartlines.]

Hey there Joanna,
I think you need to tell them EXACTLY how you are feeling about this.
Tell them that you want to know exactly what's going on.
This is your mental health, so you have every right to take charge with it.
If you are feeling like you need more information, just ask.
When I was in inpatient, I had a social worker. I will tell you what I know about them.
From my understand, social workers talk to you, set up doctor/therapy appointments, etc.
They handle the business side of things and keep things organized. Which is helpful because you don't have to do it. You know? But all in all, you should be in the know of what's going on.

Hope this helped!

[Hallelujah]

I don't know who to ask It's awful, it's really upset me actually.

[Heartlines.]

You can ask the social worker. They are a good one to ask.
You can say something like this "I am having problems with [insert issue here] and I was wondering who the best person to talk to about this would be."

[OMFG!You'reActuallySmart!]

Best bet is to ask the social worker, however, given what you said, I would think the referral is for the Psychiatric services because self-harm and suicidal thoughts are dealt with as fast as possible. It wouldn't make sense to refer you to talking about your depression without addressing the self-harm and suicidal thoughts, unless you no longer have them.

Think of them like the operators of old-school telephones or switchboards. They link everything together, get reports from doctors and therapists, give their reports to doctors and therapists, refer you to appropriate specialists if needed, talk with your parents to better understand you, potentially engage in some psychotherapy, etc... . As they do all this, they maintain contact with you.

They may make appointments for you but usually indirectly via receptionist.

[Hallelujah]

It's just upsetting being left in the dark. I've spent a lot of time in and out of MIU this week and I'm really struggling to hold on. Might call Lynne and see what she thinks.

What I don't get is, why are CAMHS dealing with me when I'm almost 20? I'm not a teen or child....