I'm Fine

 I'm Fine is what I say when asked,

I'm Fine even though I'm distressed,

I'm Fine even when the darkness holds me,

I'm Fine with a smile and dying inside.

I Need help and ask for it,

I Need help but they turn me away,

I Need help but I can't cope,

I Need Help but I'm not bad enough.

I'm Adrift lost in my thoughts,

I'm Adrift untethered floating away,

I'm Adrift in the storm coming,

I'm Adrift without a hand on the tiller.

I'm Not alone I have more support than I thought,

I'm Not Alone I've people to talk with,

I'm Not Alone the darks not so dark,

I'm Not Alone in being failed.

I think when someone goes to healthcare professionals and they agree that they need some mental health support/treatment and refer them to the service, I don't think its OK for that service to reject the referral. I also don't think its OK to send out a letter to arrive on a Friday when they won't be able to contact you. I don't think the content of that letter should sound like you are speaking to someone who has not made any attempts to help themselves. Nor should the only alternatives they offer be a mixture of Self harm and suicide hotlines (if people need these you shouldn't be rejecting them) and online resources which all cover the same things which I have done before and are no longer working. I understand that Mental Health resources are stretched beyond what they can cope with but rejecting a referral the day they got it is dangerous. Letters sent out like the one I received may be the last straw for someone who mustered up the courage to ask for help.

Asking for help with your mental health as a Man is hard and was not helpful to my recovery.