Amanda's Story

*The above photograph is used for illustrative purposes and does not represent the person quoted. Her name has been changed for privacy.

For our Better Care = Safer Care campaign, Amanda shares her experience of being left without therapeutic support and feeling abandoned by mental health services.

My name is Amanda, and since January 2026 my life has felt like it’s been pulled apart by repeated admissions into mental health inpatient services, following my mum becoming unwell.

Everything changed in January 2026, when my mum was admitted to ICU. I had been struggling with mental health, but nothing prepared me for how quickly things would spiral after that. Since January, I have been sectioned under Mental Health Act five times and things have not been the same since.

My diagnoses include ADHD, complex PTSD, and autism. There’s also been mention of emotionally unstable personality disorder, though I haven’t been formally diagnosed. Right now, I’m at home but I’ve only been back for about a month and things are still really difficult. My mum is still unwell, and we’re both just trying to cope.

My first four admissions were to the same unit, only five minutes from home, so my mum could visit. But even then, it was the worst experience I’ve ever had. I went in already anxious and was told I’d have one-to-one support, but that never happened. There was no real therapeutic support. Most days were spent sitting in a lounge with nothing to do. You even had to ask for food. Staff would roll their eyes at me, shut doors in my face, and accuse me of making things up. I felt like an inconvenience, not someone who needed care.

The only compassion I found was from other patients.

When I was discharged from that first admission, it was too soon. I had nowhere to go and ended up sleeping on the streets for two nights. It was later admitted that I shouldn’t have been discharged when I was. Healthwatch had to step in and fight with social services to get me a bed in a pathway-to-recovery placement. I couldn’t go home as it didn’t feel safe anymore, not after everything that had happened.

Each time I went back to that same ward, things got worse. I had complained about my care, and it felt like that complaint affected how I was treated when I returned. The only person I really had was my mum, and at the time, I thought I was going to lose her. I was completely overwhelmed, and there was no support during the day. There were only two nurses who were kind, but they worked nights, so I barely saw them.

My last admission was the hardest. I was placed in Darlington, far away from home, completely isolated. There was no support system. My advocate couldn’t support me because she was based in York, and my mum couldn’t be there either. By then, she was out of hospital, but still unwell. It was horrible for both of us. I felt abandoned, and there was nothing she could do.

Now, when I feel unsafe, I go to A&E. I sit there for hours waiting to see the crisis team. It feels like a last resort every time. I nearly ended up being sectioned again not long ago.

I’m now trying to access therapy privately because my relationship with the NHS team has completely broken down. My GP and MP have raised concerns on my behalf. All I’ve ever wanted is to get better, but the system just providing me with the support I need.

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