I'm in a frustrating situation where I don't get the help I need because I have no carer or next of kin to act as an advocate. I've found myself in the position of having to defend myself to avoid having my child taken into care or just being generally harassed regularly. It seems that there is no obligation to treat us as a family so that my caring duties are ignored or threatened. So I find it difficult dealing with doctors or social workers. Even though they are supposed to help me it is easier for them to cover their backs and watch their budgets so they do.

I also don't like to take medication as I feel I have no control over the dosage or the medication. After several years different types of medication that felt unsuitable and often the doses were too high. I got fed up of being my worries being dismissed when I realised there were negative reactions rather than relief. I tend to feel suicidal at times, sometimes I do because of my situation but I also do when I have periods of depression. Normally I don't act on it because I am too exhausted to do so. However whilst I was taking anti-depressants I found myself feeling suicidal more often and I actually was able to attempt it on several occasions. I realise now that all my suicide attempts happened whilst I was on medication so I am reluctant to take medication and prefer alternative methods. I have also had a few different types of talking therapy including psychotherapy. I did it privately because I realised I needed to cope without medication and  I couldn't get it through my GP. I think I'm at the point that I recognise my problems just need some support to live with them.

I think the voluntary idea is a good one. I don't have much time and I did do voluntary work for a few organisations in the past. I don't feel up to that due to time but the befriending thing is a good idea. I sort of already did that without realising so I think it is something to do that I didn't really think of.

Voluntary organisations like Mind seem to work according to the area you live in. Unfortunately I live in an area where they don't seem to do very much. I've asked to go to a neighbouring borough that seems to be more useful but they only accept members by postcode. In my borough I have given up completely. Most of their activities are aimed at people who are a lot less independent.

Although I'm fed up with my GP I think it may well be a good idea to find out my diagnosis and find out if there may be a cause for the short term memory loss because my first major breakdown was after I was physically assaulted but was not able to seek help. When I came in to contact with the mental health services I did talk about it but no one listened. They treated anything I said as if it didn't matter. So that including my observations of the effects of my medication got ignored. At the moment I feel worried that I may have been mis-diagnosed and could also be affected from an previous head injury.

I think at the moment I can do the befriending thing but for everything else I need an advocate. So far I only know of mind and there is another local charity but they would not be useful as they just stopped working with me one day because they didn't think I needed help. Now that I am not taking medication and would like to continue without it I am not sure whether I fit the criteria for help as it is. Please let me know if you have any ideas for advocacy workers who work nationally or across boroughs as I think it would make the difference whether I get what I need if there was someone there with me or able to at least write and support me.

Thanks for the replies.

I am a single mum with with depression and what I think is ptsd but I don't know my diagnosed due to the fact my doctor would not disclose it. But I have had problems since my teens and I am now in my 30s. I am unsupported because basically I am in a difficult situation where I have no next-of-kin or carer and the mental health services and SS disappeared long ago when they realised they could get away with it.

Although I feel depressed from time to time at the moment I feel worn down in general from years of isolation due to health problems. I meet people all the time but I do not have many friends as people just do not understand why I am unable to do things sometimes then not at others. I struggle a lot with my short term memory at times. I do not understand why as no one has explained this to me but as you can imagine it makes me come across as stupid or rude. I am familiar with my symptoms as it has been many years and I accept myself as I am but I feel it is so isolating being me at the moment. Being a mum doesn't make it much easier as people treat me as if I am just horrible to my son despite the fact I struggle every single day to do normal everyday things. 

Now I am at the point of my life when I just sit and think that the quality of my life is so bad I don't know what to do. I work part-time because I have no choice but I do admit it gives me something to do so I look forward to it. But I don't socialise in anyway because I am so tired of trying to explain all my faults like the short term memory problems, anxiety, depression eg. as people tend to get a bit fed up with me. I don't have much money and my time is restricted but I feel so fed up of just being on my own or alone in a crowd of people I have to be around for whatever reason. I'd like to make some friends who I can socialise with rather than be the odd woman people actively avoid. At the moment I feel so useless and like a failure because everything is so hard for me but because I am a mother I think people assume everything must be alright when in fact it is the opposite. It just means I get bullied more by people like the SS and ignored by other parents but cannot cope with trying to go to any mental health support groups as they seem to assume you have a carer and never that you are one.

Any thoughts?