If you had to pick me up you would meet a good carer. I have severe mental health issues and my fiancé, in addition to being a full-time law student and a part-time youth worker, looks after me at pretty much all hours of the day or night. I have in the past taken overdoses or self-harmed and had to go to hospital, and my partner has always come with me, been able to give a detailed account of my conditions and medication, explain any other relevant issues and also advocate for me. I know exactly how you feel about the fact that A&E are the port of call for everything that goes on after 5pm. The mental health centre where my psychiatrist and other professionals are based opens at 9am and closes at 4.30pm. If you ring them outside those times you may be able to get an appointment with an out-of-hours GP, who will either send you to hospital (see below) or dish out some Valium to knock you out until the world starts running again, but 9 times out of 10 they will say "wait until the next morning or go to A&E if it's serious". You then have the frustration of sitting in A&E for 8 hours and then being told "there's nothing we can do, go and see your psychiatrist in the morning". If you have mental health problems, going to A&E essentially just gives you a different place to sleep that night. The catch 22 of A&E is that if you know you are ill enough to need to be in hospital, you have insight and won't be admitted. If you have someone with you, they will be told to look after you until you can be seen by your normal psychiatrist. People with mental health problems are at the bottom of the NHS priority list - it often feels like we're at the bottom of everyone's priority list. It seems like most of the people who are paid to care don't, and the responsibility falls on friends and relatives, if you have any around who are willing to. I am lucky that I do, many more people don't. It is horrible to see people being mistreated or neglected by those with a duty of care to them, and it's those who can't or won't kick up a fuss who recieve the absolute worst treatment. I hope something can be done to help that woman and that you will come across some carers in the future who restore your faith in humanity.