CATT team

[Lily3]

Has anyone had any experience with CATT (Crisis Assessment and Treatment Teams)? I live in Tasmania and I’ve been in contact with them for a while after my psychologist contacted them. I’ve never spoken to people who are so blunt and horrible before. I’ve never experienced anything like it. The call ends and I feel worse than when they rang me. Is this something that happens a lot? I just don’t understand. To be at a point where you need the CATT team is a big thing so people need someone who is caring and compassionate - or at the very least doesn’t make you feel bad because you’re trying your best to describe and articulate something. Talking about particular things relating to mental health is challenging for most people so I don’t understand how someone can rush you and think that it’s no big deal. She was getting annoyed at me because I was taking ‘too long’ to describe my mood and how I was feeling. I just don’t understand how this particular person got the position to talk to people who are struggling. It’s really concerning to me. 

[DogMan79]

CATT often assess and pass you off to the most appropriate place. That might be in patient, or a time with the outpatient clinic, or a one off med review with their doctors, or something else

The phone assessment you just need to give them enough information to refer you accordingly

[SmilingGecko]

@Lily3 Welcome to the "care" that is CATT or "Call Again Tomorrow Thanks"! They see mental health emergency day in day out and many of them hate their jobs. I've had both good experiences and bad with them. Some of them are really dedicated staff others are not. The mental health care industry seems to break a lot of workers and it brings out the worst in them. In the end they are just people struggling with their own lives as much as us. Have you ever looked into consumer based care where you get support from your peers? We have a consumer led crisis group in Melbourne for people who have had negative experiences with the system and prefer to be supported by those that understand what theyre going through

[Lily3]

They haven’t offered any of those things … 

[MatchaToad]

Hey @Lily3 

I am so sorry you're going through this. It is incredibly disheartening to reach out for support during a crisis, which takes immense courage, only to be met with coldness or impatience.

The CATT is designed to be a lifeline, but unfortunately, the "clinical" nature of the service can sometimes manifest as a blunt, checklist-oriented approach that feels completely devoid of empathy and compassion. Your feelings are valid, and you deserve to be heard without being rushed.

I want to say that you are exactly right about reaching out to CATT being a massive step, and to be met with impatience when you're already struggling is just wrong. Unfortunately, many people find that these teams, often under-resourced and focused on 'risk assessment' rather than 'counselling,' can come across as clinical and cold. Please know that their behaviour is a reflection of the flawed system, not a reflection of your worth or how well you're articulating your pain. You're doing the best you can in a very hard situation.

If you feel up to it, you might want to bring this up with your psychologist so they are aware of how the referral is going. You could also ask for a different clinician if they call again, or try one of the national services like Lifeline or Beyond Blue, which experiences on there do vary but do tend to be more compassionate than state-run clinical teams. It might also be worth looking into submitting feedback/a formal complaint about the treatment you received over the phone.

[Lily3]

Thank you. I really appreciate your message and compassion. I found them not even very concerned with the risk assessment aspect. They didn’t ask me questions relating to safety or suicidal thoughts or anything like that. I’m really confused. I understand they’re a crisis line so I thought they’d ask me risk assessment questions. All round, I’m just really confused. My psychologist rang them first to explain things and then the first person who rang me didn’t even realise that I’d be referred by my psychologist. It’s just … I don’t know why I even bother.

[tyme]

Hey @Lily3 ,

Thank you for reaching out.

I want to acknowledge that it is a huge step to reach out here as well as your CATT service.

I have had a lot of experience with CATT in the past, and what DogMan shared above is spot on. The pretty much assess for risk over the phone and if they feel you need to be 'seen', they come out and assess you to see if you are safe to stay where you are or they have to take you to hospital. They handle only crises there and then.

They are not really the people who are there to sit and listen and provide support. They assess then move you to the appropriate service. In my experience, they were the ones who had the authority to send me/take me to the hospital.

So yeah.. @Lily3 , I wonder if their role was not made clear to you in the first place?

By connecting here on the forums, I hope you gain some valueable insight to support your mental health and wellbeing.

[tyme]

---

@Lily3 wrote:

Thank you. I really appreciate your message and compassion. I found them not even very concerned with the risk assessment aspect. They didn’t ask me questions relating to safety or suicidal thoughts or anything like that. I’m really confused. I understand they’re a crisis line so I thought they’d ask me risk assessment questions. All round, I’m just really confused. My psychologist rang them first to explain things and then the first person who rang me didn’t even realise that I’d be referred by my psychologist. It’s just … I don’t know why I even bother.

---

No wonder you are confused. CATT is a crisis assessment treatment team... they just refer you on.

For me, my case manager would refer me to CATT, then I would have intensive check-ins for a week or so (phone or face to face or both), then move off CATT. @Lily3