A woman struggling with her mental health said a lack of professional support means the duty of care has fallen on her 15-year-old daughter.

Jutta Kennedy, 50, of Currock, Carlisle, has experienced mental health problems for several years but now feels she is in limbo - too ill to be seen by one service but not severely unwell enough to be supported by another.

Following a relationship breakdown, her condition worsened and Ms Kennedy, who suffers from personality disorder with anxiety and depression, contacted the Crisis Team in July.

She then referred to First Step and waited three weeks for a telephone assessment to find out if she would receive counselling. The counsellor was helpful but considered her condition too severe to help and referred her to the Community Mental Health Team.

In a letter, the service said a group therapy Decider Course Ms Kennedy had undertaken in 2018 was what she should again refer to. She was also signposted to mental health charities but is unable to be seen until mid-November.

“The problem for me is that it’s always different counsellors. I rate people highly and I don’t want to blame the individuals or anybody in the mental health services. I just want to state how difficult it is if you fall through the system - you’re not severely ill but you are so ill at times that you need some help or counselling. It’s very hard to find,” said Ms Kennedy.

She said it’s taken her years to see her condition improve after going to group meetings and discussing her life. But this is something she is very uncomfortable with, and she doesn’t know if she can do this again.

At her lowest points - unable to take a shower without panic attacks and unable to leave the house - Ms Kennedy’s daughter is her carer.

“I don’t agree with that,” she said. "I have been a carer myself, but when I was an adult, for my grandma who had severe bipolar. I know how hard it is. I know how hard it must be for her to cope with it. It shouldn’t be this way round.”

Ms Kennedy also worries there will be others who are “too in between to be seen” and hopes more can be done to help people who find themselves in this situation.

“I am not refusing to use charities but it is not continuous and it does not help consistently.

“I cannot believe that I am the only one who is stuck in the middle not ill enough to be seen be one service but well enough to fall through the assessment loop holes of the NHS mental health service,” she added.

Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, which oversees mental health services in north Cumbria, said it could not comment on an individuals treatment or circumstances.

“As a healthcare provider we have a duty to protect patient confidentiality,” said a spokeswoman for the trust. “In any service there is always scope for improvements, and we would encourage anyone who has used our services to contact us with comments or suggestions about their experiences which we can use to help improve them.”

Email complaints@cntw.nhs.uk or call 0191 245 6672.