The pandemic has caused every therapist in my immediate area to be overloaded. Someone I know said she was lucky to be able to get a single appointment with a w

The pandemic has caused every therapist in my immediate area to be overloaded. Someone I know said she was lucky to be able to get a single appointment with a waiting time of a month. Six of them did not return my emails outright, and when I finally managed to schedule something, I had to wait a quarter of a year just to be able to have the intake appointment. Everyone keeps saying that therapy becomes the most valuable once you've established a relationship with the therapist, so I am not seeing how this will help. But I'm not sure what anyone can do. Nobody could have prevented this, there are only so many therapists in my area, and there are only so many people they can consult with at a time. At the point that therapy becomes far less effective because too many people want it, what is left to do? Say "tough luck, but you have to be patient?" In the three months I've ended up waiting in between I feel like I've been spiraling or trapped in a shell with nobody that will listen to my problems. The friends I usually rely on have long since gotten tired of listening to me, because it isn't their job to do so, and I feel as if our relationships will not be the same going forward because I could not get help elsewhere fast enough. I may have other problems managing my executive function, or false convictions that I do, and either way my attention is constantly taken away by trivial things. I couldn't even focus on the MOOC homework I was taking even though I felt terrible for putting it off. But in order to even try and see if stimulants will help, I have to get an appointment - and I still have another month to wait for it. Our pleas for help are being swallowed up, and there seems to be no real recourse.