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First time seeing the gp

DistractionDistraction Posts: 449 Listening Ear
in Health & Wellbeing
Hi,

I have an appointment at the doctors for the 16th, I was wanting to go to get my mental health sorted, I know something isn't right, I haven't felt ok for a while now. I was wondering if there was anything I should know, like stuff they ask you or anything they do cos I've not been before, I'll take some notes on whats been bothering me but is there any other advice?

Thanks very much x

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    AifeAife Community Manager Posts: 3,031 Boards Guru
    Hello Distraction, you are taking a really great step in booking an appointment to see your doctor, you should be really proud of yourself. There is a really great article on The Mix here about going to see a GP about a mental health problem which you might find useful. This article has information about what your appointment will be like and some advice on what you should ask them.

    Do feel free to keep posting here when you need to, we are here for you :)
    Maybe somethings don't get better, but we do. We get stronger. We learn to live with our situations as messy and ugly as they are. We fix what we can and we adapt to what we can't. Maybe some of us will never fully be okay, but at least we're here. We're still trying. We're doing the best we can. That's worth celebrating too ❤
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    DistractionDistraction Posts: 449 Listening Ear
    Thanks very much Jess and Aife, I really appreciate the help and support :d
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    DistractionDistraction Posts: 449 Listening Ear
    Ok so I went and seen a doctor, I first asked her about confidentiality and if the army asked would they have to say what I talked about, she said yes, so that put me off a whole lot. It kind of threw me and I didn't really know what to say, I sort of asked her questions about the signs of depression and how to get past it with out medication (then I could help myself) I thought if I asked those types of questions that she wouldn't have to put down anything relating me with a metal illness, it was just simple information.

    When she searched my records they didn't show much, but apparently I had already been in, in 2013 with my dad and seen a different person who no longer works there, it said she picked up some signs that there wasn't something right. When she said it I couldn't remember it but it's coming back to me in bits, I don't know why we went but I remember my dad saying something about my mother, I think, it's all rather jumbled up.

    She said could she ask some background questions, I said yes, I thought it was a good place to start, (before this I asked her how long should it take to get over a traumatic experience, she said about a year for something like the lose of a loved one (It's been 6 years now and it was for abuse.) ) so I basically told her I live with my dad and his girlfriend and that there great people, that I might have been abused and my mother was a suicidal alcoholic, I have two sister and they don't talk to me and I don't talk to them or my mother, my mother moved somewhere and I don't know where to.

    She said that she thinks the best thing for me to do is to go home and think about what I want to do/ talk to her about and that I can come back and keep doing that for a few weeks and that there were leaflets and stuff I could take and see where we end up. She was really ok to talk to, although it was hard, I wanted to tell her stuff, it seemed like she actually cared,the words were right there, but I held back because am afraid I won't be able to sign up if the army hear anything of it and that really will be the end of me because I know I can deal with it, I know I can push everything back to give the army my full focus, it won't affect my performance but I don't think the'll see that. Am so angry, do I choose a career I've been wanting for years or do I get help? I could go for the career and then after get help, it would be ok, but I know it just eats away at you and it's best to get to the problem the now. One thing I can't do for sure is tell her I harm, I'll get band for even applying to the army. I would have wanted to talk to her with out any of it going on the record.

    I don''t know, I have another appointment next week. Sometimes I think is it all worth it, why can't I just snap out of it or maybe I have and theres nothing wrong with me.
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    DistractionDistraction Posts: 449 Listening Ear
    I think I'll go back get a leaflet, cancel next weeks appointment and see how that goes, It wasn't a waste of time today, I know that opening up to a doctor won't be for the best at the moment, but a counsellor can't say anything to anyone, it my safest option and this time the counsellor will be professional and understand, hopeful, gosh this is a long process just to get over the blo*dy past, I just hope I havne't made a huge mistake in telling her about my mother
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    SienaSiena Posts: 15,495 Skive's The Limit
    Hi Distraction
    Is there not a way you could get better and do your career?
    It depends on how you feel. Like if you think you can get better by yourself or have a mental illness because many do and might just be mild. Or if you think you cant. Then definitely putting your health first. Because without having a good health you wouldnt even be here. You can do a lot of jobs even with mental illneses.
    I knew that i couldnt get better by myself. But i choose my carer over my health. And that i shoild of taken a break. I had sereve depression and now im in a mental health crisis and got loads of work. So sometimes it would be better for you career to just get better first. If theres no rush.
    Shouldnt push it to one side, it can get really bad wihout treatment like anything.
    Hope that helped
    “And when they look at you, they won't see everything you've been through. They won't see the **** that turned to scars that began to fade with time. They won't see the heartbreaking things that shook up and changed your entire world. They won't know how many tears you cried or even what it was you were crying about. They won't see how strong you had to be because you had no other choice. What they will see though is how compassionate you are because you experienced pain. What they will see is how kind you are because you experienced how cruel the world is. What they will see is how good you are because you've seen how bad things or people can be. The difference between you and your experiences are who you choose to be, despite everything that could have turned you cold and unkind.You are the good the world needs and the best of us.” ~ Kirsten Corley
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    DistractionDistraction Posts: 449 Listening Ear
    Hi,

    Thank you,

    am not really sure how to get a medical view and it not having an affect on the army. If I had to choose between finding out whats wrong with my head or getting the career. I would really rather go for the career. The army have a strict no physical or mental illness rule, weather you had it in the past or now and the idea of the army has been the one thing that I've held onto since I was young. It's what got me through all the crap and if the crap is the only reason why I can't join because it's still effecting me then I have to get better by myself with out professionals finding out.

    I understand it might not be the best idea, but I can't not join up because of the past, am good at hiding it and it could even be the thing that brings me out of what ever is wrong (if anything is).

    I need to join up but I could get a counsellor on the side to help, no one needs to know about it and it could be a little extra support.

    Thanks :)
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