Check-In/Diagnosis Advice

Former Member

Hey all,

Hope everyone’s well/doing fine, sorry I haven’t been active for ages, lots of stuff going on!

So I got my exam results last month, and was super pleased to have passed all 5 with decent grades, so I decided to leave school as planned. It’s just such a massive weight off my shoulders to not have to go there and face all sorts of crap, and my mood’s definitely been lifted too, especially as I managed to get into college and get a part time job! 

In in terms of my mental health, things have been going a bit more smoothly lately, both my counsellor and my GP are pleased with how I’m doing, currently working on breaking down the “wall” that I put up to mask my true feelings with my counsellor. 

I know I’ve posted on here about diagnosis before, but how would I go about getting a diagnosis (in the UK)? My GP thinks that certain aspects of my personality (perfectionism, self-criticism, being hard on myself, etc) have been intensified by bad experiences/bullying at school and now manifest as symptoms of depression, and I’m not saying I don’t believe them or think they can’t diagnose, I just wanted advice. My counsellor said I’d need to see a psychiatrist if I was serious about getting a diagnosis, but I’d have to go through CAMHS for that (waiting lists are way too long) since there’s no private psychiatrists in my area. Anyone got any advice?

Stay strong everyone,

Pumpkin 

Former Member

Hey

I'm glad things are getting better for you! for your question I think the only way is to see a psychiatrist, I was lucky and managed to bypass all the waiting lists but the way my sister done it was she went through the gp for a referral, then she went back a month later and they put It as urgent and she got seen pretty quickly that way   hope this helps, if you can get your gp to put it down as urgent you'll get seen a lot quicker

Former Member

Thanks for your advice @Past User, glad that worked for your sister, I’d be reluctant to do that because I don’t want to offend my GP or make them feel like they’ve not helped me enough. Obviously there’s other GPs in the practice but the one I see is the only one who knows the full story. 

Pumpkin 

Former Member

Hey @pumpkinpie, congratulations on your exam results, getting into college, and securing a part-time job! Sincerely well done regarding your apprehension about offending your GP by asking for a second opinion, you might find it useful to read this article: 

https://www.themix.org.uk/your-body/using-health-services/i-dont-like-my-doctor-7660.html

Even if you don't have the time or don't fancy reading the article, here is an extract from it:

If you’re not happy with your doctor’s diagnosis, treatment or advice, it’s possible to ask for a second opinion with another doctor or consultant. You don’t have a legal right to a second opinion though, so if your GP refuses your request you might want to consider changing them altogether.

Might it be worth having a conversation with your GP about this? If your GP is the only one who knows the full story then they must know you reasonably well and know that you appreciate all they've done for you. You might even see this as another little win to tally against you trying to 'break down the wall' you out up as a self-defence mechanism? 

Anyway, hope this helps in one way or another