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Former Member
Posts: 29 Boards Initiate
Hi, I’ve needed to go and see a doctor about my mental heath for a long time, and have finally decided to do it. I’ve just wanted to ask what the process is like and how to get started? Because the idea really scares me but I need it. Thanks
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I understand that going to see a doctor about your mental health can be a frightening thing to do, so really well done for getting to the point where to feel ready to go.
What do you think scares you the most about talking to them?
There is a good article here, about speaking to your GP about mental health which is worth a look at:
https://www.themix.org.uk/mental-health/mental-health-treatments/going-to-see-your-gp-about-a-mental-health-problem-6835.html
From my experience of talking to them, I really found that writing down what I want to tell them really helpful and is a good starting point, so that could be bullet points about how you are feeling and your thoughts around what help you think would be beneficial. You could either use it to refer to in your appointment or give it to the GP to read, if that is easier.
The GP would help you through talking about what has been going on and may talk through what options they have available in terms of support. Most GPs are really understanding and clued up on mental health and will want to help you the best they can.
Let us know how you get on!
Butterfly x
You say you don’t know why you are scared, which is okay. Sometimes we can feel emotions and not have a reason why. 💓
Butterfly x
It takes a lot of courage to admit you need help with your mental health so well done for taking that positive step - the discussion boards are a great resource for support.
It's completely natural to feel scared as you are doing this for the first time - what support do you have from friends and family? How would you feel about possibly taking someone with you to the appointment?
As @Past User suggested, writing down a few notes about how you have been feeling in the past few weeks or months can be a helpful way to gently remind yourself what you want to discuss with the doctor. Doctors are usually very understanding about mental health as around 40% of GP appointments in the UK are related to mental health.
If you want any support from the community in the meantime, feel free to join one of The Mix's Support Chats which are announced here.
If you feel comfortable, please let us know how you get on at the appointment
It also may be worth booking a double appointments if you feel 10 mins may be too short. You can book double for 20 mins. I think.
How are you feeling today ?
It's great to hear that you want to talk to your GP - that's the first step to getting on the road to recovery! It's effectively a discussion about what you're going through - in particular, they're looking for anything that prevents you from living a functional daily lifestyle. As previously mentioned, writing things down beforehand allows you to have everything you want to say on record, so they can follow along as well. Hope all goes well!x
Much love