Seeing a GP about mental health

Former Member

My silly brain seems to only get worse as time goes on, and it's been happening very quickly. I don't know how much of this is necessarily true and how much is me being worried about things but oh well.

Anyway as things aren't improving over time and are generally bad, I've been wanting to see a GP, my friend suggested the same. I've never seen a GP and also never spoken to anyone in person about my mental health, the friend I spoke to I know from the Internet.

So, I have no idea what to expect or do and honestly I'm dreading it, but that doesn't really matter cause I'll do it anyway.

I imagine some of you guys have had experience like this? What should I say or expect?

Merci

lovemimoon

Bonsoir, @Apollo

Or by the time you see this, bonjour!

If you're planning to visit the GP about your mental health, be straightforward with what you're going through.
Initially, when I visited the GP, she was really nice, asked a couple of questions and discussed my options with me. She wanted to prescribe me some antidepressants but I was under the age at the time. I was diagnosed with depression However, we discussed other options and I was referred to CAMHS, then referred to NEFLT when I turned 18. Next week, I'm going to have a mental assessment for a rediagnosis.

I'm going to say this - The diagnosis the GP will give you may not always be accurate. Sometimes there might be more to what you're going through, sometimes, it may not be the case.

Former Member

@lovemimoon thanks for the response and advice, I guess I just feel confused because I've never done something like this and don't know what it's like, so I appreciate your story

lovemimoon

Hi @Apollo

Don't worry! The GP is the first step and I wish you the best of luck! If you want, you can update us on how it went!

Former Member

Thanks, I think I will

independent_

Hey @Apollo I’m sorry to hear you’re still struggling. Seeing a GP is always a big step and it’s understandable and ok to be nervous about it.

When I first saw the GP about my mental health, I found it was helpful to write down a note in my phone with how I was feeling so I could refer to it if I needed to. You just need to be completely honest with them, tell them exactly how you’ve been feeling. The GP will ask questions which will help you to describe things. They might ask things like when it started, how it affects you day to day, and whether you’ve had thoughts about hurting yourself.

The GP might refer you for some counselling or therapy, and or talk about prescribing you some medication if they think that would be helpful. The first time I went to the GP last year, I was started on a medication straight away and refered to the adult mental health team, but it’s different for everyone. Sometimes it’s more beneficial to try counselling first and medication isn’t always needed. And if you do try medication, know there’s loads of options out there - if the first one you try doesn’t work for you or if you have lots of side effects, go back to the GP and they’ll try you on a different one.

I hope reading some of our experiences on here is helpful and good luck for when you do go, it’s always scary the first time but it’s a huge step and you should be really proud of yourself

Former Member

Thanks @independent_ your experiences do help. And this might sound silly but thanks for saying I should be proud of myself that made me feel good

Former Member

@Aidan thanks, always great to see you in group chat too.

Your experiences have helped me cause honestly I was just clueless about everything

Former Member

Hey @Apollo,

I'm so proud of you for wanting to reach out to a GP. This is a great step towards getting the support you truly deserve

There's a great website called Doc Ready that helps you to prepare for your doctors visit (specially for mental health). So I wonder if you might find this helpful to look through?

There's also a great page on Childline's website about speaking to your GP. I'm not sure how old you are; however, I do think this is a great resource regardless of age Explains everything in a way that is clear and easy to understand, so I like it for that reason.

I hope these help. Best of luck!

Former Member

Hey Apollo bit late but also weighing in!

I know how you feel right now, I need to ring them and discuss it but I have no idea what I'm going to say or anything.

So my best piece of advice is definitely to plan ahead, it will likely be over phone so you can always write up what you want to say and have it in front of you!

Secondly it is good to be entirely honest so you get the best out of it, they are there to help and gps deal with many things mental health included. I imagine they are dealing with it more than ever thanks to current events too!

You got this

independent_

Just wanted to drop back in to say GPs do deal with mental health every single day, if you’ve ever watched a programme called GPs behind closed doors there’s someone talking about mental health on almost every single episode. They will understand and they will be completely unshockable, so please do be honest with them

Former Member

Thanks for the support everyone and @coc0mac for the resources, I'll definitely check them out.

You guys are great <​3