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talking to a someone about depression
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Basically I want to talk to a member of the mental health support team at my university (I've cancelled an appointment once already). I have an appointment for tomorrow, but I have no idea what or how to talk to someone about something so personal.
I'm one of those people who replay conversations over-and-over in their head and haven't slept well for days (just thinking about talking to this person tomorrow).
In the last few years I've tried to read as much as I can about my problems to try and improve my life. So now I'm worried that I might bias this persons view of me, by controlling what I do and do-not say (when talking off the cuff, I tend to say things that I don't mean or get muddled up very easily).
Should I just wait and see how the meeting goes, or should I try and write down all of my concerns and problems in a clear and concise way beforehand?
I'm one of those people who replay conversations over-and-over in their head and haven't slept well for days (just thinking about talking to this person tomorrow).
In the last few years I've tried to read as much as I can about my problems to try and improve my life. So now I'm worried that I might bias this persons view of me, by controlling what I do and do-not say (when talking off the cuff, I tend to say things that I don't mean or get muddled up very easily).
Should I just wait and see how the meeting goes, or should I try and write down all of my concerns and problems in a clear and concise way beforehand?
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Comments
First off, it's great news that you have made the appointment - it's a really positive step.
Perhaps you could write down a few of your main concerns beforehand to prevent you from getting muddled, but you won't need to tell them everything in a first meeting so don't worry about writing too much detail down. I know it's easier said than done, but try not to get too stressed about it, because it will probably help if you can try and get a good night's sleep before tomorrow. Perhaps run yourself a nice bath to try and relax before you go to bed.
Finally, if you get into the meeting and feel you don't need your notes, then of course you don't have to refer to them. If you've got them ready then you can make that decision when you get there.
I hope it goes well.
Take care
I liked the idea of keeping the notes short and only using them if I need them.
I have one other concern. My mood has had a kind of yoyo affect on my grades, and I've considered using a mitigating circumstances form. But I'm very worried about some sort of conflict of interests arising. Would the councillor maybe not take me seriously if I tell him that my grades are suffering.
Thanks for the reply.
Also try to keep in mind that they will be used to seeing people who find it difficult to talk about their problems. They wont expect you to find it easy or to have loads of confidence. They'll be nice to you
I thought I'd write down how things went.
Basically the person I spoke to was pretty nice, but I found it quite uncomfortable to tell someone how I've felt, honestly and frankly.
He suggested that I should make an appointment with the counselling services, and/or consider anti-depressants. He wants to meet me in a week just to see how things are going.
The one thing that I learned about myself in those 30mins or so, was that I've been 'a loner' for as long as I can remember (going back to starting secondary school 11 years ago), I've ended up very isolated and unhappy, and I just wish I could stop being so.
Waiting 3 weeks to speak to a counsellor is not fun, but its probably better than the NHS.