Born in 80s. Anyone else's parents never take them to the GP?

[lumpybumper]

So this dawned on me when I was trying to sleep last night. I was born in the 80s and I remember the first time I ever got taken to the GP I was 12 with an ear infection. I must have been poorly at some point before then, but I was never taken.
I wasn't neglected in any way. Nice upbringing, holidays, hobbies.
I remember a period of when I was 7 where I would throw up every single day for pretty much a year when I woke up in the morning. My mum used to tell me it was because I "had worked myself up" and used to watch me throw up every morning and then take me to school as normal. Looking back it was probably anxiety, but I never got taken to the GP. She used to tell my teacher I had thrown up every morning and no-one batted an eye lid. If my child threw up every day for a year I would 100% be at the doctors!
Also I developed a severe mental health issue aged 10 which still affects me now. Again, never got any help or taken to the GP. If anything my parents ripped the piss out of the strange things I did and behaviours I showed for years and years.
Did parents in the 80s just not bother with GPs? It blows my mind. My kids get taken at least once a year for one issue or another, infections, rashes, etc etc.

Definitely not the norm in the 80s in my area ....although now people tend to take children for a slight temp, cough or sickness.

Isn't that called munchausens by proxy?

Im kinda the same. Born 86. My dad tells a story of demanding antibiotics from the Dr because I had really bad sore throat when I was a toddler. But in high school ( and probably before) I started to get really bad head aches, my patients just told me it was sinus infection so nothing Dr's can do ect. Now I have lots of adult friends who go to Dr's if they have a bad sinus infection or chest infection ( even though most are viral). Looking back I think my mum prob didn't want to take day leave to look after me amd as it was chronic issues they didn't want to 'indulge' me. As an adult I'm now sure that my head pain is actually migraines! But I still haven't been to the Dr about it because ...( conditioning) .. I just get on with it and lie down for a day.

My other half had a neglect full upbringing and has had lots of occasions when he need ambulance ( think accidents with mechanical saws, fires, fireworks in face ). Most times this happened she refused to get off the phone to call 999 or started to tell him off for bleeding on the carpet ( and all over the walls, had chopped an artery! ) he need loads of blood when he got to hospital and almost lots his leg and hand!. He had a full face burn and she just laughed at him and said how bad he looked.

Similar here! I had my tonsils out when I was 4 so must have been for that. After that, I don’t think I ever went until I was 16 and wanted the pill! But I definitely wouldn’t class it as neglectful, if you’re blessed with pretty good health then most typical childhood illnesses can be managed at home. I remember chickenpox and flu, plenty of mild colds, the odd stomach bug, but ordinarily those wouldn’t need a doctor. I’m similar with my own kids. DD7 has seen a GP twice- once for strep throat and once for an ear infection. DS4 has been once for whooping cough plus also to A&E for a broken wrist.

I went to the GP sometimes but didn't know anyone who went to hospital (except one boy who broke his arm). Always feel kids now go to hospital much more commonly.

I developed awful ocd after my sibling died. My mom took the p

My 7 year old hasn’t seen a GP since she was a baby for the 6 week check or whatever it is. Obviously has had all her vaccinations with the nurse, but has only ever had self-limiting illnesses/conditions that we could treat at home.

I can’t really remember ever going as a child either. It sounds like you really should have gone, but I do feel generally people have a lower threshold now for going to the doctors than they used to.

Maybe they genuinely didn't think you needed to see the GP for things they could treat at home (eg constipation which they clearly got wrong!) and perhaps they didn't think the GP could be any help for anxiety or other mental health issues?

I went around with a broken collar bone for a week before my mum took me to the GP. They said it was fine. A week later after still not being able to use my arm my mum took me for an X ray - it was broken! Maybe I didn't make enough of a fuss?

My own baby just coming up 2. Has been to Dr's with chest infections twice ( 8 weeks old and 13 months). Hand foot and mouth once ( I called to ask if Dr could confirm via pictues but was told to come in) a random rash at 10months ( turned out to have a chest infection then as well.

I mainly wanted advise as it was just on the edge of feeling like I could cope at home. For the chest infections it would only have needed things to be a bit worse and it would hit the red flags for going to a and e, so I felt getting advice from gp would be good incase things got worse? Not sure if this was right thing to do but Dr's said they would rather see an ok baby then one left too late.

Nursery keep telling me to take him to Dr's for things like conjunctivitis but I lied and said we had been and just did care at home. Would have gone if it didn't clear up

Child of the eighties. I went to GP for ear infections, impetigo, and hearing loss but was never taken for generalised or random pain, my exhaustion and excessive sleeping, ingrown toenails, skin problems. And my sister with severe asthma was definitely kept at home when these days she would have been taken to hospital. But both parents were nurses and they didn't panic and we were fine. (Well my sister was, I was diagnosed with under active thyroid and chronic skin conditions and have had all toenails removed as an adult)

I don't think that's normal for the 80s, it sounds like your parents were somewhat neglectful.
I was born in the 80s and my parents took me to the doctor whenever it was needed. Between me and my 4 brothers, my parents must have spent a lot of time at the doctors because they became friends with our GP and he took us all out on a trip on his canal boat once!

The physical thing (being sick) surprises me. I was born in the early 1980s and mine took us to the GP, and had house calls. Although the GP/hospital was occasionally used as a threat if they thought we were faking/being dramatic. Mine would often not believe me if they couldn’t physically see the problem and it’s got me into a dreadful tangle about when I (and my own children) need medical attention as I don’t trust my own judgement.

The mental health side of things unfortunately doesn’t surprise me. My parents never took me, despite me clearly having anxiety and a lot of OCD type behaviours. I think it’s partly that it wasn’t recognised but also: ignore it and it might go away; take the piss and they’ll stop doing it; going to the GP about this implies failure to manage/parent so I’ll be judged.

I was born in the early 80s and generally a healthy child, would say probably luckier than most in that way. I went to the GP for necessary things, but that probably amounted to no more than once or twice a year until I was a teen. I just didn't need it.

I was born in the late 70s and I remember going to the GP more frequently than I take my own kids. However I think getting a GP apt was probably a lot easier, and we always saw the same Dr.
I had to take DS to the GP a few years ago for an ear infection, the previous time he had been was 5+ years earlier. He had a course of antibiotics and they didnt fully clear it. When i tried to make a follow up apt, I tried for 3 days with no luck and ended up driving to a walk in centre on day 3.

Although a work colleague has health anxiety and seems to be able to get appointments for her and her DC pretty easily (in a different town) They seem to be there most weeks

I suspect in the 80s anxiety just wasn't the 'thing' that it is now so it was probably ignored unless you were at sectioning levels of MH. These days we are far more educated about MH challenges.

Re other things I think it just depends on your children. One of mine is 15 and I'm not sure they've ever been to the GP as it's just not been needed.

Are you sure they didn't take you when you were younger? Have you asked them? Did/do they have a fear of hospitals or illness?

Neglect on your parents' part

Rarely. Im a 70s girl and lived across the road from the doctor surgery and he was also a friend of my uncle. Surgery had no telephone so he came to ours to use ours and left money on the sideboard. He usually asked if we were ok and if we needed to see him he’d call round at the end of the day.

the best times!

Bloody help
home telephones were commonplace by the sixties!

I think my parents (I’m an eighties baby) were more likely to call the GP than me. I remember having a named GP who you generally saw, unless it was an emergency, then you might just see who was available. I had quite a few ear infections as a kid and always got antibiotics. I feel they’re much more reluctant to do that now, and it’s much harder to get an appointment.

not normal op. Child of 75 here. Mum took me to the gp all the time. I remember home visits too!

My own kids though, have never had antibiotics and only seen A&E doctors for injuries. Oh and vaccinations. I found my dc had problems that the doctor wouldn’t help with and it was better to rest them at home.

People went to the GP less.

I am in my 50s, so a child of the 70s and 80s. My parents were born before the NHS existed (they were older parents).

For context, my maternal grandmother died when my mum was a young child, because they couldn’t afford to take her to the Dr for treatment. So that’s what was normalised during their childhoods.

My parents are still of the mindset that you dress up in your Sunday best to see the GP, and make small-talk with the GP for a few minutes before admitting there is anything wrong with them.

I also agree with others that have said you wouldn’t have been treated at a GPs for anxiety in the 80s. It just wasn’t really recognised as a medical issue, certainly not in children. It was regarded as “pull yourself together”, and “build resilience”.

I thing there was some recognition through American TV shows that some people were medicated for it, but I don’t think it was generally seen as something you would take a child to the GP for.

Interesting reading through these. Yes maybe mental health wasn't seen as a thing back then, especially in children.
It's funny that the teachers who saw me every morning after throwing up at home didn't seem to be concerned either. It was just a "she works herself up until she's sick" situation! Straight into school and into assembly after vomiting 15 minutes beforehand!!!