If you have MH issues people don't believe you?

[Home77]

I've found sometimes people don't believe me about stuff and assume I'm making it up. For example with physical health. The doctors kept reassuring saying platitudes like 'you're young and healthy' - maybe thinking anxious? - anyway was a severe unusual physical thing which needed emergency surgery....even after that when had complications they assumed it was anxiety again and that time was very close as to needing surgery again- surgeons quite angry that 'had not presented / referred earlier, most people would have' again blaming me for the issue.

Also some people think you are attention seeking as well, some may do this but not all.

It makes me angry that people seem to assume people with MH are either stupid / don't believe you or that you are attention seeking. I now don't trust the doctors either.

This is exaggerated even more if you are 'overweight'. A friend of mine was turned away and recommended to exercise and go on a diet, she had internal bleeding...

Oh great, an overweight mainly due to the meds I'm on.

Totally agree.
It seems any doctor sees anxiety and PTSD on my notes and I am pre-judged before I have opened my mouth. Everything I say is always brought back to being an anxiety symptom.

I'm sorry to hear this happened to you.

I do think it's a default setting in some doctors to be sceptical generally - when I presented with Appendicitis symptoms they refused to believe it was real as I didn't fit the typical profile. They even tried to release me from hospital as they were so sure of themselves.

I guess they get lots of people who are anxious and don't have anything wrong, so get used to that.

The 'worried well', or 'heartsick patients' i believe they call it.

I've only ever had one Dr who didn't judge me on my MH - interestingly she had a reputation for being abrupt and having a poor bedside manner. I had some tests and needed some treatment, and she was the only one available. The test results were devastating in a personal rather than medical way, easily treated. I was going through a tough time and this confirmed it was going to get tougher. She listened to me as I broke down, and the whole story came out, and when I asked for antidepressants, she replied along the lines of
"This is a perfectly normal and natural reaction to what has happened, you need to understand that. You should feel angry, sad and cry about it, you will feel shocked and stressed right now, I would in your shoes. I will arrange Councilling as already discussed, and come back in a month and we'll see how your mental health is then, but right now you need antibiotics, a cuddle from your best friend and a treat! Not antidepressants"

At first I was terrified and angry - but she was right. MH problems didn't mean I couldn't cope with what was happening, it meant I needed extra support and she arranged that, but I went through and came out the other side and realised that she was right. I wish she hadn't left.

Brilliant interestingly I had a GP like that who did the thyroid and it D tests, thought she was dismissive of MH also but she did check out things properly. They can be a mixed bag.

After the serious thing which happened with me, I thought about complaining to the practice so it doesn't happen again. But then I thought that might not be a good idea as think they think MH patients always complain and make fusses / attention seeking. Not easy.

Yanbu. Obviously this is unavoidable if you’re dealing with your GP who knows you well but when I am referred on to other hospitals/ departments I no longer declare my MH condition.

I notice in a referral sometimes they don't mention it, in the referral. Maybe they know it may cloud the situation. Not sure.

A) People without an experience in MH issues WILL HAVE tough time seeing thing's from your point of view. Things are slowly changing in that way, but we're definitely not there yet. This doesn't help, I know, but I hope it will give you a bit of perspective.

B) That being said, healthcare professionals SHOULD know better, but they often don't. I say this as someone whose DH got fobbed off for months about anxiety, until I went to the GP practice and kicked up a fuss because as a MH practitioner I could tell there was more to it. Turned out it was leukaemia. Not to say that everybody with anxiety has cancer, but people with MH issues DO HAVE a really tough time getting healthcare professionals to see them as a complete patients who still have physical health issues.

A compounding factor can be that sometimes physical stuff can make you more anxious. If you are crying due to severe pain for example, my heart racing was put down to anxiety (had abdominal abscess after surgery). I get so worried it might happen again.