To think the GP receptionist should have asked, 'Are you ok'?

[shonapop]

My mood has been slowly spiralling downwards. I've had many gentle suggestions from family that perhaps it's time to think about increasing my anti depressants.
I've been really putting it off, trying to fix myself with all the usual exercise, meditation, etc. Just getting worse.
Plucked up the courage to call the GP today, feeling like a total failure and on my way to rock bottom.
Told the receptionist 'I think I need to tweak my antidepressants' she said 'I can't get you a phonecall with a GP until next week ' that was it. Didn't ask if I was ok, was it an mental health emergency? Or even what direction was I wanting to tweak them.
What if it was someone AT rock bottom? Suicidal? Can't believe the lack of compassion.

I do understand.. but, bless you, she's not a mindreader.
Ring back & say 'sorry, I really feel bad & need an earlier appointment' or words to that effect.. hugs.

GP receptionists can't win.

If they don't ask questions they are called 'uncaring' but if they do ask questions they are being 'nosey' or 'intrusive'. 🙄

I do feel for you. I think the response might have been different if you had initially conveyed a sense of urgency. 'I think I need to tweak my antidepressants' doesn't sound urgent. Totally appreciate you might not have wanted to give her details, but then equally I don't think you could then expect her to ask.

I mean this gently. I really do hope you are ok and that the appointment next week is helpful.

I’d imagine they don’t ask callers if they’re okay because most callers, by dint of calling the GP surgery, are in some way not okay, and they don’t have the time, capacity or the medical / counselling skills to handle the situation if the caller starts giving them chapter and verse about how they aren’t okay - which many would.

Have you a friend or relative you could talk to instead? They’d be a much better source of support.

agreed with this. It’s not up to her to ask which way you want to tweak your meds. She’s got zero medical training OP.
I hope you start to feel better soon 💐

Op im sorry you are having a hard time, I really hope the gp helps you.

but everyone who rings the gp to make an appointment is ill, the receptionist is doing their job of matching people to appointments, they can’t ask everyone how they’re doing. In fact it would be unprofessional and nosy of them to ask patients for casual updates on their illnesses!

it sounds like you need someone to listen to you and give you some care and understanding. Is there a friend who might be up for a coffee and a chat?

Needing to “tweak your medication” doesn’t indicate an emergency or a crisis. If someone is at rock bottom or suicidal then they’d usually indicate that in some way if they’re seeking help - and she’s not a suicide hotline.

I appreciate you wanted more hand-holding but I think you need to advocate for yourself a bit more and be signposted towards support facilities. I don’t think she’s done anything wrong here.

I think most receptionists wouldn't class it as a MH emergency if someone says they want to tweak their ADs - they are not medically trained and their job is to make appointments and to prioritise appointments as best they can on the information given by the patient.

You might need to ring back and lay it on with a trowel that your MH is becoming seriously unstable and you need as early an appointment as possible,.

With love, OP, I agree. She didn't know whether you meant you want to reduce, or you're having side effects, as opposed to wanting to increase. Ring them back.

You need to say ‘I need an urgent appt’ if that’s what you need.

It’s possible she thought you were having side effects or something minor.

Sounds like you are having a tough time, I hope you get some improvement/help somehow.

OP if your mental health is seriously plummeting:/ you feel suicidal you need 111 for an urgent consultation not your GP

They might not be permitted to ask questions or, are limited for time given the volume of calls they are dealing with.
If you needed meds tweaking then that doesn't automatically indicate urgent action. Twice I've either been or called our surgery, after 9am meaning there definitely won't be any appointments left for the day, but I've asked if I can see someone /have a call that day. and I think there were some spare "emergency" appointments at the end of the morning.

I feel for you OP. I had an appointment with the nurse yesterday during which I told her my hormones make me feel suicidal for a week each month.

She gave me a link to an LGBTQIA+ sexual health clinic. No idea what that was supposed to achieve.

My mood is in no way related to who I am having sex with.

I'm not sure it's lack of compassion. It's mostly time but also an administrator isn't trained to screen calls in this way. They also probably wouldnt ask if your baby was floppy if you rang saying you wanted a decongestant or call old Granny Smith to see how her hip was healing.
For future reference Google your local secondary care health authority and put Mental Health in the search box you'll get a list of the different services and likely a 24/7 telephone line. These are sometimes called crisis helplines. Your GP should know this too. Put it in your phone ASAP ready in case you need it in an emergency. There are other national charities like the Samaritans and MIND that can support you too.
Unfortunately with the best will in the world even a very experienced and knowledgeable GP call handler with a heart of gold would be unable to give the service your suggesting.

It can be very difficult asking for help with mental health so firstly, well done for phoning.
however, I think the onus is on the patient to be forthcoming about what help they need. Therefore if someone is at rock bottom or suicidal then they should clearly state this. No one is a mind reader and can’t be expected to tease out information when you ask for an appointment

Most people calling a gp surgery are not OK, in one way or another.

If it's an emergency you need to stipulate that it's an emergency - that you're having a mental heath crisis and cannot cope.

A receptionist can't sit there and diagnose you. They'd open themselves up to all sorts of potential accusations.

She's not qualified to help you unfortunately. Your GP should have given you contacts to call if you're in a crisis.

Are you ok or would you like us to give you some support lines?

She's a receptionist, not a counsellor. She isn't trained or qualified to start serious conversations around a caller's mental health and she's got 12 other callers waiting whose conditions might be as serious as yours or even more so.

I'm sorry you're unwell and I hope you get the help you need very quickly and recover.

I hope you're feeling a little better now you've started the process of getting more help. Do you have counselling alongside the medication?

Unfortunately GP practices are extremely understaffed due to funding and extreme demand. Unless your GP surgery is a rarity, the chances are your receptionist had multiple other lines needing to be picked up, then had referral and blood work documents to read and process, and then probably more calls to take.

There just isn't the time to be asking patients how they feel. For all she knows, you could have then had a 10 minute monologue that she'd have found hard to get out of to help other patients. She could also have gotten into difficult territory; she isn't a counsellor, a GP or a loved on. She's a random person, employed to take your call and assign you an appropriate slot.

OP - if you're starting to feel desperate, I would seek a counsellor and call the surgery back, stating you need an urgent appointment today. Then let family know you need someone around. All the best.

Thankyou all.
I just feel I usually get interrogated when I call and the one time someone might need a bit more time there's nothing. I'm going to be ok but what about the next person who calls that isn't?

When I phone the GP I just say I want a call today and they put me on the list for that day.

Nope sorry you’re being unreasonable.
She’s not qualified to help you. If you are going to down play it on the phone and merely say you ‘might need to tweak my medication’ then don’t get annoyed when the receptionist doesn’t make the automatic assumption that you’re in crisis.

This. It's sad, but true. I hope you will be ok @shonapop and have some support in RL in the meantime.

@shonapop I'm going to be ok but what about the next person who calls that isn't?

It won’t be anything to do with the GP receptionist for not acting as a stand in therapist.