What do I say to the doctors?

[Xoxgossipgirl]

I’m planning to make an appointment tomorrow with the doctors to try and finally get some help for my mental health. I’m hoping they can give me some antidepressants because I can’t go on like this much longer. I’ve written a plan of what to say to them, what else do I need to add or take out?;
This has been going on for years and years, since I was a child, my parents said I was a very difficult child. I’ve wanted to reach out so many times but I don’t know what to say which is why I’ve written it all down, in recent months I’ve been snapping at my boyfriend unintentionally which isn’t fair on him, I just feel so bad and I’m with him a lot of the time, so I end up passing it all onto him which isn’t fair at all. I went to camhs a few years ago, they told me I had severe low mood and general anxiety, I was in the process of going to a psychiatrist but the waiting list was over a year due to Covid so it felt hopeless so I never did it
My nan died in September, then my dog. I mostly feel numb to it but its a constant weight on my chest and it all comes out every now and then once it’s built up, and all I can do is lay in bed and cry, i can’t make myself shower or brush my teeth or take care of myself at all, then it’s like I shut off again and go completely numb again.
I went to college to do a course I was really excited to do, but I’ve been kicked off the course due to attendance due to not sleeping at night because of racing thoughts, and too anxious and overwhelmed to get in, I’d get on the bus and then leave because of how sick I felt from anxiety
I do things to make myself happier, like going on walks, meeting friends etc and I can feel okay in that moment but as soon as I’m by myself I feel empty, I have 0 motivation even though I have so many goals for what I want to do, as I live alone I feel so lonely and empty when I’m back at home afterwards
Sometimes I feel good, but usually by the end of the day, or the next, I feel the same again
I drift from my friends a lot, for a month a couple of months ago I hardly went out, hardly spoke to my friends because I felt too anxious to see them even though I’m very close to them

That post looks like a pretty good start for what to say to your GP. Good luck.

Just take what you’ve written. Tell them you’ve written it down because you find it hard to talk about and give it to them to read. They’ll understand.

Thank you. Do you think it explains everything well enough?

Does anyone know if they’re likely to give me antidepressants without making me do therapy first?

In my experience they are more likely to prescribe you ADs than to offer therapy.

What you've written will be funeral to read out or give to the GP. A huge proportion of their work will involve mental health issues so this will be routine work for them and they will know what to do. You can ask for antidepressants and/or therapy. Bear in mind that you will experience side effects before you start to feel better so you a likely to need time off work and support from people around you. All thr best OP

Thank you so much everyone

Take a copy of your post here - explains things pretty well. You’ll probably be offered anti-depressants but having been prescribed these on and off for long standing anxiety and depression I can tell you that they work well. They take a while to kick in - about three weeks or so, but they will lift your mood and make you feel better. I was also offered talking therapy, which ‘I found very helpful, but there’s a waiting list for this. You may also find it helpful to google ‘Mindfulness’. It’s a kind of online cognitive behavioural therapy and self help resource. Again, very helpful and you can engage when and where convenient.

Thank you. My friend is on antidepressants, she had sertraline but it made her gain a lot of weight and feel generally worse but is now on fluoxetine and much better.

A lot of people don’t do well with Sertraline - myself included - but there are lots of different options and your GP will talk to you through what to expect from the treatment they prescribe. It’s important to let your doctor know if you’re having difficulty with a particular medication, but equally important to understand that it takes a couple of weeks for anti depressants to start to work for you, and that any initial side effects will usually settle down after a short time.

Hi OP. Just wondering if you’ve seen your GP yet, and how it went. How are you feeling now ?