Courage to see GP

[stinkarella123]

I have an appointment with a GP tomorrow morning, at the moment I am thinking about cancelling it as I just don't know how I can possibly do it.
I have been struggling for a long time now, but the past few months things have been getting worse, I am completely desperate now, I have finally faced up to the fact that I need some help. I don't know what I'm going to say to them, I know I'll be ridiculously anxious, just getting out of the house and to the doctors will be an exhausting challenge. Once I'm in the room, sitting down, what do I say to them? Where do I start? I just can't see how I will actually get the words out but I know that I really really need to. I'm scared of what they might say to me, of them judging me.
I think I'm just looking for some advice really, if anyone has any?

What I've done in similar circumstances is to write down what I need to tell the doctor, and give it to them to read. That way you can order your thoughts and decide what you want to say while you're still at home and you don't have to worry about forgetting things when you're in the high pressure situation of the doctor's rooms. Please don't cancel your appointment, you can and deserve to be helped.

Yes. Write it down. Bullet point a few main points if you'd rather.
I went to my GP with depression. I got sympathy and understanding. Meds and counselling helped me hugely. I'm now off all meds and feel so much better than the mess I was.

I'm not going to call you stink! I really hope you haven't cancelled the appointment as you did well to make it - it's a very difficult thing to do.

You ask what to say - how about what you've said on here "I've been struggling for a while now but the past few months have been getting worse and now I am completely desperate............" At this point you may burst into tears, but that's ok, that's what often happens. Certainly this is what happened with me when I finally got to the GP.

The other thing is some people find it helpful to make a list of your symptoms, (just write them down, don't worry about how they sound) and you can either hand it over to the GP or use it so you remember to tell him/her exactly what is happening. Some GPs have their own questionnaires and if you are having symptoms of depression/anxiety they will ask you particular Qs related to that type of mental illness e.g. Are you sad/low mood - most of the day, some days, every day, and similar Qs about bouts of crying, concentration, motivation, sleep, eating, suicidal thoughts etc.

Please don't worry what the GP will think - you won't be telling him/her anything they haven't heard hundreds of times before, and approx. one third of all GP consultations are mental health related. And 1 in 4 people will suffer a mental illness at some point in their lives - so no they won't judge you - they know it's an illness. Mind I think depression is a very deceitful illness because it makes us feel we are somehow to blame, and we should be able to do something to make ourselves feel better, whereas we don't feel like that with a physical illness.

You will probably be offered medication and that can be very effective, so deep breaths in the morning and get to the GP and come back and let us know how you got on.

Thank you for your advice! I will try writing something down, then at least if I can't say anything I could just give that to the doctor.

I've known for so long that I needed to see someone and ask for help but I could just never bring myself to do it, it's now completely consuming me though and I know it doesn't have to be like this. I haven't slept properly for months and can barely leave the house, I'm supposed to be starting a new job soon and as things currently stand I just can't see how I will be able to do it.
I was really hoping it would be a fresh start for me, but I've probably left it too late.

Thanks again for your responses, I really do appreciate it.

Once you're in there it won't be as bad as the anticipation of it - GPs know what questions to ask and I'm sure you'll be treated with kindness and understanding. Really it's enough to go in there and say "I'm so worried about my mental health, I've been feeling terrible for ages" and they will take it from there with questions. If you can manage to write some things down I'm sure that'll be a help to the doc. Take courage, I bet you'll be so glad you did it (and relieved!). GOOD LUCK

Just wanted to say well done for making the appointment and echo what others have said about writing stuff down. I've been to the doctors in your situation and handed them a sheet of paper to read whilst I burst into tears.

My GP was fab, so reassuring and sensitive, they see it so often and really understand what people are going through.

It won't be as bad as you think, and it's the first step towards feeling better. Good luck and congratulations for making a big step towards helping yourself move towards a better place.

Well done for making the appt. as others have said make notes- but if you feel upset it's ok- your gp will have seen it all before.
Good luck. Sleep well

Well I have written something down, it's not much, my mind has gone blank but at least it's something. I think if I can just manage to say what Raia suggested, then I can just give them the paper. I can't believe I'm finally going, I can't imagine that they are going to be able to make things magically better, but at least I'm trying.

Well I did it and I feel so much relief. It was nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be, the doctor was really lovely and understanding. She has prescribed Citalopram and referred me for an ECG and to a CPN(?) I think that's what she said. She thinks that will be the best person for me to talk to, I'm not sure that I'll be able to open up and talk to someone but I can try.
Thanks again for taking the time to reply to my post.

Well done OP, that's fab news!

I'm so glad it went well. Good luck.

Well done. Citalopran is good- takes a little while to kick in but it does help a lot.

Well done you! I was on Citalopram. Give it time to work and don't panic if you get side effects to start with. Persevere.
You deserve to be well. You've taken the first step.