So I am going to GP finally next week. What help can I expect?

[lucysnowe]

Hi all posting here for first time, I hope it is ok. Things have been getting on top of me lately and I've realised it has been impacting my mood greatly. I've noticed that this is affecting DCs too and I need to get some help. If I go to GP, and just have a massive moan, will they be able to offer anything? Counselling or medication etc? Or will they just kind of ignore? This would be my first time speaking about my personal mental health and I wonder if they will just shrug it off, partly because my problems are caused by outside things (but not anything that will change). I suppose... I just don't want the GP visit to make me feel worse. Thanks for reading :)

I guess the GP will ask you some questions to ascertain whether anti depressants will help you. They WILL take you seriously though and you must be totally honest about your feelings.
At my GP surgery you can self-refer for positive stepps counselling. This is run by the local mental health trust so contacting them is a way into mental health specialist treatment.
They also have a mental health nurse attached to the surgery and you can make appointments with her.
Have a look at what your surgery offers mental health wise.
GP's are great but are not specialists in mental health and anti depressants are not always the answer.
I hope it goes really well for you today

In all honesty some GPs are better than others when it comes to MH, they certainly should listen to you and take you seriously though. They often get you to complete a standard questionairre about how you have been feeling over the last few weeks. This will help them gauge if you are depressed and how severe it is. They may provide you with medication and/or refer you on for councelling or cbt or similar. In some areas you can self refer and they will give you the details for that.

Thank you both :) I am going on Tuesday. Seeing a locum doc as I have no preference really and hopefully he will be sympathetic.

I have always found locum doctors very supportive and just because this is the first time you've spoken to a doctor does not mean they will not take you seriously. Do you tell them you have been struggling for some time now without help and really feel that the time has come to ask for some input. Best of luck.

Hi there

I am not trying to freak you out, but Some GPs are bloody piss poor when it comes to mental health issues. If you get a bad one, do not let this put you off and book another appointment with one of the regular dctors.

Like I say I'm not trying to put you off I really believe you should go and attend your appointment, but my message is, do not despair if your gp isn't as good as hoped as the next one will be. I have had good experiences and bad experiences with doctors - some are far more clued up than others

What to expect in my area would be ''the dreaded questionaire''

Around 20 questions that will score your scale of how depressed you are.

Be completely honest and make sure you let them know how long you have been struggling, that this hasn't just arisen over the last few days - that this has been ongoing but this is your first visit

Questions will be things about your state of mind and if you feel hopeless etc and probe to see if you are a high risk

good luck

Hi everyone, thanks so much again for your kind responses. Well I went to the GP but we didn't have much time to talk because another medical issue had arisen meantime but she did pass me onto the takingspace website which did ask me the questions Pink I think you refer to, and diagnosed me with mild anxiety and depression, and referred me to counselling locally. However, there are 10 people before me on the waiting list - not sure if that is good or bad - but we shall see. Starting the process has made a big difference, anyway.