Waiting on a referral.

[Raven88]

I've been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder for years and it's suspected that it started at 14 but the anxiety was the easier thing to talk about and I've hid a lot from doctors until the end of last year when I started to talk about my ed and other issues. I've been referred on and I'm waiting an appointment . Can anyone tell me what happens when I get that appointment?

Referred on to where? An organisation like Mind who provide counselling/CBT or do you mean referred to NHS mental health services to see a psychiatrist?

@thesnapandfartisinfallible NHS mental health service in my area, I assume it's a psychiatrist. I posted this when I was having a really bad day.

Here you meet first a nurse/cpn/social worker who talks about your problems. They then decide where to refer you; therapy, mind or psychiatrist etc.
I had to wait a week to see the nurse and after that two months to see psychiatrist.

First you will have a phone assessment to determine what your issues are, the extent to which they affect you and how urgent your situation is. You need to be completely honest with them. The call lasts about 40 minutes. Then you will get an appointment with a psychiatrist who will go more in depth. This appointment will last more like 2 hours. Where it goes from there depends on his/her findings.

My situation was slightly different, but I don't know if it was just pot luck or it was because I was really bad. Maybe the combination of the two. I was assessed by a mental health nurse at a psych hospital who referred me to a psychiatrist the same day. My appointment was about an hour, who diagnosed depression and anxiety and was given medication.

They can get it wrong, but it depends how you present yourself on the first meeting with them. I agree, be completely honest. My diagnoses was actually part of a bigger illness, I actually have bipolar disorder, which was confirmed about 5 months later. So don't be disappointed if you don't get a diagnoses straight away, sometimes it can take a few meetings for them to get to know you.

Have you tried CBT? I'm currently having that too, which can target anxiety.