Severe work stress, how to broach with GP

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Hello

I previously posted about this,

I am now very close to the end of my notice period ( 🎉) for my current job .I am moving city, country (back to One which I love) and job very soon. It can’t come soon enough.

I work for the nhs in a professional role, I probably work in the bitchiest of nhs professions, but it is far far worse in my current place than I ever experienced in the other country. We have also had covid absolutely slamming us and being forced to take double our usual amounts of patients. The job itself is stressful but I love the clinical work, my patients etc. Management is very poor, staffing very short, everything’s a battle. I could go on forever. At the moment it is slightly better in that luckily covid isn’t spiking but yet I still struggle with the colleagues, workplace etc.

I only have a few shifts left but I am like a wreck. Dreading if certain colleagues are in charge, dreading how direct and balshy I have to be to get the basics for my patients, it really takes it out of me. I myself am like the workplace bitch continually datixing and being very demanding in order for my patients to receive care of the standard I was able to provide in other places. Even though I’ve not long left it feels like a battle with no end.

Anyway, I’m forcing myself to speak to my GP tomorrow. (It’ll be a phone apt) But I’m really stuck as to how to broach the subject. I think I’d benefit from a low dose trial of anti depressants / anti anxiety meds. I generally find GPs very nice when I reveal my job but I’ve literally never had a mental health conversation with any GP before.

Thanks

Apologies this is v v long and I have been delib vague

Just take along bullet points of what you are experiencing and that you want explore options including ADs or anti anxiety medication.

Your GP will totally get it, they work in the NHS too and understand exactly the sort of toxic workplace you describe (I’m a GP). I would just remind them of your job, say that you are under a lot of work stress at the moment, that you’ve in fact made major changes to move in the near future, but that you are keen to try a low dose of antidepressant as you feel it’s all getting you down. Your GP will ask you questions if you’re struggling to express yourself so I’d just say you’re calling about work stress and how it’s affecting you and let them take it from there. I wonder if you only have a few shifts left and are this ground down by everything and dreading work as much as you say, whether you should ask to be signed off work for your last few shifts, or do you think that will cause problems for the new job? Out of interest when you say “the bitchiest of NHS professions” I wonder what you mean, I’m personally assuming you’re a midwife! I really hope the move works out well for you.

Obviously up to you, but given you seem to suffering from situational stress, which will be ending, why are you asking to be medicated? If everything will improve once back in your own country, would it not make more sense to focus on that?

Is it just work that’s causing you to feel anxious and depressed? Since antidepressants take 2-3 weeks to start working I’m not sure there’ll be a viable option for such a short term problem.

In terms of an anxiety medication- if it’s physical anxiety the doctor may consider a beta blocker like propranolol but probably wouldn’t want to give a hypnotic/benzodiazepine drug since you need to be lucid. They hate prescribing them at the best of times.

Just be honest in the conversation- it sounds really stressful and all GPS during their various training rotations will be able to relate.

You're a midwife, aren't you? The stress of a poorly managed maternity unit can be absolutely unbearable, especially when you don't have colleagues you can rely on. As PPs have said, the GP will understand. Tell them exactly what you've told us. I agree that this sounds situational rather than a larger problem? In which case just asking to be signed off work might be a better move, or part of the bigger plan. Sending you strength and solidarity!

Thanks so much everyone 🎉

I have an appointment tomorrow as I may have overslept

I’m actually not a midwife but a nurse 😆 maybe we are the second bitchiest profession

I’m a critical care nurse, I’ve not had any time off sick since I started so it’s a consideration

This isn’t my first critical care unit and it’s a small hospital, everyone knows everyone, mediocre at best, I trained and am used to large university teaching hospitals with very high standards, always trying to improve

It probably is situational but I think I have some low level anxiety anyway, and have done since childhood

Hope you managed to speak with your GP. When I approached mine (I'm NHS worker too!) I was apprehensive - but he totally got it, perhaps more than non-clinical people could. Take care 🌹

I spoke to a GP. He was incredibly nice and spoke about how he did a rotation on icu and how stressful it was. GPs are always very nice when they find out my job. He’s prescribed me a very short term sleeping tablet as I’ve got shift worker sleep syndrome, and has written me a letter that would sign me off, and said to just decide if I want to use it. I’m contraindicated against some antiDs and decided against them for now, and will review in an appointment in two weeks.