worried about getting help

[Dummymumm]

dont know where to start really. i've had depression since my teens and it was managed with ad's until recently. i saw the hv for dd's development check last week and she said she is seriously concerned about my mental health and that she was going to speak to my gp. i am seeing doc tomorrow and i'm getting panicky mainly about them thinking i can't take care of my dc. hv said she was going to ask gp to refer me for a psychiactric assessment. i've never had one before and dp said something in passing which worried me. i told dp that sometimes my dc are the only reason i'm still here and he told me to be careful about how much i tell them. i have been trying to talk to him on the phone (he works away) because i am scared but he is just getting stressy with me. i really wanted him to come with me, or to at least look after dc while i go, but he hasn't even asked his boss for the time off and now its too late. i dont want to go

Please go, the assessment will help the professionals to see what help you may need.

Think about changing your MN nickname - to something more positive

i really do think i am a bad mum and i'm scared thats what they'll see too if i open up

hi DM please go to the assessment im sure it wont be half as bad as you think. they are there to help you get better

i had a psychiatric assessment 2 months ago as i have an eating disorder which has also made me depressed.

i was nervous for similar reasons. i thought they would think i was an unfit mother and being a single parent my ds would be taken away.

but thats not the case. it wasn't like on the tv or anthing, it was a chat with a psychiatrist. i had to tell him my 'life story' then we discussed the appropriate course of treatment and about dosage of anti depressants.

They dont judge you or think of you as an unfit mother, your just going through a hard time and are not well at the moment. they are only concerned with making you better

please dont worry, just remember its to get you the help you need to be a better mummy and to feel better in yourself

also forgot to add, im now seeing a psychologist for cognitive therapy and i have told her i think i am a terrible mum at the moment. she's trying to make me see more positively and make me see that im not a terrible mum, im a good mum who is struggling at the moment and she's teaching me coping strategies to help me cope with ds better.

if you wasn't a good mum then you wouldn't want to get help to get better, but you do xx

thank you. i went to gp appt and she just upped my ad's and said there isn't any counselling available at the moment. really helpful. been crying again all morning. dc had to go without breakfast as i stuggled to get them ready on time. i shout at them all the time and i am so sick of listening to myself. i am so absorbed in how low i feel and i feel guilty for feeling this way.

i know exactly how you feel. i moan and shout at ds all day long and i hate it and it makes him moody and argumentative too but i cant help it. my boyfriend goes on about how moody and negative i am but i cant help that either and it gets me more moody and negative!!

i know the waiting lists for them sorts of things are very long. i was on a list for nearly six months before i realised i had private health cover! so i get mine through that now otherwise i would still probably be waiting.

do you notice the ads helping at all and making a difference?

i cant tell if mine make a difference. i suppose the only way i would be able to tell is if i stopped taking them

i haven't been on this one long enough yet. i never heard of it beofre it's sertraline and she put me on 100mg.

i havent worked since march 2005 and we just dont have the money to pay. ds 2.5 is due to start pre-school in sept but don't think we can afford that, though i desperatley need a break. dd is 10 months and starting to become a right handful too now she's mobile. the doctor said they are always well presented but she cant see my home. its a complete tip. i dont have the energy or motivation to do it.

You might be feeling better after a few weeks on the sertraline, but if not go back to your GP and make sure they know that you arent better. Your local psychiatric service may have access to psychological therapies that your GP may not know about or not be able to refer to.