Phone phobia

[nosykids]

Sorry, this is a rant. I want to see a GP to discuss my mental health but I can't because I have to:

• Phone up and speak to someone on the phone.
• Ask for something (in this case, an appointment) over the phone.
• Tell the receptionist the reason I am requesting an appointment over the phone, which feels incredibly intrusive.
• Wait all day for the GP to phone me and be able to do nothing else because I am crippled with anxiety about the prospect of having to speak on the phone.
• Then, when they finally call me, I have to speak to them on the phone...
• I will struggle to process what is being said because speaking on the phone makes me so anxious, but also because I find it very difficult to focus on a disembodied voice.
• They will no doubt suggest CBT and I know this won't work for me but, because we are speaking on the phone, I will just desperately want the phone call to be over and accept what they say without advocating for myself.

This system really discriminates against ND people. I wish they would change it. Anyone else as bad as me?

I really hate the having to tell everything to a receptionist. I mean, sure, they are all bound by confidentiality, but it's just weird telling all to a non-medical person.
(don't even mention things like them offering me a phone appointment to look at suspect moles... wtf... they backed that up when I pointed out the absurdity)

I hate talking on the phone too, I ended up teaching myself the best acting ever to do so. No help for you night now, but it is something unfortunately part of modern life, so my "script" and phone voice are part of that for me.

Can anybody else do it for you? Be there, make the call for you, pass you over once they have said "I am BLAHBLAH calling on behalf of NosyKids as they are Autistic, here they are to confirm you can talk to me" you then confirm and hand phone back. They can then ask you questions if necessary. They can point out CBT doesn't work well for autistic people and that you need other help. Write everything down they need to say.

Does your GP practice not offer an alternative to phoning? An online form or email address? If so, you could explain beforehand what you need help for and that you have great difficulty using the phone. You'd still have the anxiety of waiting for a reply but at least it'd reduce the possibility of your needs being misunderstood.

I think I will just have to get dh to ring up for me and make the appointment - I am fine speaking face to face, so it has only been an issue since they started this whole phone appointment nonsense. I could push myself to get through the initial call to make the appointment and then it would be over - now the whole experience is an unrelenting nightmare.

I do tend to just tell people I won't speak on the phone now - but it feels much more insurmountable with medical stuff and it stops me from seeking help from medical professionals. I remember when I was miscarrying and dh had phoned up for me, the GP INSISTED on speaking to me. This was before I was diagnosed, so at that point it was just baffling to everyone why I found it so hard, I suppose.

I have ADHD/PDA, so everything in my wiring fights against it.

Is it just phones that's a problem ... what about Zoom or Facetime? Does that work any better for you? Or maybe you can get someone to advocate for you? But you really do need to address the phobia ...