LIVE CHAT EVENT FOR MENTAL HEALTH WEEK: Thursday 8 October at 1pm - A GP's tips on staying mentally healthy

[Chris_B]

Hi everyone,

As part of Mental Health Week, we will be hosting another live chat here on Thursday 8 October, 1-2pm with Dr Stephen Carbone, beyondblue’s Policy, Evaluation and Research Leader.

Stephen worked for many years as a General Practitioner. A few years ago, Stephen decided to hang up his stethoscope and to move into the area of mental health promotion. He is now working at beyondblue where he is working with others to find ways to promote mental wellbeing, prevent depression, anxiety and suicide and ensure people affected with these mental health conditions have the opportunity to get the supports and services that are right for them - at the right time.

Our live chat will be focussed on tips for staying mentally healthy, and also how you can get the best out of your relationship with your doctor.

See also the BB resource What are my options?

PLEASE NOTE as per our community rules, Stephen won't be able to answer questions about medications, these are best discussed offline directly with your mental health professional. 

So bookmark this thread, get your questions ready, and we'll see you back here next Thursday afternoon when this thread will be unlocked and Stephen will be here to chat.

[geoff]

dear Dr. Steve, what is the difference between feeling 'flat' to feeling depressed.

[Dr_Steve]

That's a great question SM.

Mostly I think it was just that different people may have been more comfortable about talking about mental health conditions than others. It's probably not going to come as a surprise to you for me to say that females were often more prepared to discuss these things than men.  However, I did see a lot of men who came to me for their mental health condition, whether that was because I was a male GP or some other reason i don't know.  But I also agree that there is still, unfortunately, somewhat more stigma attached to some conditions compared to others.  

I think people are more willing nowadays to discuss depression and anxiety, but maybe less prepared to discuss other conditions like schizophrenia.  I think this is a shame and our community needs more information and education so people are not reluctant to talk about any mental health condition.

It's important to remember GPs have heard it all, seen it all, and accept it all, and you shouldn't feel embarrassed or afraid to discuss any condition with them.

[Dr_Steve]

Hi Jadeala, everyone's experience is different, but most experience recovery.  Whatever the mental health condition, if someone feels they're not making enough progress, as a GP I tend to look around for other options that I can recommend.  Perhaps it's worth talking to your doctor or psychologist about what might work better for you, such as seeing someone with a special interest in PTSD - try using the Find A Psychologist search on the APS website here, you can search by postcode.

[Dr_Steve]

Dear Plain Jane, thanks for your question.

Agoraphobia can be distressing because it makes you fearful of going out. Agoraphobia is a type of anxiety condition, often connected with panic disorder. The treatments that work for other anxiety conditions are also suitable for agoraphobia, like Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Exposure Therapy, and sometimes medication.

While often these treatments are provided by doctors or psychologists face to face, nowadays there are also telephone or online based treatment programmes. We call them e-mental health programmes. One that you might like to look into is Mindspot, but there are others. Mindspot combines telephone counselling with internet modules that can teach you about anxiety and strategies to manage it. Once the agoraphobia is more under control, you may then decide to try a face to face treatment as well, or instead.

GPs can sometimes do home visits, and although uncommon, some psychologists also do so or provide services via Skype or similar.

[Joannie]

Hi dr Steve, I've had depression and anxiety for more then half my life. I've gotten worse since having kids. I've seen dr's psychologist, been on different medications and nothing works I'm sick of being me

[Dr_Steve]

Great question, Geoff.  It is important to distinguish between sadness, which is a normal human emotion, and depression, which is a significant health condition. 

Sadness often is related to an obvious event, is typically milder than depression, and doesn't last as long.  If you split up with someone, or you fail to get a job that you're keen on, you are bound to feel sad.

Depression is not always related to an obvious event, is usually more severe, can give you physical and psychological symptoms, and more of them, and is more enduring. While depression includes persistent low mood, it is more than that. It includes changes in your thinking, becoming more self-critical and negative, as well as physical changes like insomnia, loss of appetite. Depression also impacts on your ability to do things day to day, whereas sadness usually does not.  

It's sometimes a question of degree, but they are quite different.

[Dr_Steve]

Hi Joannie, thanks for your question. I acknowledge how difficult it's been for you.

Yes, treating depression and anxiety is very individual, and the way people recover also is quite individual. I think the main thing is to continue to talk about and look for options that will work for you. Doctors and psychologists are important, but so are other things that can help anyone and everyone.

Social relationships are a big part of this, and that is why we encourage people to use the forums here, or to look for mental health organisations that provide opportunities to be with others and do enjoyable things. 

There are also some clinics that do research that look for new ways of trying to assist people with depression and anxiety, particularly people who feel that they're not getting better. You may have heard of some new treatments like TMS - I am familiar with two organisations doing research in this area, one in Melbourne called Monash Alfred Psychiatric Research Centre and one in Sydney called the Black Dog Institute, but there are others.

Perhaps it might be useful for you to look at their websites and see if you are eligible to participate in some of the research they're doing. I encourage you to not give up hope and continue to look for those things that might help, please feel free to contact our support service if you need to talk to someone in more detail.

[Chris_B]

Thanks Dr Steve, and thanks everyone for all your questions, hope you've found the chat useful.