GP - preparing mental health plan
- replies: 4
Hope it is ok to post this here, not sure which section to put it in. I went to a gp today about getting help for mental issues. I booked a double, had the mental health stuff and 2 other things to see her about (one was a physio referral for RSI whi... View more
Hope it is ok to post this here, not sure which section to put it in. I went to a gp today about getting help for mental issues. I booked a double, had the mental health stuff and 2 other things to see her about (one was a physio referral for RSI which she'd been preparing from my previous visit 2 wks ago so it was really just some details/printing). **Sorry this is long, I didn't mean for it to be - thanks for reading if you do - broke it up as too long to post as one post** As background, I was diagnosed (couple of yrs ago, but my guess is that it's been going on quite some time longer - I am just stubborn/avoidant of docs) with depression/anxiety/panic attacks (from a doctor I actually did trust - a gp specializing in mental health who I saw when I went to a Headspace place). When I brought up (with this new doc today) that I felt it was all getting out of hand again and wanted to see someone again she was ok with me requesting a mental health care plan and referral to a bulkbilling psych. But I felt she didn't really discuss things with me properly... she was polite and professional but also said that it would take her at least an hour 'of her own time' to do the plan (I felt bad, but then I thought hang on and reminded her that at my previous visit 2 wks ago, I had specifically booked a double to have more time to discuss this but they gave me a normal short appt instead - I didn't even end up bringing up the mental stuff then). I was a bit taken aback by that comment as of the 2 MHCPs I've had done previously (one of which I never acted on), they were pretty much done right there and then within 10 min (though admittedly minimal detail), and also - isn't that what docs are meant to do? Maybe I am just not up with this stuff.