GP said they couldn't give me a MHCP nor refer me to any other mental health service because they didn't know me. Normal?
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Hi everyone, I managed to work up the courage after hours of pacing around the area, to walk into the GP clinic that I had planned on visiting, and talk to the GP about my mental health. I don't like my family GP so this was a new one. I told her tha... View more
Hi everyone, I managed to work up the courage after hours of pacing around the area, to walk into the GP clinic that I had planned on visiting, and talk to the GP about my mental health. I don't like my family GP so this was a new one. I told her that I had been struggling with my mental health issues for several years now, that it was getting worse because I wasn't receiving treatment, and that it was impacting my ability to function to the point where I couldn't work and I failed my last year and a half of uni. I had my piece of paper in my pocket with all my symptoms and everything but paused to gauge her reaction before going into specifics. She told me she didn't specialise in mental health which is fine but I figured she'd still be able to help me or at least refer me to someone who could. Instead, she said my uni would have services to deal with my issues and I told her that I needed a MHCP to access them. She said she couldn't give me one because she didn't know me. That was surprising. People see new GPs all the time. She told me to see my family GP and I told her that I hadn't seen him in years and he didn't know about my mental health issues so it wouldn't be any different. I asked her if she could refer me to someone who could diagnose me or give me meds and she said she couldn't give referrals because she didn't know me. She told me again, to see my family GP. That I was born here so I should have one. To ask my mum/ dad/ siblings for their GP instead. I was a little speechless so I just thanked her and left. I don't even know what to do. Wasn't expecting that result. I find it weird that she didn't give me any help because she didn't know me. This surely isn't normal, right? I worry that all the GPs in my area are the same because mental health is never talked about in my community and most people have an outdated view on it.