Getting a mental health assessment from GP

[Dante_C_]

Hi, I was wondering what activities do GPs get you to do during a mental health assessment? Also, how do you perform these activities? Is it via your phone, a computer or is it just pencil and paper?

[ecomama]

Hi Dante, great name btw 🙂

Do you mean a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP)?
Like the appointment with your GP during which you may receive a MHCP and a referral to a MH professional ie Counsellor / Psychologist / Psychiatrist....?

If THIS is what you mean then the appointment is quite simple in my experience for myself and my children.
At the moment I think most of these appts are via Telehealth ie by phone.

You say to your GP that you would like to get a MHCP and either THEY provide a Counsellor or you give a name you have.

Then your GP usually asks how you've been feeling. You tell them.

Then your GP usually asks a series of more specific questions so they can fill in the boxes on the MHCP.

Then your GPs surgery usually emails or faxes the MHCP directly to the Counsellor / Psychs office / clinic. You receive a copy for yourself.

The clinic usually phones you when they've received the MHCP to book your first appointment.

It's that simple.

Hope this is what you mean. Please chime in and ask anything you like! Others know WAY more than me.

Best wishes
EM

[Dante_C_]

This is exactly what I wanted to know, thanks!

[ecomama]

Dante C. said:This is exactly what I wanted to know, thanks!

My pleasure! Best wishes,

EM

[Nurse_Jenn]

HI Dante C.

Just to add to ecomama's already great response, some GPs also do a measurement checklist called a Kessler. It is an industry standard consumer outcome scoring tool that gives a score that can support what you have told the Doctor. You can have a look a copy on the Beyond Blue website (I have included the link). A GP won't ask this every person to complete this but for some people who aren't feeling well enough to tell their story, this can sometimes help a health professional get some further understanding of the concerns at hand.

Link to the checklist for Psychological Distress is here https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/anxiety-and-depression-checklist-k10

Good luck with the process and let us know if we can be of help along the way,

Nurse Jenn

[ecomama]

Hi Dante & Nurse Jenn

I actually completed a Kessler today, sent by my new trauma psychologist via email. The email had a link to complete an online version of the Kessler.

Dante, depending on how you're feeling, you may want to have a person you trust sitting near you as you complete this if you have to complete it away from your GP or psych.

Some potentially confronting questions are posed in this assessment. So I'm kind of giving a trigger warning.

My Psych said not to overthink my responses and to try to complete it in 10 mins.
Depending upon a person's literacy levels, this could be difficult to do! Many sections have a pre-empting "in the past 2 weeks" or 6 months etc.

But I was very aware not to involve my support person's perspective at all in answering the questions.

Best wishes
EM