GP's and Anti-Depressants Important Info

[blondguy]

Hi Everyone! New Posters are very welcome to share your experiences with a GP too!

I had an appointment yesterday with my GP. He is aware of what I do on the Beyond Blue forums. I asked him about anti depressants and how he treats his patients with depression/ anxiety and why some GP's dont prescribe meds. This is what I learned yesterday from one doctor.

• He has always had an interest in depression and anxiety and prescribes AD's where the symptoms fit the criteria to do so
• He will refer to a psychiatrist if a patient shows symptoms of a more 'complex' mental illness and not prescribe meds himself
• Some GP's have little interest in 'getting involved' with depression and will refer to a psychiatrist with little if any discussion
• He isnt 'pro meds' or 'anti-meds' He treats depression as a serious illness with meds to improve his patients health & well being

• He mentioned that a pro-active GP can know more about AD's than some psychiatrists as GP's have more frequent patient contact

It did surprise me that some GP's have little or no interest in treating depression. I hope these GP's are in the minority.

I am interested to know any good or not so good experiences other people have had with a GP. I posted this thread originally so any people with untreated depression/anxiety have a better understanding of how experiences with a GP can be positive step towards recovery.

All your thoughts are most welcome

Thankyou for taking the time to read my thread

Kind thoughts

Paul

[Scrapper]

Hi I am Claire

i have just moved from Canberra to a small country town. My dr in Canberra was really good and supportive. I have been to see different Drs in my area as one I didn't feel comfortable with it was lets constantly change your antidepressants. The other dr in my area is let's stop your antidepressants as you should only be on them for 9 months to see how you cope. While being on antidepressants I have gone from moderate anxiety and depression to severe and the answer is to stop meds I am confused. I see my psychologist once a fortnight as well.

thanks

[blondguy]

Hi Claire

Thankyou for posting and good on you for having a psychologist with frequent visits too!

The most effective way to handle the varying opinions being offered may be to contact your Doctor in Canberra by phone, even just in this transitional phase he/she would have the best advice.

Even if he/she calls you back at the end of the day you seem to have a lot to gain by leaving a message

Im sorry that I cant be of more help Claire. Ive been on the same SSRI for 21 years and it works well.

I hope you can let me know how you go! There are many gentle people on the forums that can be here for you

my kind thoughts & good to meet you

Paul

[Scrapper]

Thanks Paul

i went to the Drs where I live now. I said that the antidepressants are not working for me. He said maybe I am just going through a rough patch and it will go. A lot of my troubles have come from being bullied and harassed in workplaces. The dr then told me that bullying is a part of life and that I just need to be able to deal with it. Not really helpful when you are already going through a tough time.

[blondguy]

Hi Claire

Thanks for replying......I did read that the AD's arent working for you now which is bad news and that you are seeing a doctor where you live now. I was only suggesting that your GP in the ACT may be able to provide you with more accurate advice as he knows your history better than the new doctor you are seeing.

As per what you said about your current doctor saying that 'bullying is a part of life' is way way off base.

I have taken a company to court through workplace bullying and lost which is okay. I didnt expect to win. I had anxiety that effected my work and they really gave me a hard time as I had a mental disorder.

I have studied for years about anxiety & depression Claire and I am not a GP. Can I ask you how long you have been on your AD's? They can take some time to have an effect.

you are not alone here Claire

my kindest

Paul

[Scrapper]

Hi Paul

i developed my depression and anxiety through my work place. As I injured my shoulders and there for got bullied and harassed as I couldn't do my job properly. It got so bad that I started to get anxiety attacks at work. I think I may contact my dr in Canberra and see what they suggest. 😊 I have been on antidepressants for nearly a year now. They seem to work for about 5 months and then they seem to stop working not sure why though.

Thanks

[blondguy]

Hi Claire

I remember the workplace bullying and its a bad place to be in for sure

Great move to contact your old GP in Canberra 🙂

The meds do help a lot but arent a fix all. They do provide us with a platform on which we can heal more effectively using counseling and all the various coping techniques too

you are not alone here Claire. Let us know how you go!

Great to have you as part of the forums family too 🙂

my best

Paul

[Haether]

I personally find the assumption that medication is not all the answer, that it allows people to get to a place where they can then implement psychological and lifestyle strategies, is more useful for people in the early stages of an illness; I find it fundamentally patronising that everyone with depression has 'inadequate' coping strategies and life skills and if they just fix those everything will be dandy. It's acknowledged that mania is strongly biochemically mediated, and for some people depression is as well. I think it is an assertion that is made in the absence of evidence; I doubt that Kay Jamieson (psychologist and professor of psychiatrist, world expert on bipolar and has a severe illness herself) gets depressed because she has inadequate coping skills! same for the numerable psychiatrists and psychologists with bipolar, let alone the rest of us.

[blondguy]

Hi Haether

Thanks for posting!

Depression (Diagnosed Clinical) is the similar to diabetes or heart disease. Expecting positive thinking to cure depression is like expecting a person with diabetes to lower their blood sugar levels by thinking happy thoughts

The meds do help a lot but arent a fix all. They do provide us with a platform on which we can heal more effectively using counseling and all the various coping techniques too

Many of the thread you have read here are from people's own personal experiences like myself (and you too).

After 3 days of taking a small dosage of an SSRI, I wasnt housebound with chronic anxiety anymore.

I would consider these assertions evidence based on 35 years of anxiety/depression. Most people with depression are in a black hole. We are here to help support and help them help themselves get out of that hole which includes their damaged coping skills.

The brain is actually a different color in a person with long term anxiety disorder. I think you are spot on that depression (including other mental illnesses) is partially biochemically based. Some levels of anxiety and depression are crippling lifetime illnesses and require long term medication protocols

I hope your weekend is good to you Haether 🙂

my kind thoughts

Paul

[Haether]

Hi Paul, thanks for your reply, I'm not contesting the fact that many people with depression have comprised coping skills, my objection is to the assumption (inherent in virtually all the literature, especially that targeted at patients) that all people with depression have inadequate coping skills, and that if they just fixed those (in addition to taking meds etc) they wouldn't get unwell again. That's the assertion that I don't think is based in evidence, partly because you can't do a 'true experiment' (a technical psychological / statistical term, and the only type of study that provides direct evidence of causality) in order to get direct evidence, and it involves the (to me gross) assumption that everybody with a recurrent bipolar illness has recurrences of depression in part because of their inadequate coping skills. I'd tend to argue that high-functioning people with bipolar probably have better coping skills than their non-bipolar peers. Thanks 😉

[Just Sara]

Greetings Haether;

I must say I'm confused by your post. It seems you're trying to debate something, but I'm not sure what.

You used the words 'fundamentally patronising'; that's a mighty big statement and accusation. Most people on BB share anecdotal evidence opposed to empirical evidence; not to assert their opinion, but to ask for help or offer it to others.

Which category do you represent? That's not a challenge btw, it's a question about what drew you to BeyondBlue to begin with.

If you're not happy with what you're reading, maybe you could create your own thread dedicated to what's important to you. If you want to debate certain statements or theories, there's people like myself who'd enjoy an appropriate and respectful discussion.

Mental illness isn't an exact science especially for lay people. On BB, experiential stories of pain and fear outweigh any research or evidence. If you'd like to contribute one of your 'stories' we'd be happy to engage as well.

If you're looking for a particular audience, starting your own thread is the way to go.

I'm here to support and encourage wherever possible;

Sara