Too emotional to talk to my GP

[Sophiee__]

Hi all,

Just wanted to get some advice on how to talk to my gp about my mental health. I've been getting quite bad panic attacks and its reached a point that its controlling my life and i know i need to do something about it but i cant just seem to get the nerve to talk to my gp. I've been to a gp about mental health a few years back and just cried the whole time and i cringe just thinking back to that and im scared it will happen again because just now whenever i think about how bad my mental health has gotten i start to tear up. I dont want to embarrass myself and just sob in front of him and then have to walk through the foyer on my way out all red eyed and puff.

i also have anxiety about the whole thing in general in that he wont take me seriously or he'll think its just university stress or just tell me to exercise. i also dont want anxiety to be on my record there as its a dr's clinic on my university and i have other health problems that i dont want him to think is just my anxiety or that he wont take me seriously if i come back in with problems in the future (e.g headaches, internal pains).

im thinking of just going to a random gp clinic in my town where if i embarrass myself i wont ever have to go back again and sort of keep my mental health and my physical health separate. is this a crazy thing to do?

any advice on any of this is greatly appreciated.

[Janey123]

Hi Sophiee,

I'm sorry to hear about your panic attacks, they are the worst.

First things first, if you don't get a good feel or vibe about talking to this uni GP, absolutely just go somewhere else and keep the uni doctor for your other health issues. You don't need those fears going through your head, it needs to be a 'safe' place for you to speak the full truth. It is not a crazy idea to keep them separate at all, do whatever works for you.

I think it is really important that you try again, even if it isn't a pleasant experience, you'll feel empowered by taking a big step towards getting better. A GP surely will understand if you cry, it is really sad when your own mind is making you feel terrified.

You could try and book an appointment for first thing in the morning, the foyer is usually not very full by then as it would be in the middle of the day (just in case you do cry).

When I took the plunge, I rang a medical centre that I was new to, and asked the receptionist for an appointment with a doctor who would be good to talk to about mental health. She said... 'um... Dr Rogers would be good' and she was really helpful. The fact that the Dr was young, and a female made it easier for me to talk to her as well, so you could ask reception for your preference. Some GP offices have their doctors bio's on their website, so you could literally scope out one you like the look and sound of, and book in with them. You could also book a double appointment, so you have time to compose yourself before going out again.

One thing I found helped me not get too emotional and overwhelmed was to have a bit of a rehearsed spiel ready that I could just recite to the GP without really delving in to the emotion of how obsessively ruminating over my shitty situation was making me feel. I teared up a bit, but was able to swallow it down and I didn't get too overwhelmed. I actually used the Beyond Blue website for words and terminology to help the doctor understand what I was thinking and feeling.

She gave me a test to take home, and I made a second appointment where we looked at the results, and she gave me a mental health plan and referral for a psychologist. So as crappy as it was sitting in that GP's room teary-eyed, I'm way better off for it.

I hope you find a GP that you feel comfortable talking to. There is no shame in getting help, even if you have to sob your way through it, it is really brave.

Janey 🙂

[geoff]

Hi Sophiee_, please let me welcome you to the site.

I think that going to a GP outside of uni would be a good idea and book a double appointment if possible.

Showing your emotions would be no different to most of us when talking with your GP, remember you have an illness, it's a natural response and it's too hard to hold back.

What I would do is write down how you are feeling on a piece of paper, photocopy it and then pass it over to the doctor, they can read what you've said and slowly take it from there.

They will be gentle knowing that you're not well.

Can you do the K-10 test which you can google, this is a test to score if you are depressed and if you are, then score you between 1 to 10.

If you can do this a few times, not straight after another, but different times of the day, then you can also take this in when you see the GP.

Never be afraid to show your emotions, I'm 63 and I cry when the time is right, I'm not scared of doing it.

Remember you need to look after yourself and we are always here to support you.

Geoff.