Visiting a doctor.

[159357]

Hey, i don't really know what to do when i next visit the doctors. I know i'm very depressed and moderately anxious with other things in the mix. My mum booked an appointment for my skin (acne) and i've decided to bring up my hyperhidrosis when i'm there, but, i don't know how to bring up the depression. I may need to pay for the psychologist if i end up going. But before that, i don't know how to explain how i am depressed, it's just been a constant thing. Bad parents, bad breakups, loneliness and being aware that many people dislike me for who i am. I just don't know what to say to the doctor and i'd be very grateful if someone were to 'teach' me how to bring it up. I'm hoping that my mum does not come with me. I'll ask her to stay outside, maybe.

[MsPurple]

Hi ewrc. Bringing up your feelings and depression can be difficult the first time you see a doctor, however it is the start of your journey to better mental health. This is what doctors do, you have a concern, talk to them about it and they help you. This is the same for a physical condition or mental health concern. Just think of it that way and it may help. Have you talked to your mum about this? Before seeing the doctor I suggest you call up the centre and change your appointment to a long appointment. Talking about mental health takes longer than the standard booking appointment. You can also tell the receptionist you are enquiring about a mental health plan and they then know how long to book the appointment for. This is what I got my mum to do when she booked me an appointment to her local doctors for me when I lived with her for a few months.

How old are you ewrc? With a mental health plan you can get 6 free psychologist sessions, most people with mental illness therefore get a mental health plan. If you are under 25 there is a low cost youth mental health centre called headspace, I suggest looking up their website if you are interested. I have been to two different headspace and for me I have had a positive experience. I struggled to talk to my GP about my issues so I did it all through headspace (even my mental health plan through their GP). Your GP can also refer you to the centre. Otherwise they can refer you to another psychologist. All are good options.

In terms of bringing it up to the doctor, the way I did it was by booking an appointment for a mental health plan. Once they see that on the booking they bring it up. Or you could say "I have a concern about my low moods" they can then ask the appropriate questions and you can answer them. Just once sentence like the above will get the doctor to help you appropriately

I know it maybe dawnting but trust me it is worth discussing it with them. I wish I did it years ago. I could have saved so much time worrying.

Keep us updated and good luck (not that you need it) 🙂

[MsPurple]

Sorry I realised I didn't read the very last sentence (or didn't register it). For your appointment with the doctor you can ask your mum to wait outside. I have talked to my mum about this and she said she was never offended by me asking to wait in the waiting room. It is a natural progression from us being a teenager to an independent person. It is also ok to ask your mum to come to other appointments (like a pathology for blood taking). Parents are pretty understanding. Remember they used to be our age once upon a time (and I do tend to forget that).

[159357]

I think i might really need the long appointment anyway. I've had a constant sickness for awhile, i'll bring up acne, hyperhidrosis and RSI so i think getting all that done won't leave enough time to go with mental health. But i still don't know, i think i just have trust issues or something like that.

[ekatakekatakekat]

hi. dunno if uve been & done it yet, but this is/was my problem. i wanted to talk to a doctor but the whole "hi yea um i think im depressed?" conversation terrified me. i ended up at headspace, experience wasnt amazing & flowers but it was so much easier than any normal medical person, because theyre expecting kids to walk in and be depressed or sad or anxious or whatever your problem is, so u dont have to come out and say it. maybe it was just me but talking toa gp who only dealt with depressed kids was easier than going to one for a yeast infection (tmi) and casually mentioning that it could have been from the medication i was on (that was my origional plan before i got scared and ran out before my appointment) because you both know why you're there, you dont have to ask an underpaid bored receptionist for a longer appointment bc u wanna talk about being sad.

im in a mother goose mood right now and wanna give mediocre advice so help this hopes

hope this weird advide helped

[159357]

@ekatakekatakekat

Your username is surprisingly easy to memorise, at first it looks like random letters, kek.

I've asked my mum about organising an appointment but she said it has to be with a different doctor to usual, so i said that i would like her to organise a long appointment (say this everytime it's brought up).

For mentioning my depression etc. i will first mention my other issues. Tendonitis, RSI, insomnia, fatigue, dry eye and inability to stay awake sometimes. I feel as if i need an extra logn appoint just for these things, but i'll be able to mention that "maybe these things tie in with my depression". \

Hopefully i can lead it on from there, i'll likely cut out dry eye but keep insomnia so that i could correlate those things.\

I hope that you get your issues checked and fixed!

glhf.

[MsPurple]

Hi ewrc and ekatakekatakekat I understand how hard it is/was to talk to a GP about it. I struggled and like ekatakekatakekatI went to headspace because I felt more comfortable. Ewrc you can go to headspace without a GP referal (they can give you one through their GPs).

I would suggest booking in a long appointment for a mental health assessment/plan. This allows the dr to know what the appointment is about before hand and if you struggle to bring it up, they will help prompt you by asking questions.

Maybe seeing a new GP for this will make it easier as they are seeing you with fresh eyes and they will listen to your concerns and not keep referring to your past history (as they will not know unless you tell them at that appointment). I found that seeing the idea of seeing the same dr to get a pap smear from (tmi) and for my mental health assessment made me feel uncomfortable.

Hope this helps ewrc. Let us know when you go and how it is. Trust me it is worth it and it does become easier. Know if I need to see a different dr for my anxiety/depression medication (my dr was away) I had no problems talking about it.

Goodluck and hope to hear from you soon

[159357]

i'm dropping into a blank spot right now.

My depression honestly isn't too bad, i'm still really lonely, but that was never the main reason for it.

I'll next consult a doctor about it when it becomes bad again. (hopefully not before blue mountains christmas trip).

I've got enough other things to have checked out about my physical body before my mental health.

Thanks for the replies.

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