Advise on seeing gp

@Midnight3

@Midnight3

I will presume you come from the UK or Australia since visiting GPs for mental health conditions seems to be a more routine course of action as opposed to members from North America who in my experience describe seeing specialists as a primary course of action.

When seeing a GP for depression it is important to remember that GPs are not necessarily experts in this area and that you are likely to be one of many patients they see on a busy day reporting non-specific low mood. Visiting a GP can be a vital step to accessing mental health services, however please do not expect that your GP will be able to provide solution or will even be compassionate. I do not mean to discourage you from seeking help, I only think it is important that you know that services at least in the UK are incredibly over-stretched and that despite a NGO led mantra of equating physical health conditions with mental health disorders, this is far from the reality of day to day clinical practice.

In terms of specific advice it is likely to be helpful to tell your GP directly what you believe your symptoms are (if you do not have a diagnosis yet) and what you believe would help . It may be worth reading the NICE guidelines on treatments for depression and weighing up whether you would consider medication (SSRIs) are usually the first course of action for moderate to severe depression or if you could wait it out (depression often resolves without treatment) or if you might consider CBT or another psychological treatment option. I would very much recommend reading about depression as I think having insight into your condition allows you to have collaborative and non-paternalistic relationship with your GP which I believe is very important in managing long term mental health conditions. Perhaps you could try reading Andrew Solomons book the noonday demon, an atlas of depression or if you do not feel up to reading watching the Katie Morton videos on YouTube which offer several guides to seeing various clinicians from the perspective of a marriage and family therapist practicing in the US. If you fancy more basic psycho-education you could also try the mood disorders short video which forms part of the crash course psychology series on YouTube.

Best of luck and thank you for sharing your anxieties with us, I know you wont be the only one here experiencing similar concerns.

@Midnight34

Hi,

Does anyone have any advice or experience seeing their gp about depression? I keep hoping I will start to feel better without help but I am feeling worse every day. I don't know how much longer I can put up with this but I'm very anxious about talking to anyone about my feelings. I'm getting desperate for something to change => STOP OVERTHINKING SOMETHINGS, LET THEM JUDGE BUT THE ONE THAT LIVE IN THIS LIFE WAS YOU, YOU CAN LISTEN TO THEIR ADVICE OR OPINION BUT YOU ARE THE ONE TO CHOOSE HOW TO DEAL WITH IT..

EACH PEOPLE ARE DIFFERENT, EACH ENVIROMENT ARE DIFFERENT, EACH CASE ARE DIFFERENT, DON'T THINK TOO MUCH, JUST SHOT IT..

IT'S OK TO BE JUDGE BUT KNOW THAT IT IS YOUR RIGHT TO SPEAK..

BE BRAVE!! BREAK THE FEAR!! BREAK THE CHAIN OF HELPLESSNESS THAT BIND YOU!! FIGHT!!! SPEAK!!

Thanks