What if my Doctor isn't helpful?

[kelz92]

Hi i'm a 21 year old female,

I have been feeling down and sad for the past 6 months now. I've put on lots of weight as i've been relying on comfort food. I'm crying over silly things and can't remember the last time I haven't been absolutely exhausted. It takes me hours to get to sleep at night and when I finally do its restless. I use to be happy carefree and bubbly and now im sad. anxious and im getting tired of putting on a happy face for friends and family. I've tried exercising and i've tried the CBT audio files on the nhs website and they're not working.

I'm worried that if I go to my doctor they'll just say to eat more healthy and exercise. With me knowing that that's not going to work.

[gardengnome]

do some research and be prepared before you visit the g.p., so that you have an idea of what options the g.p. might offer. They do generally ask patients what it is that they want the g.p. to do for them, So do have a clear idea of what you might want, or not want,

Give as much information as you can when you visit the doc, so she can see if there are any phyisical causes, or if there are any triggers to your depression.

Check out your docs website, to see which docs at the practice specialise in depression With most docs now you have to either get a booking 2 or 3 weeks in advance if there is a particular g.p. that you want to see, or else take pot luck on which g.p. is available for appointments that the practice release on that day.

[1darkangel]

If your doctor is unhelpful you could see another one, also you could try writing everything down as you have wrote down here and hand this to your Doctor and they should help, ask if there is any CBT Therapists in your area that you can get face to face appointments with as I think this may help you. This has helped my depression and anxiety I also have medication which helps me cope.

[emjks]

If you live in the UK there should be an IAPT service your GP can refer you to. 'Improving Access to Psychological Therapies' services are designed for people with mild to moderate common problems like depression and anxiety. You could search online for your local service. Some of these services you can even refer yourself (so you dont necessarily even need to go through your GP), but I would say it is a good idea to ensure you GP knows what you are experiencing at the moment. I used to work at an IAPT service and would encourage you to feel hopeful, most people will experience anxiety/depression at some point and the vast majority also recover completely- I hope you get some support and that things get better for you.