I don't particularly know what to do...

[anonb]

I'm a 17 year old boy, I self harm and show almost every symptom of depression but am undiagnosed and my girlfriend and best friend believe I should go and see my GP and get diagnosed but I don't know what to do, like how to ask for it etc. and I'm completely afraid of being told I'm just like sad, and that I have no reason to be depressed or anything...

I was just wondering if there is anybody who can give tips on getting the courage to see the doctor and what to say when asking for it etc...

[Gambit62]

Talk things through with your friend and your girlfriend.

Write down everything that makes you and them think you are depressed - include the self-harm in this.

There is an on-line survey that you can do - try going to the NHS site and searching for depression and it should come up in the results.

Make a double appointment with your GP - that way you get more time and it is less rushed. Explain to the receptionist that you are trying to make an appointment because you - and your friends - think you are depressed and you are self-harming - that should be enough for a good receptionist to realise that you need a double appointment. Have your friends with you when you ring so they can help you out if you get tongue tied.

Take your best friend with you - to help you explain things and also to listen to what the doctor is saying to you as it is very difficult to take things in when you are anxious and it's likely that you will be anxious.

I don't know what ages they actually deal with but you might find the childline site useful - they have on-line counseling which might be useful as they can give you more advise on how someone of your ages is likely to be treated - but I think you should be old enough for your parents to not need to be involved - but if you could it would be a good idea to let your parents know how you are feeling - I assume that you are still living at home - apologies if you aren't. It might be good to talk through how to do that with someone .... and may be have someone independent with you when you do - RELATE might be able to help - as it is going to be something that brings up a lot of emotions that will be hard for everyone to deal with ... and that's precisely when communication can really break down.