Why do GP like to group everything as depression and anxiety?

[thyroidsymtoms]

HI All

I have questions about NHS and GP which I never understood.

This is based of my experience of dealing with GPs not possible not a norm I am not sure why this so normalised.

1) Why do GPs prefer to brand every symptom (exhaustion, memory loss, tiredness, sleep disorder so many more) under depression and anxiety? I found most of my GPs till date were very proactive in giving depression and anxiety medication compared to other medications. is this because of cost of depression and anxiety medicine is low? Also, does it cost less to NHS or GP surgery for anxiety and depression compared to other medication

2) I have learnt the hard way that GP does not order blood tests on his, but I have to ask for a blood test. Does the cost of blood tests go out GP surgery allocation?

3) Who within NHS is charged when I am referred to a specialist is it the GP surgery, GP, Hospital or NHS? Who allocated the budget I am charged too when I am referred to a specialist?

3) Referral to a specialist it seems almost impossible. I managed to get a referral to gastro on my persistence my gp kept asking why I was asking for a gastro referral when test according to him are normal. I did manage to speak to gastro specialist on phone 8 months after the referral who looked my result and advised to get an endoscopy. I found that if I try harder I can meet god via nhs but specialists are protected more than my MP.

4) Also if there is medication or injection to be taken again in a few months or a test to be repeated, it is not GP or surgery which would remind or book it but I have to keep a diary of it.

I asked the same question to my GP he outright told I had to keep a record of it in my diary. How would a GP provide care to old people? I felt that if an old patient or a person has memory issues then he would not be able to get the proper medical care within NHS other than anxiety and depression medication from GP.

I ask this I also live alone and I feel if I get old can i trust my GP to provide me with proper medical care ? I have first-hand experience with what b12 can do to memory.

5) Also why no doctor other than a specialist can see my records. For example if go hospital or are referred to an urgent care doctor or emergency doctor via 111, I am told by those doctor they can not view my medical history or test results and only my GP can view my records. They do check me without my test result or medical history tell me to go back to GP and. the GP should be able to see the urgent care comments but not otherwise. I can understand the privacy malarkey but the urgent care doctor know my name, my address, current health condition .What is the harm in letting him view my medical records as per NHS ? If this some HIPPA or nhs policy this seems rubbish to me.

[Obsdian]

I don't have answers to most of that but can relate to that madness.

As for GPs seeing records, mine seem visible for the most part, test results seem to show up when results are in but letters seem to be slower to show up.

I am also frustrated about the depression/anxiety/health anxiety default brush off. I am convinced something to this effect is written in my records causing each GP to dismiss me without hearing me out. I have an appointment booked to discuss this on the 19th.

[thyroidsymtoms in reply to Obsdian]

1) I am not mentioning you seeing ur result on the NHS app or GP seeing your records. I mean if you are sent to urgent care or emergency services person they dont have access to your medical history or test result. If you ask 111 if the doctor will have access to my medical history 11 say the doctor you are being sent to should have access to records but when will ask the doctor from urgent care, emergency services, or a doctor who calls you from 111 to look at you test result, they will say they dont have access to your medical history or test results.

2) If you have email evidence which shows you are not being listened to by GP surgery, try forwarding the email [e-mail]. I was given this email by the emergency doctor who travel with ambulance.

I found among PALS, ICB and PHSO, this is the only organization GP surgery responds to as they rate GP surgery which decides the budget GP surgery gets

[Obsdian in reply to thyroidsymtoms]

Oh I see, I understood that backwards.

[humanbean]

I was first told that I was suffering from anxiety and depression in the late 1970s.

As far as I can tell it has been a hugely convenient diagnosis for cutting GP workloads, reducing the prescription burden for the doctor, reducing referrals to specialists, and saving money on testing.

The fact that the things I complain about never got better seems to just confirm to doctors that I was anxious and depressed. After all, it's on my records!

Oh, I've also been labelled as a drug-seeker since the 1970s (I think).

[serenfach]

I was diagnosed with PTSD after an op went wrong and I ended up on life support. They had also given me an overdose of contrast medium which I believe killed my thyroid. I walked into the GPs with a huge goitre, he gave me an appointment for a chiropodist...

I did not get any treatment for the so called PTSD but told to take anti-depressants, with the comment "you may feel worse for the first week". I did not take them, did not dare take them, did not even hand in the prescription - no follow up.

Stuck on too low a dose of Levo for years - felt like death warmed up - trying to run my own business. This forum changed all that and I will be forever grateful.

Saw the GP last week and he commented "your TSH is 17.5, so thats fine!". I said I think that is the T4 to which he replied "same thing".

When I first went to hospital I spent several days peeing into a sieve. No one had looked at the scans which clearly showed tumours on the kidney, bleeding.... So asking a hospital to look at a GPs notes when they dont look at their own seems hopeful!

[thyroidsymtoms in reply to serenfach]

That does not sound right. Hope you feel better. In times like these small gesture of compassion really make you feel alive again. When i was going through the tough phase my mind would not work I was told to book my blood test and i did not realise were i booked my test but when reached the hospital, the nurse could not find my test. She could see how dazed I was and embarrassed at not realising were I was supposed to go she did my blood test even though she was not supposed. I really felt she was angel how she treated me with care and spoke to me. I can only wish you good health. God bless

[Martinica1954]

I feel the same about my surgery and the GPs. The problem is that the NHS have an internal market so the surgery money got to pay specialists, prescriptions, etc. This is why they have strict protocols that result on delays, reluctancy to send us to specialist. As I was born in Panama and part of my life in Buenos Aires so far, during my family visits y see specialists if I am in doubt. It should not be like this, I made a significative contribution paying my taxes.

[Uptime]

I have experienced this first hand , describing to an NHS GP that I felt exhausted, fatigued, cognitive fog, poor memory, cold all the time , slow heart rate, scalloped tongue, toenails have developed horizontal ridges , need to increase excercise AND reduce calorie intake to maintain good shape, TSH hanging around 5, T3 on the absolute bottom of range, low ferritin, D3, cholesterol inexplicably rising despite more and more exercise and healthy diet … Recommended Talking therapy.

I feel like it’s just a gap in the flow-chart; these Doctors are victims of the system and suffering more than the patients to be fair .. care is no longer personalised (5 minute speed dating style telephone appointments etc?) so has become purely transactional governed by rules of who to treat and who is within an acceptable bracket of attrition.

Ultimately it’s an easy way to pass the buck, if it fails on 3rd party therapy when they return it facilitates the next phase to stop complaining if you can numb them with benzodiazepines and SSRI’s.

Rant over, but there is hope thanks to this community and others like it , I really do feel for the Doctors as well as the patients facing these challenges.

Wishing you well on your journey