Talking to GP about depression/Bipolar?

Question

I've booked an appointment to see my GP on Monday, becuase im pretty sure i have either depression

or Bipolar.

I'm really nervous though, i have no IDEA what im ment to say??

Like, how do i start off?

''Hi, um,im depressed and self-harm, help?'

I'm 18 on the 4th of October, will i still get prozac or some sort of drugs, or only when im 18?

I just really wanna know how to talk to my doctor, and if its possible i'll be perscribed something,

and how long until i get prescribed them if i do?

I've thought about saying something like '' Hi, i've come to see you today becuase i've been feeling

really depressed for the last 3 years and i don't know what to do.'

Cue Doctor.

But without it sounding so...sad.

Also, What will i be asked??

Thanks, phew..just very scared.

Answer 1

when you see the dr. take with you noyes,on 1 piece of paper write down how you feel and how long you have felt this way on a 2nd piece of paper write down all of your symptoms i.e feeling depressed,loss of appitite, sleeping too much etc.  you can ask your dr. to start you on a mild anti-deppresent like paxil and have him refer you to a psychiatrist. this dr. will determine if he will keep you on paxil or change the meds or add more depending what the diagnosis is. also it is good to keep a journal, you can write down all your fears and private thoughts which you may not want to share with anyone but...be as honest as you can  your GP asks you a lot of questions,he cant treat you properly if he doesnt have the whole story. i have been bi-polar for 10 years and i take my meds and see the dr and i tell her how i feel, i am not afraid anymore cause she cant help me if i dont tell her everything. good luck to you

Answer 2

truly by reading your question.... you are crazy.  

Answer 3

Good for you for making an appointment. :) I can assure you that is the hardest part! "I've come to see you today because..." is a very appropriate way to start the conversation. And it's okay to sound sad! Just calmly explain how you feel (go into some detail and give examples) and he will know what to do. Most likely you will be transferred to a psychiatrist (they know best) and you'll again explain how you feel. You can be prescribed medication if you feel comfortable with that and he believes it is necessary. If you are put on medication (and it may take a LONG time for you to find one that suits you) it may be permanent. I know my medication for my bipolar is. Of course, you can always stop it temporarily and see if your symptoms come back - just make sure someone close to you knows what signs to look for if the bipolar resurfaces.

Hope that helps!

Answer 4

I went to my GP for basically the same thing a couple of months ago.  I'm 18 and have self harmed since i was 12 years old...it took me that long to pluck up the courage to go.  Well done for booking the appointment.

What i did was wrote about 3/4s of an A4 sheet of paper just briefly explaining everything.  I also asked about a million questions on here about what it would be like...but noone can tell you exactly.

I know it seems scary but it's not that bad.  My doctor read the note (didn't seem surprised or anything about being given the note) and just looked at me and said well done for going to see her and reassured me that the situation i'm in is a lot more common than you'd think.  She was really kind and just asked loads of questions.  When she saw me getting really uncomfortable she'd change the sibject  bit.

Seriously, i was a mess.  I was shaking, my mouth totally dried up and i found answering questions difficult.  She was really patient and gave me time to answer the questions.

The type of questions asked were about my moods and self harm.  Such as:

'How long have you been self harming?'

'How do you do it? (as in what i used)'

'How long and regurly?'

She gave me a questionare for depression and anxiety and told me to come back in two weeks time.  And again on the way out she said well done for going to see her and talk about it.  

I don't know the procedure or anything but i've been refered to some hospital for an assesment.  There are VERY long waiting lists...about 4-6months where i live.  Untill then i'm to keep going back to see my GP so she can 'see how i'm doing'.

Good luck and hope it all goes well. If you have any questions feel free to email.

xx