Advice for talking to doctor

[Maggotbrain]

Probably too many words, but it seems that’s how I roll. I’m not good at talking to people, but at the same time usually talk too much. Apologies.

I’m really struggling right now. Finally decided to go to the doctor about depression and anxiety. Though, the more I read, I think I might have ADHD as well.

I’m looking for tips/advice on how to talk to the doctor about this. Not sure I should bring up the ADHD now - just focus on mental health… but perhaps I should… or would that be too much?

My thoughts for the appointment are:

- (before booking the appointment) ask if there’s a doctor who specialises in mental health;

- let the doctor know how nervous I am; and

- write a list so I don’t forget anything.

Any other tips would be appreciated, thank you.

[Ru-bee]

Hello @Maggotbrain and welcome to the forums

Good on you for taking this step! Speaking about our mental health and opening up to a doctor can be daunting, but it's great that you're taking steps to make it as manageable as it can be by planning ahead a little bit.

In terms of deciding whether to bring up your questions around ADHD, I would say that the more information you're able to provide for what you're experiencing and feeling, the better. Our mental health and our overall wellbeing is not influenced by any one factor, so you may think that the two are unrelated initially, only to find that they are interconnected. If you are worried that bringing it up might take you down a rabbit hole in the appointment, I'd say to let them know that depression and anxiety is your primary concern for this appointment, but that you'd also like to start a discussion around ADHD. Letting them know upfront what you want to cover can give the appointment a little bit of structure.

Your list of ideas are spot on here, only thing I would add is to ask for a long appointment. You don't want to feel rushed trying to cover everything in 15 minutes. I know my gp clinic actually requires you to book 30 minute sessions when discussing mental health for this reason.

[Snowie]

Hi @Maggotbrain welcome to the sane forums

Here is a great place to say as much as you want. So write away, there will always be someone listening.

I'm sorry you are going through so much at the moment but well done for taking some steps forward and going to see your gp.

I would openly talk to the gp about my mental health. Tell them what you have been going through.

If you feel like you want to explore the below I would ask to book a longer appointment as it can take awhile to fill out the paperwork.

Something you could ask for is a mental health treatment plane. It lets you claim up to 10 individual sessions with a mental health professional (normally a psych) each calendar year.

The plan helps you access free or subsided sessions. Because health professionals set their own fees, Medicare may only cover some of the cost.

Seeing a professional might help and they might be able to give you some tools to help you.

This of course is just a suggestion. What ever you decide I hope it helps.

[Maggotbrain]

Thank you @Ru-bee and @Snowie for your help and support. It’s so very helpful.

I have got the name of the doctor who specialises in mental health. He’s the doctor who treats my children, so it will feel really weird I think.

I’ll be making an appointment soon. It seems this will be a slow process…

[MJG017]

Hi @Maggotbrain, welcome to the forum.  I'm sorry you are struggling so much right now.  Your list of thoughts for an appointment seem like a good plan to me.  Don't feel weird about talking to any doctor about what you feel you need.  No one knows you better than you do, so who's better placed to know what you need?  At the very least you may just feel better having just brought things up to the doctor and knowing that they are aware and that they can decide what is the best way forward for you.  The less unknowns for you to stress about the less anxious you will be and hopefully that helps with the depression.  And just remember, the more the doctor knows about how you are feeling, the more information they have to help you.  So try not to feel like you shouldn't tell them something that you fear may not be important.  If it's concerning you, then it's important.