How to get help from doctors

[cheyxnn]

I tried going to a doctors appointment to finally see if medication would help as a last method before finally resorting to cbt but they just seem to look past everything I say

Granted it was originally to talk about migraines but my migraines stem from anxiety in which I've been diagnosed with severe anxiety prior so I thought it would've been a good leeway - but maybe not lol

She just kept changing my words and calling it low mood and then kept consistently saying how this year is a big change and it's going to be hard (I'm a first year in uni) after I said how I've always felt this miserable and anxious and trying to explain that it has nothing to do with uni. She did so in a very condescending tone as if I was a child coming to her about being scared of the dark. I also mentioned my mother who is significantly depressed and hasn't done much other than sleep my whole life, thinking maybe that would help as then she can see how it could run in the family?? But all she told me was to go to the wellbeing centre - I think I'm at lot past a wellbeing centre being able to help lol

Perhaps it was because I was downplaying my words (I've quite literally never spoken out loud about any of this before) and so I wasn't fully articulating myself properly or the extent of my issue? I just want to know what to say so that at least I can say I've tried to get better - even if nothing works. Is it worth booking another appointment but specifically for like mental health i suppose. I just don't know what to say and I think I keep downplaying what I'm saying to be more palatable but it's just so awkward. I don't know how to get help. I don't know what to say. Please help

 

[U. A.]

Welcome to hell.

This is such a massive problem that prominent health publications have written how-to guides on it:

How to Get Your Doctor to Listen to You—the First Time

You deserve great health care!

www.prevention.com

I recommend reading it all (even if not all of it is explicitly worthwhile to you in the end), but the TL;DR is basically—know more than them without letting on that you do, and trick them into doing what you want them to do without them realising it wasn't their idea.

 

[sohopelessandempty]

I tried going to a doctors appointment to finally see if medication would help as a last method before finally resorting to cbt but they just seem to look past everything I say

Granted it was originally to talk about migraines but my migraines stem from anxiety in which I've been diagnosed with severe anxiety prior so I thought it would've been a good leeway - but maybe not lol

She just kept changing my words and calling it low mood and then kept consistently saying how this year is a big change and it's going to be hard (I'm a first year in uni) after I said how I've always felt this miserable and anxious and trying to explain that it has nothing to do with uni. She did so in a very condescending tone as if I was a child coming to her about being scared of the dark. I also mentioned my mother who is significantly depressed and hasn't done much other than sleep my whole life, thinking maybe that would help as then she can see how it could run in the family?? But all she told me was to go to the wellbeing centre - I think I'm at lot past a wellbeing centre being able to help lol

Perhaps it was because I was downplaying my words (I've quite literally never spoken out loud about any of this before) and so I wasn't fully articulating myself properly or the extent of my issue? I just want to know what to say so that at least I can say I've tried to get better - even if nothing works. Is it worth booking another appointment but specifically for like mental health i suppose. I just don't know what to say and I think I keep downplaying what I'm saying to be more palatable but it's just so awkward. I don't know how to get help. I don't know what to say. Please help

I am also trying to get medication, it's difficult trying to make doctors understand how bad it is without revealing so much they put me in a mental hospital. If cost is not an issue, theoretically you could see as many doctors as you want until you find one who gives you meds. Medication is legal so no worries there, it shouldn't be so impossible to get as if you're asking for illegal drugs. Yes, it's worth booking another appointment. In my opinion like you said, you should at least try meds before ctb. If they don't work, you could still ctb after anyways. But if you ctb now, you won't even get the chance of knowing if they worked. As someone who's never tried meds(at least not for this) I also have no clue if they'd work for me. I feel like most people here have probably tried, so I'm telling you this since maybe it's comforting to know you're not the only one in this situation? Not sure. I will probably post about if medication works for me or not in the future, that is if I even get some. Also, let me guess you live in America lol. Doctors here have a track record of not taking people seriously, obviously it depends on the person but generally this is true and I've heard so many bad stories.