Having a good general practitioner that you trust is at the absolute foundation of your mental health journey.
When I am asked for advice on some of the avenues I went down, in order to manage and deal with my mental health concerns, I have to remind myself that I am not qualified to give answers. I can certainly outline some of the journeys I took but with such a complex subject it’s important to be patient and go on your own journey of self-discovery.
However, one word of advice that I feel is incredibly important to highlight, is the promotion of a healthy and honest patient/GP relationship. Having a good general practitioner that you trust is at the absolute foundation of your mental health journey. They act as the gatekeeper when it comes to the various medical and also non-medical treatments available to you.
It’s important to be completely frank and upfront with them at every single step. They are not mind readers and unless they are given full information it’s hard for them to make the right calls. This also includes the possibility of medication. If they put you on medication you have a duty to explain in detail how effective or non-effective they are. Only then can they make reasonable dosage calls and also assess whether the particular medication is suited to you or whether you should be on meds at all. Do not be afraid to tell them the full picture.
My GP is an incredible guy that helped me massively with some of my mental health issues. While I was on meds I was assessed and monitored repeatedly and when I decided I wanted to try and come off them I was safely and slowly taken off them. I am now not on medication but in the future if they were required again I know I have a good GP who will make the right call.
I also abused certain drugs. I was addicted to sleeping pills. I was on them for 4 years and was taking one or even two every night. I was always afraid to tell my GP this fact, and I would beg or borrow from anyone I could, to get me the pills. I was afraid to tell my GP as I knew how damaging the abuse of such meds was but I was so frightened of the effect of coming off them. I finally told my GP and he reacted in a very professional and sensitive way, understanding my fears. He developed a strategy to get me off the meds over the course of 8 weeks. With his help it was actually a lot easier than I imagined. He morally and emotionally supported me and was always at the end of a phone line if needed. He also felt that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy could benefit me massively and got me in with a brilliant counsellor.
So, build that relationship. Be honest and frank. They are not there to judge, they are there to help. As alone as you might be feeling, I can guarantee you that your GP deals with cases like yours on a daily basis. To you, you feel so isolated and scared but the reality is your GP can help. If they don’t engage with you on your mental health or you are not happy, seek out another GP, even if you have to travel. It’s one of the key building blocks to improving your mental wellness.
Support Our Campaign
We rely on the generosity of the public to fund our work and so far together we have achieved great things! Please do continue to support us so we can provide future generations in Ireland with the resources to recognise and talk about their emotions, and equip them to navigate the ever-changing world around them as they grow
