View Full Version : How usefull are our GPs?
Could you vote wether your GP was helpfull or not helpfull with your disorders
Thank you
can we have a few more options in this poll as my GP has been fine at giving me medical check ups but only has pills available as there are effectively no psycology services in bristol on the nhs - as he freely admits - but was very interested in private services I found
he was pants however in weaning meds
cheers jos
Negative and positive experiences of DOCTORS! (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=15976)
People have been commenting on here lots about the usefullness of GPs ETC
I have an excellent doctor who is very supportive.
The doctor I had original was't sympathetic or supportive so I requested a different doctor through the PCT.
Karen
My doctors are cr*p!! Every tablet they have given me has made me really ill, i have had to beg and plead on bended knee to be referred for anything, they look at me as if i'm stupid and crazy and they have absolutly NO sympathy or caring at all!
My GP is the best. Looked after me for about 15 years. long before I suffered from depression. I know I'm lucky!!
my gp is not very good at treating anxiety at all, infact she is rubbish!
I once had a locum who said i looked fine to her and should just pull myself together! I should have reported her. I was in tears.
Josephine
My old GP was pants, but my new one is lovely. :yesyes: She's helpful and really listens when you talk about the anxiety. She tries to find things that will help with the symptoms, and are non-addictive too. 10/10:flowers:
purplehaze
28-05-07, 00:47
G.Ps are just that ..They practise general medicine. They Really dont know how to deal with mental health issues and often just refer to their "medication" book
Yet this is an issue that effects one in four people so you would think there would be more training in this area. One of the problems is that those who have a mental health issue. sometime visit the Doc to often and thats just for reassurance. What we need is professionals connected to the GPs and shorter waiting lists but this will only come about if we write to our MPs and those in power...WE REALLY NEED TO TAKE CONTROL OF OUR LIVES ON THIS ISSUES and no longer accept that we are the second rate clients of the Practice...
greenfairywishes
28-05-07, 17:28
my G.P. is alright. neither disappointed or over the moon with the treatment i have recieved. Sometimes feel that whenever i go in with a complaint that there are too quick to blame it all on my anxiety/depression. I mean, it is possible to have 2 illnesses at once isn't it?:wacko:
My GP has been pretty good overall. She agrees with me that medication is not going to get me better - it will help but I need to use other methodsto get myself better and has supported me even if she's been thinking " blinkin' nutter - that will never work".
I am so impatient and can not see progress but she tells me what she sees and when she says 'you are doing brilliantly' I know she means it.
She didn't tick me off when in the beginning I messed about not taking meds cos' I was petrified of them. She's been great when I have gone in with my partner, especially when this all began and she told him how to support me with practical things.
She can't make me better but she does what she can and is never negative.
Ive had really bad experiences of GPs in the past, pretty horrific in fact. Two years ago I moved house and changed GP practice and they are fantastic. So understanding, look at me as a person and not just someone with anxiety. My new gp was horrified at the amount of meds I ws on and the amount i was taking to counterract the side effects of the others! With a gradual reduction process I have reduced vastly. Beofre Xmas my mental health took a turn for the worse - I had self harm urges again and within a WEEK i was referred back into psychiatry system.
Today I phoned for an appointment and got one immediately and the gp was one I hadnt had before but she was excellent and didint just dismiss my symptoms to anxiety - she done tests and is ruling out other things. I left feeling reassured and not worrying enough to post on here to ask about it - I will trust her and myself. Never thought I could have said that!
Under~The~Stars
31-05-07, 16:21
My GP has been really great, so supportive. She has been there with me the whole time. I used to see her once a week, but now I see her twice a week without fail. Even when she has referred me to see other people, I have stayed in regular contact with her, and I'm not on meds.
She has never wanted to give me any meds. The only time I took meds was when my psychiatrist prescribed them for me, and even then I was only on them for a few weeks.
I couldn't have asked for more from my GP, second to none. I owe her everything for standing by me, and not giving up. There have been a few times where I really thought she would have, but nope, she's still there, every step of the way.
Lou xxx
I won't talk about my GPs (yes I get to see a different one everytime as there's five of them, it's a "medical group"!) as I'm not allowed to swear here :)
Someone recently told me that many doctors just leave BPDs to "get on with it", which has been my experience. I'll leave it at that before I get angry!
Gordon
Alabasterlyn
17-10-07, 09:14
Although my current group practice is full of very nice GP's I'm not at all impressed by their knowledge of anxiety issues or the help that they offer.
Every day in the papers there is yet another page of how overeating, smoking, being unfit etc are all bad for our health and lo and behold there seems to be help for every self inflicted health problem going.
Most people I know with anxiety are so aware of how their bodies work that they try to look after themselves in a way which regular non anxious people don't.
I have never smoked, I don't drink, I've never taken recreational drugs. I keep my weight down by regularly exercising for the recommended amount, I watch my diet and cut out trans fats. I eat my 5 a day of fruit and veg, cut down on the stimulants like coffee etc and keep an eye on my BP and cholesterol because I want to be healthy!
Then I go and see my GP and I feel I am treated like a second class citizen for the simple reason that I have a psychologial rather than a physical problem :mad:
:yesyes:
I did have a pants GP until a new doctor joined our practice. I see her now and she has been so supportive helping me get off of 60mg of Temazepam. I am down to 6mg of diazepam now (yayyyyyyy) despite 2 heart attacks and the trauma of going into hospital!!!! I wonder if female GP's are better than male?
Alabasterlyn
17-10-07, 11:29
:yesyes:
I did have a pants GP until a new doctor joined our practice. I see her now and she has been so supportive helping me get off of 60mg of Temazepam. I am down to 6mg of diazepam now (yayyyyyyy) despite 2 heart attacks and the trauma of going into hospital!!!! I wonder if female GP's are better than male?
Gosh that's great you have reduced your dosage like that, well done :D
I'm glad you have found yourself a good GP that is helping you :hugs:
Did you mean useless not useful!
it is so good you got off from 60mg of temazepam right down to the diazepam
really gp's i absolutely can't stand them i think most of them get a phd off the internet, my current one only deals with chest pains an heart problems!
thinks pysche problems are way too complex!!
how will things ever change ?????????
Rich x:lac:
hi my gp is rubbish and now i have just moved got a new one and he is even worse
I'm not very happy with my G.P.! He keeps prescribing this drug that gives me a very bad reaction, when i told him this he was puzzled! and said well what can i give you then!!!
My last GP was lovely then we moved and i've now got a poisonous little doctor who on my last visit told me to tell myself i'm wonderful everyday till I start believing it!!!!!! Er hello!!!!
If she mentions feeling the fear and doing it anyway one more time i'll go bananas - i've felt the fear and done it anyway and it got worse, not better. God - got to see her again in a week!
Cassie
My GP is just total pants, I dont even bother going any more.
My gp has been really good, she was great when I was really bad at the beginning of this year, I'd like to give her a hug!
I love my GP too, I feel I could go to him with anything :D
My old doctor retired a couple of months ago, she was nice but couldn't seem to deal with my problems.
I now have a much younger man doctor and he's brilliant, he's now helping me off tablets that i have been addicted too for 9 years instead of just throwing another prescription at me:yesyes:
It was a very interesting experience for me going to see a GP about my issues. I had not seen a GP for health reasons since I was 9 years old.
The difference between how Primary Care and Secondary Services where I work are very apparent to me.
I had obviously gone for meds and had got them so for me it was a great success.
I think the trick is to go with an idea of what you want and expect from them. If you are logged to this site you must have an incling of what you have and therefore are armed to get your GP to take you seriously.
I am surprised to read that there are no counselling services available in Bristol. Have you checked out Bristol MIND? Mind are very helpful to SUs here in Brent.
Keeping yourself informed is the key, I don't want to go into too much detail for fear of putting my foot in it, but PCT have the authority to commission services and the latest government white paper was keen on improving services for people with "less serious" or not enduring mental illness which generally anxiety is flagged up. Have a squiz through the internet, it never hurts to know more about things than professionals it tends to speeds things along.
My gp has been really good, she was great when I was really bad at the beginning of this year, I'd like to give her a hug!
Go give her one, I am sure she would appreciate it.
littlemiss_sunshine
24-10-07, 16:58
my gp(s) havent been very helpful. but i had an appointment with a locum dr, in fact he was great cos he actually listened to my problems instead of giving stories,and reassured me that many people go through anxiety etc. he did counsel me at first and then iv bin reffered to a councellor for further sessions.
Freaky Chick
26-10-07, 09:19
My GP has been fab with me - though he did make several mistakes with a friend of mine who was ill before me, but he learnt and has done me proud and is dealing with my friend better now.
He refferred me to psych services after about 1 month of me being ill, on the grounds that the appointment could always be cancelled if i was better when it came through - (the psych services are a tad snail like - it's a problem everywhere!).
He sees me every couple of months for a check up, and he's even seen me in his coffe break and rearranged his luch so that i can go when there is a quiet waiting room. Plus, if i'm having a bad day i can just phone up and have an appoitnment to just go and talk or cry at him and tell him how i am (though i haven't needed to do that yet, was very close yesterday after a huge panic attack)
So my GP is really the best - as was his predacessor!
Freaky
I'm envious of you Freaky. The lady doctor I've see a couple of times just comes accross as completely vacant. She doesn't ask me about coping strategies at all and hasn't examined my general health to see if there could be a physiological reason for my anxiety. I'm going to try and see a different doctor next time I go to see if I get a better response.
In my experience they are not very supportive and have little knowledge of the medications available.
If I could sue the doctor who took me off Seroxat three years ago I would. The worst thing she did was when I walked into her room a complete wreck one day, shaking - could barely speak through tears - just suffering the worst anxiety and depression ever (that I had never suffered )- she said "you ust weather the storm and continue discontinuation of the Seroxat". Three weeks later she had to refer me to a psychiatrist. He wasn't too pleased with her rapid discontinuation of Seroxat - and he wrote and told her how to withddraw a patient from that medication. She had got it mixed up with Prozac (she said) - which of course has a longer half life!!!
I did see a wonderful gp a couple of months ago - he chatted to me for about 40 minutes. He was kind, wanted to know exactly how I felt, talked to me about different medications, gave me tips on how he felt I could deal with the illness - and made me promise to visit him the following week.
The following week he told me that he was only a locum and that he was actually in training - he was going to be a psychiatrist (!) and part of his training was to sit in the gp chair. How sad.
Nah I don't rate doctors in general.
pinkpenny1uk
29-11-07, 18:47
at our surgery there is 2 doctors. both are very nice but i prefer to see one more then the other. i think this is because the one i prefer takes the time to listen to u before dishing out advice etc and he dosn't have the perscription wrote out ready before u've even walked through the door, like some do.
on the whole i am very pleased with the help given to me by my doctors.
Oh dear, as a bloke I shouldn't be saying this!:blush: but I've always found lady doctors Much more caring, patient, willing to listen and more understanding!
I realise you can't generalise. There are good and bad in everything but the male doctors I've had have told me "what am I worrying about", "pull myself together", dished out a valium (diazepam) and left me on them or after I'd self harmed asked me "why am I wasting their time when there are genuinely ill people".
Maybe it's the new breed of doctors but the lady doctors I've seen have always spent time to listen.
Not that long ago I saw my doctor after I'd been feeling really low and I told her I didn't want meds because I knew they weren't what I needed so she wrote a letter to the mental health team referring me.
Just recently I've had a really bad cold so I popped into the surgery one evening to make an appointment. I wasn't sure whether to trouble her but after the receptionist had talked to her, she said she'd see me straightaway. I really didn't expect that and when I saw her she was so happy to help even though it was so late. I've only praise for her and the majority of doctors who do a very stressful job so I can forgive the male doctors who were less than understanding because I simply couldn't do their job!
Not very helpful at all in my opinion. :nonono: Seems like they only know how to deal with medical stuff and not mental health issues. I was put on to a counsellor and their techniques made me feel worse.
I couldnt get to the surgery for a blood test recently so asked for someone to come to my house, the doctor said "I couldn't possibly put that request through to the district nurse, they'd think it was strange". :mad: Made me feel like I am wierd for having anxiety, I felt like crying. It shouldn't be up to what he feels comfortable doing but think about what would help me. I felt like complaining.
Then he went and prescribed 2 tranquillisers only for me to get to the surgery for which I had to pay full prescription and they weren't high enough dose so I ended up having a panic attack and crying in the surgery. They don't like to prescribe the tablets that help me because they are addictive. The last doctor I spoke to said "I'm not sure what to suggest". :sad: I might have to have a talk to them about this as I feel unfairly treated.
Hi Rosey
I had that problem, due to being housebound through agoraphobia, that I could not get to the doctor's.
I actually wrote to the doctor, with a copy to the practise manager, stating that they were discriminating against me because of my mental health. If I had something physically wrong with me and could not get to the doctors then a doctor or the district nurse would come to my house.
You have a right, therefore, to have a doctor attend to you at home and also the district nurse to come and take blood tests.
I even had my flu jab done at home.
So tell them that they are discriminating against you and write a complaint to the practise manager. That should do the trick. Hope all goes well for you.
Sheena
This thread displays the mixed feelings relating to our 'GP's and as such in my view, it is a major concern.
The number of negative comments is far too high and in fact a very true reflection of the NHS service as a whole. When we are poorly and particularly with a mental health problem, the last thing we want is a situation where we feel worse when we come away from the Drs.
Personally, I have had a bad experience with my GP and am now in the process of moving. My choice I know but I felt this way with him for many years and have often felt belittled by simply sitting there and trying to explain a problem.
Through my present illness I have come to realise that many of the GP's are ignorant and to some extent frightened of mental issues. Through an ever increasing age of litigation they are not willing to make a formal diagnosis and it then becomes 'someone elses problem'.......Often ouselves, as we are left to piece together a splintered jigsaw and make our own moves.
Fine when we can afford it but if we have an unsympathetic GP and cannot, it becomes a serous issue.
One thing I do know is that it should not be the luck of the draw!
Cheers,
BB(Roy)
Rennie1989
06-12-07, 11:00
when i told her i was feeling depressed and that my panic attacks were becoming more frequent she literally turned me!
when it was for something else, like my cancer scare, she was very supportive
(these were two different doctors)
my gp is ok and quiet helpful at times lv elaine xx
Rennie1989
10-12-07, 15:46
when i told her i was feeling depressed and that my panic attacks were becoming more frequent she literally turned me!
when it was for something else, like my cancer scare, she was very supportive
(these were two different doctors)
EDIT: Went back to the doctors today, saw the one who turned me away (was about something else). I saw my notes and I have been diagnosed with panic disorder and not known about it ...
So pretty pants!!!!! :lac: grrrrr
The problem with GP's is that they don't get enough training to deal with emotional problems. It's a shame really, because apart from your doctor being the first one you consult when suffering from an emotional problem, he/she can have a powerful placebo effect on you - If he/she says "don't worry, you will be fine", then that in itself can be all you need to feel better.
We still see doctors as 'Gods', when it comes to our health, and we will believe almost anything they tell us.
huni_buni_flower
24-12-07, 12:24
I Have Two Excellend Doctors Who Are White And Do A Good Job. I Dont Mean To Sound Racist But Every Time I See An Asian Doctor They Are Useless!
Dying_Swan
24-12-07, 16:06
I've moved around a fair bit so have had quite a few GP's in the last few years. Some of them have been utterly hopeless, others have been brilliant. Referring to the above post - my last GP was Asian and he was the best doctor I ever had. He always listened to me, and took my concerns seriously. I was gutted when I moved away and had to change practices.
My new practice aren't impressing me at all. There is one doctor who seems pretty good. The others are pants. I saw what one had written about me....
'Miserable lady - won't accept increase in meds'.....pfft. I'd gone to see him for a surgical problem, having just come out of hospital. It was nothing to do with Anx! He wears a bow-tie - what more can you expect?
Hang on in there though everyone...there are some fab GP's out there.
My surgery is a group practice but you can never get to see the doctor you want. I've had a real cr*p doctor the last couple of times I saw someone. He came out for a home visit as I have agrophobia and can't get to the surgery. He was really abrupt and nasty. When I next wrote for my repeat prescriptions he wouldn't give them me and said I HAD to come down to see him. I finally got an emergency prescription from another doctor. When I do get my courage up to visit the surgery I shall see another doctor. I have no faith in him.
Sue
My doctor has been brilliant on the number of occasions i have seen him about my health anxiety, he really sits and listens to me and i know that he's not just going through the motions but actually hearing what i'm saying. He has prescribed anti depressants, and previously counsiling and explained how with me its a genetic problem.
My gp told me my agorophobia is a 'luxury illness'. Apparently if I had to go out as a matter of life or death I would do it. Hmmmm!
My doctors is absolutely pants. A saw a locum first who suggested I have my thyroid tested (despite nearly collapsing with PA in the waiting room). I was then diagnosed with PA, anxiety in hospital after being rushed there from work.
The hospital told me to see my GP. My GP referred me to a private counsellor (the NHS list wait list being too long). Would not give me anything (she is the sort of doctor who never gives tablets ie anti-biotics if she can help it). Counselling did nothing at first, then I developed depression. Went back to doctor who was yet another locum who actually gave me Citalopram. That really helped - but my own doctor when she was back then reduced my dosage so I was only on them for 3 months (but gave my body the break I needed).
I am relocating at the end of this month - so new doctors - so hopefully if I do need the support they will be better
ElizabethJane
18-09-08, 13:12
My GP is brilliant. She will see me at the end of surgery when her list is already full. She won't abandon me and has alway been available in all the nineteen years I have been going to that surgery. The other doctors are sympathetic as are the nursing staff. There is one called P....... who acts like an unoffical matron but she gets things sorted and does it right. Letters of referral and follow up visits are always done never forgotton about.
It's amazing different peoples experiences and it does all come down to the doctor and their own experience and outlook. My GP is fab but he is now part time as is past retirement age and just helps out now. He takes time to talk to me, makes sure I see him regulary, gives me all the info to let me make informed decisions and remembers me and my family so can draw on what is happening with them to how that affects me. Is it that he is older that he is better?
It's not just mental health problems that they can fall down on, my son who is 4 has Perthes disease, he had seen every other doctor in the surgery over his limp when he was 2, when he saw this doctor he knew striaght away what it was, got us referred immediately etc. He is the only doctor in the practice that has seen the disease so is it their fault that they didn't pick it up?
GP's have a tough job, I wouldn't want ot do it, however it doesn't excuse the rude and arrogant ones.
burberrygirl72
19-09-08, 15:55
my doctor just seems to fob me off with diff pills every 3 months and just looks straight through me like oh no what else
does he really think that i love going to visit him so often
i could think of better things to be doing with my time
Mine has been supportive to me with certain aspects of my agoraphobia/social phobia problems over the years,but he is difficult to talk to sometimes.Recently i started suffering distressing panic attacks and am seeing him again for various tests and ecg's,i have found more help via books and online,you really need a doctor you can talk to and confide in,not one that dishes out pills for anything. On a scale of 10,my Doctor gets a 6.
I dont have a specific GP as I have to call the surgery for an appointment and the first available GP is then allocated to me.
There are three full time GP's at my local practise and two are decent and one is a bit too pragmatic and not very sympathetic.
The two who are okay rely a little too much on prescribing medication rather than spending time getting to the bottom of what the real issue(s) might be.
as useful as a chocolate fireguard, I insisted at being refferred to a shrink when I first suffered panic disorder back in the 90's, docs attitude was "pull yourself together man", the dick :doh:
My Gp is about as useful as a chocolate fireguard, he said when I was having a really bad panic attack that it wont 'kill me' and to just get on with it -printed out a prescription and sent me on my way. There's more brains in a false face than in his head. I often wonder why I bother making an appointment but because Im in remission from Cancer I cannot change my Gp until the GMC allows it - Strange law - so until then Im stuck with this imbecile :wacko:
a:yesyes: s the panic gets worse they just tell me to increase tablets,let us all throw them away i don't thik we will die
sunshine-lady
05-12-08, 16:56
I am really lucky to have a wonderful GP and a fantasic mental health team, including a support worker, psychiatrist and a CPN.
My GP is very understanding and supportive. He has had me sectioned in the past, but now know this has been for my own safety. He regulary comes to visit me at home as I am agoraphobic. I find it hard to talk about how I am feeling at times, but he reasures me, encourages me and takes the time to listen. I can phone him anytime, if he isn't available he calls me back as soon as he can.
The medications I take require regular blood and blood pressure tests. My GP aranged for a district nurse to call to do this.
I know that I am very lucky reading about the total lack of care some members have recieved.
shortstuff
05-12-08, 21:13
My GP has been great. He freely admits that he is no expert in relaxation techniques or therapies, but is happy to look into it for me. The really good thing about him is that he not only listens but can read between the lines. When I'm struggling to explain just HOW I am - he asks the right questions and puts me at ease! This is so important!! I was dreading that first appointment - especially with the 'stigma' of mental health issues. He really put me at ease - I know I wouldn't have gone back otherwise!! He made a specific point of telling me just how common similar issues are and that I wasn't a total fruit cake (although not in those words). The main thing is, he listens and remembers - and often refers to the progress I have made since my first visit.
Mine have been terrible, the diagnosed me with Ibs,just due to loose bowel movements when I was having a panic attack??? then they put me on Diazipam and never offered me anything diffrent after I told them I wasnt too keen. They never once offered me counselling, and then he gave up on me after a while. Oh he also offered me group meetings when Im an agoraphobic???? Clueless.
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