View Full Version : No faith in the doctors..A waste of time
All the years I have been going to doctors for hep for my panic /Anxiety attacks it's been a waste of time...They don't listen or even seem interested they cant wait to get you out the door. I have been to the doctors this morning I told him about the symptoms I have been getting and his response was "only you know why you feel this way" I mean really if I knew why I'm feeling this way I could do something about it. He didn't seem interested or even ask me how I was feeling...He has prescribed me with Anti depressants and has referred me to a councillor which could take months.
He hasn't been the only doctor I have seen that shows no interest nearly all of them throughout the 26 years I have had panic/anxiety have been the same..I've just had to come away and get on with it. Maybe you guys have had better care but for me I have lost all hope in the NHS in ever feeling better of this or getting the help I need to live a normal life. I mean for all I know this might not be panic or anxiety they my be missing something but they just cant be bothered...they look at you like your mad..they think its all in the mind and only we can deal with it. palm you off with meds and see you in 3 months not sit with you and talk to you about it. I was barely in there 5 mins he didn't take his eyes of the computer screen. I have changed my doctors several times now and the same...It doesn't make you feel good at all or give you any hope you going to get over this.
In a way what you said "only you can deal with it" is correct. Doctors are not trained counselors and can only refer us for further help which yours has done. I know the waiting lists are long which is really not good :( but at least we can get free counselling.
Unfortunately our time in a doctors waiting room is restricted but there is really nothing more than they can do other than prescribe and monitor our meds and refer us for therapy.
Sometimes I think we just want our doctors to wave a magic wand but it isn't going to happen and yes it is only us ourselves that can do something about it hopefully with the help of trained therapists. I can understand your frustrations having been there myself.
Have you read any self help books? Claire Weekes books are very good and have helped a lot of people on NMP. :hugs::hugs:
---------- Post added at 11:46 ---------- Previous post was at 11:42 ----------
There are some workbooks on here that you may find helpful http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resources/consumers.cfm
Im pretty m uch of the same view Kelly.Its true that GP,s in general don't have the time but I don't agree that medication is always the way to go and they do dish them out too quickly. There aren't enough CBT Counsellors within the NHS as yet though some GP,s do have in surgery general counsellors.
I was told 5 years ago that as my FBC count was excellent just to go and enjoy myself..what wonderful advice ( NOT).. this from someone who was filling in paperwork while talking to me..
All the years I have been going to doctors for hep for my panic /Anxiety attacks it's been a waste of time...They don't listen or even seem interested they cant wait to get you out the door. I have been to the doctors this morning I told him about the symptoms I have been getting and his response was "only you know why you feel this way"
God Kelly, that so mirrors my experience.
Years ago, I asked my doctor about decreasing my meds, as I was in a good place and pretty stable for years. I asked him loads of things, his opinion, etc.
All he said was 'only you know when the time is right to decrease them'.
No support. No interest. He was taking no responsibility at all for helping me make that decision.
My experience with doctors is that whatever is easiest for them is the way to go, be it just writing you a prescription or palming you off. I have never had a 100%, fully informed and interested, proactive GP when it comes to my mental helath problems in the 11 years I have had them.
It does seem that there are so many of us that suffer the same.:mad:
I agree. I even had a doctor many years ago (long since retired) even say to me "I don't give a brass monkey's" when I explained how I felt!
Other comments I have had over the years are "are you on drugs"? and then when I went on medication "have you got enough drugs"!
I'm sorry you've gone through that. I think though I referring you to a counselor, he did the best thing for you. A counselor would have the best training on how to deal with panic attacks. Wish you well.
I'm sorry you've gone through that. I think though I referring you to a counselor, he did the best thing for you. A counselor would have the best training on how to deal with panic attacks. Wish you well.
Except for the fact that a lot of them too are also a total waste of time.
Except for the fact that a lot of them too are also a total waste of time.
and a lot of them are very helpful as I have found but it took a lot of work on my part too.
The ones accessed by private health care are probably better than the NHS ones.
I have only seen NHS ones but they have a very good mental health team in the area I live. I have had Intense Psychotherapy, cbt and IPT and all the therapists were brilliant.
My experience wijth a therapist and a counsellor have been very good.
My doctors (over the last decade .... And there have been several due to changes at my drs surgery) hve been very good.
My current doctor is extremely interested in my progress.
The one before him had never met a patient who had come thro therapy as successfully as I did. He was very taken by my achievements.
I have to say that I got where I did mostly by working hard myself. Of course my therapist guided me along the way but when my therapy ended she told me that it really was down to me. That my hard work got me where I was at that time.
Roll the clock onwards nearly a decade.... I am back in the doldrums.
Roll on my counsellor.
Well, I was able to use her as a shoulder to cry on & to seek advice from while I again worked hard. It was not easy but I knew if I put the work in I would reap the benefits. It isn't always plain sailing. I recall a session about a third of the way in when I sensed she was losing patience with me.
At that point I was frustrated with her apparent lack of engagement. Well, it worked like a kick up the back side to me.
Instead of thinking bad of her,I reflected on why she may have reacted that way.
I realised she wanted me to give her an insight into where I wanted to go with the counselling, she needed my input because without it she could not help me. Sometimes you can feel like you need the help of others which indeed I did, but alongside that, you also need to take the initiative.
Because of the CBT I did with my therapist, I had an excellent grounding in the techniques that would help get me better. Schema therapy was behind this.
To this day I use those skills every day.
On embarking counselling, I actually said to her that I would be ok using my CBT to help myself but I knew I needed someone to help supervise me through it. I knew that the things I had to deal with would be triggering. And indeed I was able to steer my own way through it all but with the brilliant reflections, empathy & nurturing of my counsellor.
I am nearing the end of my counselling now and really am way further forward than I expected. I am so calm now, I don't get wound up like I used to. Things that drive me insane on a daily basis don't even push a single button for me. It's great, really great. I am more confident, I like myself. I am becoming far more assertive.
In the end, it really is up to us as individuals to take control of our own destiny.
To fight back against anxiety, depression.... Bullying.... Whatever it is holding us back or battering us down..... Decide to engage against it .....
Fight back because it really is worth it. You are worth it.
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