Going to doctors today

[uru]

I'm not sure what to tell them...

They offered me CBT but the org said I wasn't bad enough. I have been quite bad for a week now. I'm tempted to ask for meds, but it's not somewhere I wanted to go before.

Any advice?

[MyNameIsTerry]

If you are in England or Wales, there are NICE guidelines for several anxieyt disorders and the people your GP will typically refer you to will be in the IAPT network. Above them it's the old community mental health teams and inpatient services.

IAPT off 2 levels of service. Level 2 is more Guided Self Help, Online CBT courses, some groups, etc. Level 3 is CBT and takes place over a longer period. If they don't believe you need CBT yet, they should be at least offering you Level 2 which starts much quicker as it's 4-5 sessions over the phone or some sessions in a group looking at strategies to help yourself.

Your GP or any other medical professional can also issue book prescriptions for the NHS book reading scheme. Details of this and the books on the list are on NHS Choices in the Moodzone section. You just take the book prescription to a local library.

You could also try online CCBT. There are free ones around, although one of them needs your GP to set it up for you otherwise it's not cheap as a private patient. With that one you get a remote support worker included as thats the only CCBT that has been agreed as evidence based.

If your GP offered you CBT, it just means they wish to refer you. The decision sits with the organisation referred to, which will be IAPT in England & Wales (charities are given grants to provide services too) but that doesn't mean your GP can't go back to them and push for it if he/she thinks it is really needed.

Honestly, it's worth pushing with your GP. I've seen things said like this on here by people who's therapists are just trying to dump them off their lists and what they are saying does not conform to what NICE say and IAPT have to follow their guidelines as it's in their mandate.