[Anonymous]

Hey everyone,

I'm seeing a psychiatrist for the first time on Saturday and I'm kind of nervous / unsure what to expect.

As some background, I have been referred by my GP because I have had depression long term (a 6 month episode when I was 9 years old, an episode lasting around a year at 11/12 and now I have been mildly to severely depressed for the past 5 years (14-19). In that time I have been through counselling and been prescribed Mirtazapine (which I did not take due to side effects) and have now been on Citalopram for almost a year. I have also struggled with self-harm constantly for the past 8 years and have frequent suicidal thoughts.

I think that the Citalopram (30mg) was somewhat helpful, as I was having extreme suicidal thoughts before I started it and they were reduced in intensity after about 8 weeks of meds. However, I am still struggling a lot, mostly with fatigue and general unhappiness.

In the past year I have also been in therapy. At my final session, my counsellor suggested that I should ask for a psychiatric referral. This is because of the recurring/enduring nature of the depression and because the meds and counselling haven't really caused any startling improvement, despite using them in parallel for several months.

I guess I'm just wondering what experiences other people have had in their first consultation with a psychiatrist. In part because of the depression itself it has been really hard to take steps to get better, and it helps me if I have some idea of what will happen next. Thanks for any help.

[bullettheory]

When you see the psychiatrist they will ask you what your current problems are and explore this in detail with you. They will also ask you about what treatments you have tried in the past and if anything has helped. Will also talk about your general health, family history (i.e. any family members with mental illness), your general lifestyle etc. First appointment is usually an hour.

Try not to worry about it, they will be guiding the conversation and you just need to answer their questions honestly. At the end of the appointment they may give you a diagnosis (if you haven't already had one), talk about next steps i.e. therapy, medication and maybe being taken on with the Community Mental Health Team so you will continue to have the support of the psychiatrist and maybe other members in the team (Community Psychiatric Nurses, Social Workers, Psychologists etc.)

[ViceVersa]

Like said, everything will be fine. Just make sure you stay calm, remember that nothing will scare he/she away, and to be honest. Hope it all goes well.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the replies. I really appreciate the support and the description of roughly what happens.

I guess my main fears are that he'll say I'm fine and I should be able to cope or that he'll say there is nothing they can do. I don't know how to keep feeling like this.

Oh well. Hopefully it will be okay.

[ViceVersa]

(Original post by Anonymous)
Thanks for the replies. I really appreciate the support and the description of roughly what happens.

I guess my main fears are that he'll say I'm fine and I should be able to cope or that he'll say there is nothing they can do. I don't know how to keep feeling like this.

Oh well. Hopefully it will be okay.

That's why you need to be as honest as possible and go into detail in exactly how you feel and what has been changing, whether you're sure of it's significance or now