Am I just wasting my doctors time?

I'm in a bit of a tricky situation here and not sure what to do about it so I would appreciate some advice please :smile:

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Last year, I was diagnosed with depression and self harmed for a very small period of time which I went to see my GP about and she referred me to a child psychiatrist who then further referred me for DBT treatment. The thing is, it's around 2 months later and I feel completely back to my normal self and haven't even thought about self harming myself for around 4 months, I feel emotionally stable and I don't feel the need for intense DBT treatment. I don't want to go ahead with the DBT even though I've already agreed to it and I'm not sure how to go about this; should I go to my GP and tell her how I feel? Or will she just think I'm stupid as I came to her with this problem in the first place and asked for help? I can't go back to tell the psychiatrist because I'm now 18 and not under the care of the child support team. I am currently not seeing any psychologist or psychiatrist as I'm on the waiting list for the DBT, it's already been 7 weeks since my referral and I've no idea how long it will take, I just think it's pretty pointless going to therapy when i don't have anything to talk about and someone more in need of my place could have it. I also feel like I know what my potential triggers are and that I can control them now.

Reply 1

Rooster523

Go to the sessions. OK, you feel like you've got nothing to share but go and talk about how you've been feeling for the past 7 weeks. A GP is not a psychiatrist and, although you feel like you're wasting the doctors time, he could ask you some questions perhaps you'd never thought about.

If the psychiatrist feels you don't need DBT, they won't make you do the full session.

Reply 2

roflcakes1

Make sure that you're absolutely certain you don't feel like you need therapy anymore - I know you're feeling better now, but it might be worth going if you struggle with depression and self harm. It will teach you new thinking patterns and coping methods for periods of stress which might well be needed if you go through a stressful time in the future, or feel yourself slipping back into negative thoughts. I would also ask you to think about what has changed since then - is it your circumstances, or just because you feel like you now know how to control your mood/triggers more?

I think you should tell all this to your doctor, especially the fact that you understand and can control your triggers and now feel stable. He won't think that you're stupid or that you wasted his time, since your diagnosis was professional, and you have every right to choose what treatment you think is best for you.

Reply 3

Tiger Rag

Discuss it with your GP?

Reply 4

twin

If your psychiatrist has referred you then you should trust there judgement. It would be much better to try and address any underlying problems than just hoping everything will be ok from now on. If you do for any reason have a relapse then you will have to be put back on referral list and it will take longer to get any treatment. My understanding is that Mental health services become increasingly over-stretched after 18 so seeking treatment becomes more difficult. Give it a go, you are not wasting anyones time! All the best.

Reply 5

rachel71

Thanks for all your replies! :smile:

And @roflcakes1, it's because I think I can control my triggers/ moods now and I myself can see what was causing my depression and believe I can avoid it in the future. My circumstances are no different to what they were last year and when I look back, I feel that I never want to self harm again because I can see what an unhealthy way of coping it is!

And it's not that I don't trust my psychiatrists judgement, at the time she referred me I was a complete mess, but now I have support and feel 100x better. I think that I will make an appointment with my GP to see what he thinks!

Reply 6

username861942

I am currently in DBT. It is a pretty intense therapy with individual and group therapy. The waiting list can be pretty long. What was your diagnosis? It's usually suggested for people with Borderline Personality Disorder (or emerging BPD), intense self harm or other self destructive patterns.

What's important to remember is that you can have periods of stability and then periods of instability. What extra support have you got at the minute?

DBT is a pretty specialised and hard to get therapy. I would talk it over with your GP and see what they think. See if you could get referred to a adult Psychiatrist who could talk to you about it. Usually if you are getting DBT you will be with a CMHT, so maybe ask if you are going to be referred to them?

Good luck either way, and if you have any questions about DBT, feel free to ask me.

Reply 7

rachel71

Original post by bullettheory

Thanks for replying, that's been so helpful!. My diagnosis was depressive illness however I had been self harming for about a month although I wouldn't say it was that intensive. When I was diagnosed I hadn't told my family and only my friends but now that I have I feel I have a lot more support which helps, also I know what triggers it so I have a better idea of how to control it. I haven't felt the need to self harm for months now and I've realised that it's not a good way to cope.

I know this would probably vary for different areas however how long were you on the waiting list for DBT before you started? I'm planning on going to uni in September so I am again wondering whether to take up the DBT especially since I'm feeling better.