Diagnosis for depression and social anxiety
Who do I speak to if I want to get a diagnosis if my gp is very dismissive because they told me I haven’t been there in months.
Original post by Learner777
Who do I speak to if I want to get a diagnosis if my gp is very dismissive because they told me I haven’t been there in months.
Ask to see a different doctor within that GP practice or look to join another GP practice?
Original post by Learner777
Who do I speak to if I want to get a diagnosis if my gp is very dismissive because they told me I haven’t been there in months.
I'd be interested to know why you want a diagnosis. If you are struggling with symptoms of depression and social anxiety, there may be talking therapies services in your local area that will take self-referrals, and a search on Google might reveal these services. Alternatively, ask to speak to another GP - they should not dismiss you. If you do seek help through talking therapy, professionals in these services do not usually diagnose problems and tend to use a formulation approach instead, which tends to be the case in psychology services now.
Original post by Caitxo
You have to speak to a psychiatrist to get a formal diagnosis.
GP's are able to diagnose more common mental health conditions like depression and anxiety, it's the more complex ones like personality disorders and schizophrenia etc that require a more specialised doctor
To be honest getting a diagnosis of clinical depression is very difficult if you're under 18 in my experience. I was referred to cahms when I was 12 due to symptoms of depression, I have only just gotten diagnosed recently, I am 17 now. The thing is doctors really dislike diagnosing depression as depression, instead they may diagnose you with "low mood" if you are diagnosed with this it is the same as receiving a diagnosis of depression at least internally. By this I mean doctors will give you treatment and treat you the same as anyone diagnosed with depressive disorder, it's just that external bodies like your school, job ect.. that wont treat it as a valid diagnosis. I had to practically beg my psychiatrist to diagnose me properly. To get a diagnosis you need to go through your gp to cahms if you're under 18. If not you need a referral from a school councillor or someone else of that nature. You can try to do a self referral but it's very hard to get seen. It will take months of back and forth with a psychiatrist once they finally allow you to see one to get a diagnosis. I know I've painted a very bleak picture here but at least in my experience diagnosis is a very long and painful process that may take years to complete. Self diagnosis is okay until you can get one, please don't wait until a diagnosis to understand and support yourself. I wish you luck on your journey :3
Original post by Learner777
Who do I speak to if I want to get a diagnosis if my gp is very dismissive because they told me I haven’t been there in months.
go sleep guys damn
