Posted by cubic_me on December 28, 2004, at 9:19:48
In reply to Re: New UK guidelines for anti-depressants..., posted by SadMum on December 28, 2004, at 7:59:40
Some GPs are good, some are not, and others are somewhere in the middle. Is there any way you can see another GP to get a second opinion? Any good GP wouldn't mind you doing this at all.
Personally I think that for real cases of mild depression GPs are generally good at what they do - most people begin to feel better without having to see a psychiatrist,(and over 1/5 of GP consultations are about mental health) but when you have been feeling this way for a long time, or it is more serious, it is definatley best for a specialist to get involved. They are usually more up to date with medications and are more confident prescribing combinations.
I'm sorry you haven't had a great experience so far - my GP passed me on to a psychiatrist after a few weeks as she wasn't very confident with treating mental illness, but every doctor is different. Another GP I went to had some very valid points to make about long term effects of the meds the psychiatrist had prescribed to me, which subsequently lead to me coming off that combination - so some are good, you just have to find one.
poster:cubic_me
thread:425166
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041228/msgs/434958.html