Lived Experience Forum

[kcd]

i am in shock at how hard it is to get help for yourself. 

i saw a gp yesterday who didnt have time to do a mental health plan and although i said i was suicidal told me to come back today. $110 for that.

then today i went to a different doctor,who took 2 phone calls from other patients while i balled my eyes out in her office. $160 for that.

now i have to sit and wait for at least 3 weeks for an appointment for a diagnosis.

seriously, how do ppl in severe crises get anything done? what can ido to fix this system?

[utopia]

@kdc. Your experiences with these 2 doctors is just awful. Were they both gp's? I'm surprised at the cost they charged you. I'm guessing you don't have a regular gp. This doctor today - is she a gp? Why is she diagnosing you?
My gp did my mental health care plan. Then she looked at psychologists she could refer me to. My psychologist diagnosed me. When I got sicker with Suicidal thoughts - I went to hospital where I was picked up by a psychiatrist.he also diagnosed me. Same diagnosis as my psychologist.
It shouldn't be as hard as you have found it.
I don't understand why it would take 3 weeks to diagnose you.
I'd go to a different gp. Id ph first & tell the receptionist that you need a mental health care plan done at that appointment and you need an appointment asap.
Maybe one of the moderators or others on this site can come up with some help for you. Maybe a name of a mental health Service who can recommend a gp and psychologist for you.

[kcd]

sorry  i should have explaned better its 3 weeks untill i can get an appointment with a Psychiatrist

[utopia]

@kcd. Do you have any coping techniques you can use to help you get through - til you see the psychiatrist?
Once I had to wait almost 3 months to get into see a psychiatrist.
If things get harder for you while you are waiting, maybe your gp can help. Or you can ph Lifeline or Beyond Blue. And of course you can talk to us here on the sane forum.

[kcd]

i have nothing...i dont understand how they make asking for help so hard.

[Sahara]

Hi @kcd, I am very sorry to hear that you are so unwell. Like @utopia, I can't understand why the G.P's have charged you so much, especially when the first one didn't even have time to do your care plan... he probably should have bulk-billed you if he could not meet your needs within the allocated appointment time. How long was the appointment?

Take you bills into Medicare or call them and see how much of a refund you are entitled to for these G.P. bills.

At least the second G.P. got you an appointment with a psychiatrist.... this is good. The 3 week wait for an appointment is unfortunately typical, I believe. I had to wait 6 weeks. Can you call up the psychiatrist's office and ask to go on a waiting list in case someone else cancels their appointment? Please have a friend of relative do this for you, if you are not up to calling. There is no harm in trying. I know people who have gotten results by doing this. 

If you continue to feel unwell or get worse, you can always go to the emergency department of a public hospital and see a doctor there for free.  They cannot refuse you treatment. If your symptoms are quite bad they will keep you until a psychiatrist sees you in the hospital. Please keep this in mind. 

It's also a good idea to go back to see the G.P. who refered you to the psychiatrist and tell them if you are getting worse. They may prescribe something for you. They could also organise an emergency admission to the hospital for you, going straight from the G.P's consulting rooms.

It does sound a bit like the doctors you saw have dismissed your symptoms, to some extent. It's very disappointing. Please feel free to keep writing to us here.  

[kcd]

Both doctors don't bulk bill... 15 min appointment the first time and prob 30min after significant interruptions the second. My sister spent 3 hours researching the best care and looks as though even money can't buy that.
I will ask about cancellations at the psychiatrist thank you for that advice.
I was trying to stay out of the hospital system as it seems so much scarier and to be honest I have been before after a friend called 000 they let me go after 10 min because there wasn't a psychiatrist on service that day. I think the whole system is confusing and too hard to get help. I just want to give up

[utopia]

@kcd. The mental health care system is a shambles. If you broke your leg you would get immediate attention, but that doesn't always happen for Mental Illnesses. It's not right. But the louder we yell - then hopefully the faster changes will happen in this industry.
Do you have a friend or family member that can help and be with you when you're not coping? Even just phone calls. Yiu are not alone.

[Sahara]

@kcd,

it sounds as though you have not received the treatment that you deserve. A hospital emergency department may let you go after seeing a doctor, but only if you can assure them that you are no danger to yourself or others and you are released into the care of a responsible adult. Even so; they should have scheduled you an appointment as an out-patient with a psychiatrist and/or given a letter for you to take to your regular G.P. so as follow up treatment could be organised. This is my (uneducated) understanding of how things should go. Like, ideally. I am sorry to hear you had less than ideal treatment. I have, unfortunately, heard a similar story from others. 

In my experience, the G.P. would have had the power to decide whether or not to bulk-bill you. The clinic that  they work out of may have had a strict policy against it, however. In which case, I personally believe they are not ethical in their practice!  $110 bucks for 15 minutes of consultation is a rip-off, in my very naive, uneducated opinion. Please talk to Medicare about this. I think I have paid over 100 dollars for a consultation, but it was booked as a long appointment to begin with, and would have been for a duration of around half an hour. Medicare gave me a generous rebate on this.

Do not give up on your treatment, @kcd. I think you are very close to getting some answers. Write down all your questions to ask the psychiatrist when you do see them. Maybe check with the receptionist at the psychiatrist's office how long the first appointment is for new patients? That way you can prioritise your questions. 

I can only give you advice based on my personal experience as a fellow patient. I'm so glad that you have your sister to help you. That must be a huge comfort to you.

[Princessmolly]

@kcd i totally understand what you are going through as i am in the same boat. Iv tried so many doctors and psycs and even some counselors in the last 2 years as well as 2 different medications. I feel like i am blatantly screaming for help from the rooftops but i draw the line at going to a public hospital. You get stuck there for hours getting largely ignored with everyone walking past your cubicle looking in at you while you wait...and wait..or worse...you wait in the waiting room feeling like screaming and crying but holding it together while the mum who should just take her kid to a GP fir his cold whines about the wait.
Def ask to be on a cancellation list. My dr gave me a name of a website where you do a 8 week course run by psychologists but i dont know if i can share it here. I am starting that tomorrow