HELP NEEDED ASAP

[missgoddess]

i have finally got an appointment with a therapist on the nhs but on the letter it says i will have a 50min mental health assessment...wot the hell is that? i dont want a test to find out if im depressed/mad/abnormal as i know it is only the emet that is causing me problems but knowing my look the test will show up as me having schizophrenia or sumthing!!! wot will i have to do?!?!

[sweetfreak]

Try not to worry. I am sure they won't find anything like schizophrenia. Remember, serious emet is an anxiety disorder but it doesn't mean you are crazy. I bet you are very rational in all other apsects of life. I know I am. [img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]

[missgoddess]

yeah i am...i suppose ive seen 2 many movies lol...i am just very cynical about any tests that claim to find the answer to ur mental conditions...i was interviews, councelling and hypnotherapy not any scary tests!!!


i phoned nhs direct and the guy just said it will b interviewing to find out if i have a underlying mental condition but wen i asked 4 an example he just sed anything then went on to say i sound a very stable person, and he quickly followed that with, uve never had any treatment for a mental health disorder have u lololol

[Beccah19]

I had a mental health assessment before I started counseling too! It's no big deal. My psychologist just asked me questions about my family, my life situation, my childhood...what they're doing is trying to make an accurate diagnosis. And it might not be any ONE thing, so don't go in with any expectations! I thought I just had a phobia too, but, as it turns out (and it makes PERFECT sense), I also have a generalized anxiety disorder, depression,and obsessive compulsive disorder. The phobia has caused all of the other things, so we work on the phobia and the symptoms of it's effects. It's not a scary thing, you don't have to do multiple choice or anything


Love,
~Rebeccah

[lj_becker]

Just wondering, what kind of therapy have you been offered on the NHS. I only got 2hrsof counselling and then I was just sent away. Did you go to you're GP and they referred you?

[missgoddess]

yeah and he sed that the therapist cud teach me relaxation techniques!!! i dont even lno wot ive let myself in 4...im not depressed, i dont have ocd and im scared they r gunna try and convince me sumit more than it is

[Jenneh]

missgoddess: i no how u feel, jut before my assessment i was absolutely petrified, so much so, i ended up sitting there crying for the best of it


but my psychiatrist was absolutely useless, didnt give me any kinda diagnosis, infact he didnt even ASK me about this flipping phobia!!!


argh, dont lke thinking about him, it stirs me up.


anyway, guess what i shud be saying is, dont worry, im sure they're not gnna diagnose u with nething. u know u have emet, they're just assessing cos they HAV to as a starting procedure, for the NHS neway.


good luck and tell us how it goes ;-)


Jen xxxxxxxxxxxx

[missgoddess]

i hope so...as a psychology student and as sum1 who is aware of the ins and outs of thephobia from visitin this site i hope i can kinda steer the therapy and help the therapist out, like suggesting things i think migth help...i have no problems discussing experiences...im totally open to ideas and will try anything as long as they dont try and make out im depressed or have some other mental disorder becuase i really dont lol and i dont wanna end up on any sorta anti-depressants...i think they r good if u r depressed but im not...the emet and anxiety are my only problems...

[Jenneh]

psychiatrists are REALLY hesitant about giving out anti-depresants lke that, so as long as u show ur not depressed u wont be put on them!! they may ask u about anxiety drugs tho ...


as i said, i spent the whole time in there close to tears or even in tears, and he stil said at the end " i dont think u shud b on anti-depressants" little did he know i was already on them!! lol.


you do sound pretty much in control, being a psychology student and knowing a lot about the phobia, so i think tht wil help u communicate and make sure u get ur say in, they dont just diagnose u with something and make u go sumwhere without understanding WHATS going on!!


Jen xxxxxxx

[missgoddess]

thanx jenneh that really helped [img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]

[sage]

Always remember that "you're in charge" of your therapy. No one can MAKE you do anything you don't want to. I know this is easy for me to say, cuz when I did my real serious therapy I was 40, not 16, but nevertheless you and your therapist should be on the same side of the table looking at the problem together - not in some sort of power-differentiated relationship. Nobody knows you better than you. Go in with confidence, and if they say something inaccurate, gently correct them, but do it assertively. (Sometimes WE don't know the extent of our own problems, either, so you'd want to listen with an open mind as well, of course). Remember they're there to HELP you, and they do what they do cuz they GENUINELY want to help people out, not "dominate" them or prove how smart they are. The more you try to look at yourself as an EQUAL to them (they need you as a patient, you need them as a therapist...) the better your relationship will be.


The assessment is a set of questions designed to diagnose you. It's pretty accurate, but not completely...there are exceptions and again, you'll have to assert yourself to get this across if it's the case. When it comes to depression, the assessment tool won't show you're depressed if you're not. If you are, you may not know you are...and it would be good to know! Just answer the questions completely honestly, and be sure to stress OVER AND OVER how terrified you are of vomiting. So for instance, if they ask you about appetite - say "I don't eat BECAUSE I'M AFRAID I'LL VOMIT", etc....


Assessment tools are great because they diagnose quite quickly and accurately in most cases, but humans are humans and we don't always fit neatly into categories. Don't let this discourage you...but you may have to "push" your point once you get to the therapist him/herself. We all do!


Good luck, and don't worry -- think positively! This is the beginning of getting help!

[missgoddess]

hehe im 18 not 16 lol but thanks for the advice!

[sage]

sorry - I was generalizing anyway


Take a look at Sweetfreak's list on the other thread...maybe take it to your first appointment after your assessment and say "what's your opinion on this?"