First published 1 August 2022. Updated 4 September 2024.
It can be daunting to talk about mental health with your GP, regardless of whether it’s someone you’ve seen since childhood or a GP you haven’t known for long.
Here are some tips that may help:
- Make sure you have booked a longer appointment to help both you and your GP have adequate time to discuss your concerns. It’s OK if you don’t take up the full appointment. You don’t want to feel rushed.
- Think about whether it may be helpful to talk to a friend or family member beforehand and ask them to come with you.
- Make some dot points of what you are worried about – such as your thoughts, feelings, sleep pattern, weight or all of these combined.
- Let your GP know how long these things have been happening for you and whether other people in your life have commented. They are concerned about you.
- Let your GP know whether these things have happened before and resolved with treatment or just went away and what was happening in your life at that time.
- Tell your GP if you know any of your family with a similar experience to you.
- Let your GP know how these things are affecting your life – it might be your work, your relationships or your motivation.
- Ask your GP about the options for interventions and in what order. Possibilities may be medication, therapy or investigations to rule out any underlying condition – and ask what you may expect from these.
- If you are taking medication, ask your GP or pharmacist to explain expected effects and potential side effects. There are also many helpful online resources such as NPS MedicineWise and Choosing Wisely Australia.
- Feel ok to ask for a medical certificate if you need a break from work to recover or a mental health treatment plan to access Medicare benefits.
- And make another appointment as you leave.
