Need advice on how to contact my GP.

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I'm not sure which category to post this in, I hope it's okay here.

I really want to contact my GP (General Practice) doctor about my mental health but I don't know how to go about doing it.
I'm mute so I can't phone, I have crippling anxiety so I can't leave my house and go there and interact with anypony. I don't want to ask a family member to help me because I really, REALLY don't want to have to explain to them what my problem is, and they wouldn't help me without knowing. Plus if I tried to tell them that I did't want to explain it to them, they'd get worried and ask too many questions and they wouldn't leave it be. (Talking from past experiences)

The practice has a website where I can send an email, but it would have to go through their reception rather than straight to the doctor I want to talk to. Which I suppose might be okay, but I don't know what I would say to them. Could I just ask them to have the doctor email me? I don't know if they'd do that.. They're probably busy with other appointments and I don't think they'd do doctor stuff in their free time.

I could also send a letter, which I suppose would go directly to the doctor if I put her name on there. I imagine doing that would make me really anxious and paranoid though, I wouldn't know how long it'd take before she read it and I wouldn't know how she'd want to respond to it. I suppose sending an email would't be any different really, but I feel more comfortable sending emails for some reason.

Do you have any suggestions?

Maybe you could send the doctor an email.

I hope you don't mind if I ask:

Does "anypony" mean "anyone"?

I can't find an email for the doctor, only for the practice. I'll probably end up emailing the practice, though.
And yes it does.

Maybe email the practice, and ask for the doctor's email, in addition to presenting your situation. Then, once you get the doctor's email, you could email the doctor directly.

Reception cannot be avoided. They are the first hurdle to be crossed. I think you should email the practice and open with "Dear Dr. Smithers." Then outline your symptoms and why you are seeking their help.

Think of the receptionist as a booking agent. All they need to know is your name, Doctor's name, date/time for an appointment etc. You don't need to disclose to the receptionist what it is you wish to discuss with your GP.

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No for supporting trump. Because doing so is deplorable.

In Australia we have the National Relay Service. You log on to the service online and enter the phone number you want to call. You then wait until it connects with the NRS and you type what you want to say and a Relay Officer will speak for you to the receptionist, then type or speak back an answer. And you just go back and forth - you typing, them speaking for you and replying.
I've used this service many times. Sometimes it's a bit slow or disconnects in the middle of a conversation though.
I guess you would have something similar in the UK.

The staff in a doctor's office usually knows and has access to medical records. They have to be able to know what is going on with the patients because they do the billing and transcription, etc. Many people besides the doctor and nurse read your medical records. Nobody is the least bit interested in them though, so there is no need to be worried about someone else knowing. If you do see your GP about your mental health it will be put in the chart and read by the transcriptionist so she can choose how you or your insurance company will be billed and she can put it in the records. If you want to send an email that only the Dr reads, put in the subject like "Dr Smith only, personal and confidential" and the staff won't open it. If you send a regular letter you can put personal and confidential on the envelope and they will wait for him to open it.

He's probably going to tell you to come in to see him about it either way, because they don't usually call in meds for things like that without seeing the patient. Are you wanting a referral or meds?

Most people really don't have a clue as to how many people in the doctor's office and hospital actually see their medical records. Many people have to see them to do coding and billing and transcription, etc. They see so many of them that they don't even remember them. I have seen many of them over the years and only very few of them stick with me. I only remember a very few and those were either tragedies or people who were as*holes.

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I'm giving it another shot. We will see.
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Also, if you tell me what you want from the doctor I can help you compose an email.

Do you have a friend who can call for you? My best friend has no phone minutes at all, only text, so I have to make all her phone calls for her. I've had to call her work when she had a job, and lately I've had to call the health department to keep scheduling (and changing) the date for her pap smear because she's worried about what the HIV test will show. I'm worried for her too but the sooner she knows the sooner she can do something about it.

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I'm giving it another shot. We will see.
My forum is still there and everyone is welcome to come join as well. There is a private women only subforum there if anyone is interested. Also, there is no CAPTCHA.

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We don't have NRS here, ateast not that I know of. I think we used to have TTY but it didn't "catch on", so no one really uses it, and buying a TTY phone would cost about a months worth of income. The practice doesn't have a number for using one, anyway.

Another problem is I don't really want an appointment. I'd still have to leave my house and go there which I can't do. I could ask somepony to take me, (in which case I'd have to tell them what for which I don't want to do, and then they might as well just make the appointment for me) but then I wouldnt be able to communicate with the doctor once I'm there anyway.

What I'd really want was a sort of email-appointment. I don't know if they'd do that, I really doubt they would. But I don't know how else im going to communicate with the doctor.

I think I have two options. The first is to tell somepony (my father most likely) what's going on, which in turn will put him into worried/denial-father-mode which will lead to a million questions and make me uncomfortable. He'd make the appointment and go with me, and he'd talk on my behalf and probably say a few things wrong.

Or, I could email into the reception and ask if I'm able to contact the doctor via email. I'll tell them who I am and they can look at my file and see that I can't talk and all that stuff.

OliveOilMom, I want to tell the doctor about how my mental health seems to be getting worse and I want help with it. I don't know what kind of help though.. I suppose I'd hope that she has some suggestions.

I suppose it's very unlikely that the whole process can be done through emails. Especially if she'd want to refer me to a psychologist or something. And if I do have to meet with somepony then I'll need somepony else there with me (again, probably my father).

I think I'd like to see how much of it I can do on my own first, and if I need to include father later on then I'll just have to deal with it.

Do you use sign language or do you prefer to write things down and communicate that way? Since you are an adult, you could ask for an interpreter to be there if you use sign language. Communication is very important for therapy and mental health issues. In fact, it's probably the most important thing. You will probably have to be there for the appointment because they will need to probably do some blood work to make sure your symptoms aren't caused by physical reasons, which they can be at times. It's also considered important to go to appointments because if you can't go you are seen as unwilling to participate in your treatment. I do understand how hard it can be, because I was agoraphobic at one point in time and couldn't leave the house alone and had a very hard time going even with my husband, but it was the only way I could get the treatment I need.

Since it's a personal mental health issue, I'd really advise you to have someone other than your father there when you meet with the doctor because of privacy and comfort issues. You may feel more comfortable communicating with the doctor when your father isn't there. The interpreter doesn't care about your issues and doesn't worry about what you say, she just translates.

Why not send an email to your doctor that simply says "Dr. Xxxxx, I have some concerns about my mental health that I would like to discuss with you, but because of my communication issues and anxiety about leaving home, I may have a hard time participating in a traditional setting. Do you have any suggestions about how we can accomplish this in a mutually agreeable way? Please contact me by email with your thoughts on this matter. I look forward to your response and thank you in advance for your time. Sincerely xxxx"

Do you have any idea how you might be able to go about therapy? I've been to therapy many times and found it to be very helpful when I had a therapist who had a clue.

Also, what is "anypony"? i saw you said it means anybody, but I've never heard it and thought I was familiar with British slang. Is it particular to your location?

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I'm giving it another shot. We will see.
My forum is still there and everyone is welcome to come join as well. There is a private women only subforum there if anyone is interested. Also, there is no CAPTCHA.

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I don't know any sign language, and I can't write in front of people. Part of my problem is that when I'm in the company of people I can barely move. Especially if they're looking at me. Some times I'll need them to leave before I can even get up and leave myself.

Face to face communication has always been a problem with me and has made all of my doctor appointments very awkward and drawn out. I can just about manage to nod and shake my head for "yes" and "no", so they have to go through every possibility saying "is this the thing?" and i'd respond in that way.

I've never bothered with therapy for this reason. It's been suggested but they've always said I'd need to communicate.

Being seen as unwilling to participate in my treatment is ultimately what leads to all of my doctors giving up on me. They never seem to grasp that the things they're saying I need to do is exactly what I need help with.

And they never seem equipped to deal with my issues. It's like "Oh, you have mutism? We can help with that! Oh, but you also have crippling anxiety issues? No, no, we can't help then."
Or "You have crippling anxiety? We can help! Oh, you're also mute? Move along."

Thank you for the email suggestion. I think I'll do something like that.

I don't know how I'd deal with therapy. Ideally it'd be over email or some form of text-chat. I don't think they'd do that.


Anypony is what the ponies say in the cartoon My Little Pony.

Oh ok. I've never watched it. My daughter used to and it's popular with some of the teenage crowd and my grandbaby likes it, but I've never paid attention to it.

Well, why don't you explain your issues in your email to the doctor like you did to me and ask to be referred to a therapist that specializes in nontraditional therapy for people with disabilities or severe anxiety issues? Is your anxiety and muteness something you are interested in seeking therapy for? Is your muteness a physical problem and are you deaf as well, or is it an anxiety issue that causes you to be mute? Also, if this is an anxiety issue and not a physical one, have you always been this way or has it gotten worse? Can you talk to your family?

I know that after we moved down here to the middle of nowhere and I needed to talk to my therapist that I had seen for a long time, she would do phone sessions with me. It's not common because they like to see you and your body language etc, but we were also friends and used to talking on the phone about other things and kind of tuned into each others moods and stuff because of that, so she could pick up on things with me over the phone that another therapist who didn't know me might not be able to. Sometimes they will do things like that. Also, depending on where you are you might be able to find someone who makes house calls and can come to you.

Someone might consider doing internet chat therapy with you for right now if you agree to work up to coming into the office. Have you ever sought treatment for the muteness, and if it's not physical when did it start and when are you able to speak? Could you type your answers on a computer in the office in front of others if you didn't look at the people and just at the screen?

_________________
I'm giving it another shot. We will see.
My forum is still there and everyone is welcome to come join as well. There is a private women only subforum there if anyone is interested. Also, there is no CAPTCHA.

The link to the forum is http://www.rightplanet.proboards.com