09-05-2017, 09:28 AM
If you get hit by a car, or have a heart attack, the NHS is great. Unfortunately their resources for mental health are terribly limited, especially for anything complex that doesn't fit into a neat category. There are many types of mood disorders that affect quality of life e.g. dysthymia, but are not "typical" depression in the sense that GPs commonly recognise.
About 1/4 of appointments made with GPs are mental health issues, but unfortunately their training in psychology is quite limited. Some elect to study more, and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a big thing for them, so some are good, but they are General Practitioners and not specialists.
Is paying for a one off private consultation with a clinical psychologist an option? I just wonder whether someone with more knowledge can steer your GP in the right direction? Otherwise get the ball rolling with your GP. A referral might take ages, but you may as well get in the queue. Even if the GP won't refer to a clinical psychologist, they might let you see a psychiatric nurse. They don't have as much training as a psychologist, but they know a lot more than the average GP. Most of the nurses I've met have been quite impressive. They tend to have a lot of practical experience.
In the UK a clinical psychologist will have a British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited general psychology BSc (3-4 years), then an MSc in clinical psychology (1-2 years), and finally a professional doctorate in clinical psychology (3-4 years). Often that is a PsychD - but some of the older ones will have gone the PhD route. That is a minimum of 7 years training - followed by at least 2 years of closely supervised work. You want to make sure they are a "Chartered Psychologist" since anyone can claim to be a psychologist, therapist, etc, but "Chartered" is a legally protected term. The BPS website has a section where you can search for or check the status of psychologists. "Chartered" definitely means a legit psychologist, although they can be chartered in other areas (e.g. educational psychology) that aren't likely to help you, so just make sure you get the right variety!
Aside from that, there are some good ideas for more immediate things you might do that sound sensible. Just going out for a walk every day might force you to keep up appearances.
Good luck
About 1/4 of appointments made with GPs are mental health issues, but unfortunately their training in psychology is quite limited. Some elect to study more, and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a big thing for them, so some are good, but they are General Practitioners and not specialists.
Is paying for a one off private consultation with a clinical psychologist an option? I just wonder whether someone with more knowledge can steer your GP in the right direction? Otherwise get the ball rolling with your GP. A referral might take ages, but you may as well get in the queue. Even if the GP won't refer to a clinical psychologist, they might let you see a psychiatric nurse. They don't have as much training as a psychologist, but they know a lot more than the average GP. Most of the nurses I've met have been quite impressive. They tend to have a lot of practical experience.
In the UK a clinical psychologist will have a British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited general psychology BSc (3-4 years), then an MSc in clinical psychology (1-2 years), and finally a professional doctorate in clinical psychology (3-4 years). Often that is a PsychD - but some of the older ones will have gone the PhD route. That is a minimum of 7 years training - followed by at least 2 years of closely supervised work. You want to make sure they are a "Chartered Psychologist" since anyone can claim to be a psychologist, therapist, etc, but "Chartered" is a legally protected term. The BPS website has a section where you can search for or check the status of psychologists. "Chartered" definitely means a legit psychologist, although they can be chartered in other areas (e.g. educational psychology) that aren't likely to help you, so just make sure you get the right variety!
Aside from that, there are some good ideas for more immediate things you might do that sound sensible. Just going out for a walk every day might force you to keep up appearances.
Good luck