[Depressed Dear]

I am in the was in the healthcare feild and I am married to a doctor. How should I go about finding a shrink? I don't want the whole town to hear about this issues. Right now I am being treated by my GP. He is doing a ok job but, I think something has got to give. Things aren't getting better. It is going on 3 years. My GP is a close friend I wonder if I need to find somebody that doesn't know me or my family. I haven't ever been seen inpatient or my a Shrink. I did go to a threapist for a while. 1 made me feel better but, she just always told me what I wanted to hear. The next one I went to with my husband....I am sorry she made me angry and more depressed and all I wanted to do was beat her face in. I am not sure if my husband even knows how down I am right now. Sometimes I think he just wants me to take my meds and put my happy pants on. That isn't always easy to do and right now I just can't shake it.

[justfloating]

Have you asked your GP for a referral? That's probably the simplest way to go about doing it. Confidentiality prohibits doctors/nurses/therapists etc. from discussing your case with others, so it really shouldn't get around. If you're very worried about it, mention to your GP that you want to be discreet about this, if possible. In the meantime, if you feel like you really need to talk to somebody right now, you can call your local crisis helpline to talk to a professional anonymously. They might even be able to give you more information on finding a doctor/therapist that works for you. Sometimes it can take a while to find the right fit, don't give up.

[moonrise]

Are you in a small town? If so, would you consider driving a bit to see someone outside of your community? I agree that seeing a GP who is a friend might not be the best thing. It would make it hard to be objective.

There are also some good resources on the Internet. If you have health insurance, check out your provider list, and google the names. There aren't a lot of reviews of doctors, but I have seen some providers listing their philosophies and specialties.

[googley]

If you have insurance, you can contact them for a list of providers that they cover. You wont know much about them, but you can contact them individually and have confidentiality about anything you tell them.
Good luck.

Originally Posted by Depressed Dear

Right now I am being treated by my GP. He is doing a ok job but, I think something has got to give. Things aren't getting better. It is going on 3 years.

Um, this part is *exactly* (part of) my story too (and not only not getting better, it often turned quite a bit worse.) Turned out because the GP was treating me incorrectly for what I actually had going on. Nice, trying to be helpful and all, but not an area of expertise, you know? I got a referral from her for a P-doc and things are much better now that we are treating the right thing. Everyone above has great ideas on how to go about it, and I'd encourage you. You are on the right track in looking for a P-doc. They are going to know much more about these things than a GP, no matter how well-intentioned. That said, if you find one that doesn't seem a good fit, don't be afraid to check out another. Also, don't worry about the "talk". Confidentiality is a serious business in the field.
Best of luck to you!

Btw, love your expression about putting "happy pants" on! Never heard it before and it's a good one!