[GretchenRoss]

Following on from my thread last night, and the little bit of feedback i got on it. I think i am finally going to see a doctor about my trichotillomania and also the other mental issues i have got going on.

If anyone has any suggestions on how i should approach the subject, then PLEASE tell me. I really don't know how i ask or talk to a doctor about it.

I've just moved to the city (Glasgow, Scotland) so i haven't even registered at a new surgery yet, therefore i'll probably have to wait a couple of weeks before i even get an appointment. Furthermore, i have never gone to a doctor for any mental issue so will they not just think i'm being stupid or lying or whatever? What if they just fob me off? The NHS isn't exactly great at giving people the proper help and treatment.

I'm really worried that i'll go and the doctor will think there's nothing wrong with me. I know that there is and i think that i need help whilst i'm still able to tell when i'm ill.

Anyways... i hope someone has a suggestion.
It's really horrible getting up every day and feeling happy because i am happy, i really am! But underneath it i just feel really anxious and then every now and again something really odd will happen, that makes me feel even more anxious. At the moment i'm very aware that it's my brain doing this because essentially that's what mental illnesses are. But it's getting more powerful and i really feel like these are early symptoms and i can't ignore them anymore because even that doesn't work now.

Sigh.
Now i am going to have breakfast and hope that today nothing strange will happen today. Yesterday it was my cat's eyes that freaked me out, which is really upsetting. (They were changing or morphing into something demonic almost). I can't believe i even said that lol, it sounds so crazy but if i can't be honest on here then there's no point.

I guess i'm really scared, that's what i'm trying to say.
And i feel like a fraud because my friends would be horrified if they knew i was even feeling these things. This isn't me at all. But the more i think about it, the more i realise that i've always had these thoughts and when i was very very young, i had hallucinations. They suddenly went and now they're coming back. Why??
What is wrong with me??

[jexa]

Gretchen,

I'd say, don't go see just a general practitioner for this. It's possible they won't understand -- not all GPs are well-versed in psychiatric disorders. You'll be better off seeing a psychiatrist. And they will take you seriously!

Jexa

[Moreta]

I agree with ^^^. See a psych and not a regular doc. Also, make a list of everything you want to talk to the doctor about before you go in. Carry it around with you for a week before you go in, so you can write down concerns as they come up. Then once you're in the doc's if you feel uncomfortable there you can just hand them the list. That's what I do a lot, and then I know that we're going to go over everything I need addressed. Good Luck!

[GretchenRoss]

Thanks for both of your suggestions.
I live in Scotland and therefore i have to go see a GP first and ask them to refer me to a psychiatrist. The health service being what it is, i foresee a long wait for this I am keeping a diary and list etc. so i know what i'm going to say and incase, i have problems explaining it.

On a more positive note, by midnight tonight it will be three days since i last pulled my hair, so at least it seems like i am making some progress on my own.

[Moreta]

Sometime you just need to talk about the situation and then you realize what is actually causing the hair pulling. Also, another thing you can do is act like you "don't" know what's wrong with you and put the problem in the form of a question. Like: "Lately, I've been having problems with impulsive behaviors like pulling my hair. Would you know if there's something I could do to better cope with it?"" Then they'll as you the usual round of questions like what kind of behaviors, how much does it effect your daily life, and the most important one: what have you tried in order to fix it. You need to show a little initiative on this one, like wearing gloves/hat all the time, putting vasoline on your hair so you can't grip on to it (i didn't pull for a week when i tried that, but it got kinda yucky) now I just wear my hair curly, so if I do mess with it, it turns into an afro...... If you don't show initiative they'll just send you home with a pamphlet that describes your condition to you, that's usually written for a 5 yr old.