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Can psychotherapist refer you?

  • 11-11-2013 1:28am
    #1
    LegacyUser
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭


    So I've been experiencing what I think is a depressive episode for 5 months now. I've previously tried a free mental health service but felt I wasn't being taken seriously and it was only for short-term care whereas I feel I need long term.

    After some looking around I've managed to find a psychotherapy practice clinic in my area with low rates and intend to visit them so hopefully that will go well since I can't afford any other psychotherapists/psychologists I've seen online.

    Now, although I think talking therapy will help me a lot I do, for various reasons, think medication would also benefit me. I know there is the option of visiting my GP and they can refer me to the nearest hospital and after several months I will see a psychiatrist. However for reasons I won't go into I don't want to visit my GP. So I'm wondering, presuming everything with the psychotherapist goes well and I end up having regular sessions, could they, if they felt medication would benefit me, refer me the same way as a GP or would I still have to go through my GP? (Wow that was a long sentence)

    I'm planning to try talking therapy alone first because, while I have nothing against antidepressants and the like, I feel if you can manage an illness without medication (be it psychological or physiological) than it's better to do so. Also money does, once again, come into it.

    I know GPs can prescribe anti-depressants themselves but I also hear a lot of GPs aren't really equipped to deal with mental illness so that confuses me further.

    Thanks in advance for any help.


Comments

  • #2
    Big Bag of Chips
    Administrators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 14,914 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    OP, what you are asking is medical advice, and unfortunately nobody here is equipped to advise you properly. If you are having any difficulty your first stop should really be your GP. They will have seen it all/heard it all before and will not discuss your details with anyone. If you are uncomfortable, for any reason, speaking to your GP, then you should consider changing to a different one.

    Unfortunately, we have to lock your thread.


This discussion has been closed.
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