If you’re looking for professional mental health support, your GP will often be the first person you talk to.
Talking to your GP about your mental health can be daunting, but preparing what you want to say can help. Here is a simple checklist that can help you prepare before going to see your GP about your mental health. You can fill it out before your appointment and bring it with you on the day.
Before you begin, watch the video below that explains how to recognise when it’s time to get support for your mental health.
How do I know when it’s time to get mental health support? Let’s hear from an expert
Try for yourself: Your GP checklist
Grab a piece of paper or open your journal. Take a moment to reflect on how your mental health impacts your daily life and what support you would like. Write some notes under these 6 questions.
What symptoms have I been experiencing?
Briefly describe what changes you’ve noticed that you think are related to your mental health. This could include thoughts or feelings that you’re having, physical changes, or behaviours that are causing problems for you.
Take a note of when your symptoms started, and whether they’ve been constant or come and go. Mention if they are getting better or worse over time, or staying the same.
How do these difficulties affect my life?
Explain how your symptoms impact your daily life. Mental health issues can have an impact on things like:
- Work
- School
- Relationships
- Sleep
- Energy
- Ability to do tasks
Highlight the parts that feel hardest to cope with. Write down any patterns or triggers you’ve noticed that make your symptoms worse, and take a note of anything that helps you feel better.
What would you like to change?
Write some notes about what you’d like to be different in your life or how you feel. This could be things like improving your mood, sleeping better, feeling less anxious, or being able to cope more easily.
If there are any treatments you would like to know more about, or any that you are worried about, write these down too. Your GP can talk through your treatment options with you.
