Advice on mental health please

[Undesired Walrus]

Recieved this letter today.

Dear Mr Undesired Walrus,

A letter of referral has been recieved from your GP.
We would therefore like to invite you to attend an assessment interview, which will last 1 hour.

Yours,
West London Mental Health

I have 14 days to reply, but I am feeling really apprehensive about it. I'm on medication which has made me better, but... talking about some of the obsessions I have (I have a obsessive neurosis) to a person is something I will find really embarassing and so on. I dont want to be defined by their judgements as I am just starting to make progress.

[mhaze]

Recieved this letter today.



I have 14 days to reply, but I am feeling really apprehensive about it. I'm on medication which has made me better, but... talking about some of the obsessions I have (I have a obsessive neurosis) to a person is something I will find really embarassing and so on. I dont want to be defined by their judgements as I am just starting to make progress.

Be advised that JREF forum is indexed through Google publicly.

Funny to have to say that, but it seems pertinent.

Not sure about the letter or it's impact or meaning.

[Dancing David]

Recieved this letter today.



I have 14 days to reply, but I am feeling really apprehensive about it. I'm on medication which has made me better, but... talking about some of the obsessions I have (I have a obsessive neurosis) to a person is something I will find really embarassing and so on. I dont want to be defined by their judgements as I am just starting to make progress.


As someone who did over 500 assessments for mental health services I can safely say you shouldn't worry about it. Although it usually takes two hours to do a half way decent one.

You could get a rude worker but I would say you can ask for another if you don't like them. You can ask them why they ask the questions they ask and when I did assessments I always discussed my impressions with the person who I was assessing.

Most likely they need to do it to make a funding source happy. BTW I am not a doctor, I have a BS in Psych and was supervised by a Qualified Mental Health Professional. My paperwork was reviewed by the QMHP and a doctor.

Here in the US the system is very open and clients are allowed to comment on the quality of services, we also frequently have ombudsman whose job it is to help clients receive quality services.

If you have more questions feel free to ask.

[nails3jesus0]

I can understand feeling embarrassed, but just remind yourself that theres probably nothing you could say that they havent heard before. I doubt that the person is going to be judgemental or shocked by you and what you have to say. if its something serious i bet they will just be glad you decided to get some help.

[epepke]

I was fooled by the title of the OP. You seem to be asking for advice about organizations that have "Mental Health" in their name.

Mental health itself and advice thereabout are totally different.

[Kariboo]

Did you know your GP was referring you? And did he explain why? Maybe he has dealt with these people before and can answer your questions about them. What happens if you do go and what happens if you don't?

Also you can contact the testing agency and ask general questions as to what they will be testing, how they will be testing that, what are they going to do with the results, privacy etc. Tell them about your apprehension and see how they react

[Dancing David]

Did you know your GP was referring you? And did he explain why? Maybe he has dealt with these people before and can answer your questions about them. What happens if you do go and what happens if you don't?

Also you can contact the testing agency and ask general questions as to what they will be testing, how they will be testing that, what are they going to do with the results, privacy etc. Tell them about your apprehension and see how they react


In the US a mental health assesment is a structured interview, testing has to be done by a clinical psychogist. It could be different for UW in the UK.

There is usually a general demographic and then a series of domains that you have to ask questions about, with followup on some questions. Things like , why are you here, what treatment have you had in the past, what symptoms do you have. Except you ask specific questions: "Describe your sleep patterns."

But it could be testing.

[delphi_ote]

Recieved this letter today.



I have 14 days to reply, but I am feeling really apprehensive about it. I'm on medication which has made me better, but... talking about some of the obsessions I have (I have a obsessive neurosis) to a person is something I will find really embarassing and so on. I dont want to be defined by their judgements as I am just starting to make progress.
I have a very close friend with obsessive compulsive problems. She always has a tremendous anxiety about discussing things. I've seen how scary it is for her. Sometimes it takes hours of patient waiting before she manages to talk about it. But when she finally opens up, she feels better almost immediately.

Don't be embarrassed. Someone who understands your condition will understand your obsessions. Give them a chance.

You're not defined by anyone's judgments but your own.

[casebro]

The GP is referring you for more help. The assessment interview is the first step. It's just the initial appointment with a somebody in the mental health treatment system.

[dakotajudo]

I dont want to be defined by their judgements as I am just starting to make progress.

Think of it as a baseline, from which to track your progress.

Just like anything else, where you are trying to improve upon yourself; knowing where you started and how much you've changed can help you identify those things that make the most improvement.

Maybe this isn't a very good analogy, but I've been keeping a training log for quite some time. I got it in my head, about a year ago, to try to get my running times back to what they were when I was in my 20s - about 17:00 for 5K. Well, it sucked to record a 22:30 for my first race back; but I put down 21:00 this year - proof that I'm on the right track.

More to the point, though; I've been dealing with a complex of anxiety/depression for some years, and as I go back over my logs, I note my training has improved along with my metal state. That's nice to see.

So, yeah, don't hold anything back, just try to get an honest assessment, and go forward from there.