See your GPThose of us in the United Kingdom are very lucky. We live in a land that offers free healthcare—a key marker of an advanced, evolved, civilized society.
So if you're feeling troubled, distressed or suicidal, your first port of call is your doctor. I've experienced some really empathic, caring doctors. And they are certainly used to talking to their patients about things other than flu, boils and bunions—according to the NHS, 30 percent of GP appointments are related to mental health and wellbeing issues, and 1 in 4 people will experience some kind of mental health problem in the course of a year. So you are not alone. Tell your GP exactly how you're feeling and how bad it gets. If you're worried about your appointment, download this little free booklet How to talk to your GP about your mental health from the Mental Health Foundation. |
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Drugs
Your GP can prescribe medications and refer you to an NHS counsellor. There's an argument that antidepressants are overused—more than 10 percent of adults in America have a prescription to them, for example, and the UK isn't far behind. There are all kinds of conspiracy theories, some of which are true, about medical professionals being mere puppets for the big phamaceutical companies, who have a great vested interest in pathologising everyday human behaviour and ordinary difficulties. There is now a drug to "cure" shyness, for instance. I happen to like shy people. (I once went to a seminar by M. Scott Peck in New York. He asked anyone in the vast audience who considered themselves to be shy to put their hand up. Almost no one kept their hand down.)
Nevertheless, antidepressants can be useful. In my experience, they can help you get through a rough patch, a difficult season, some stormy weather.
Talking therapy
In general, however, antidepressants only impact the symptom, the low mood, and not the underlying cause. For that, I recommend talking therapy (I would, wouldn't I?). Typically you might get between 6 and 12 weekly sessions on the NHS. each 50 minutes long and free of charge. You are likely to receive basic counselling and/or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which seeks to improve your day-to-day thinking and behavioural habits and can be very practical and effective, though in my view it's over-valued, regarded as a one-size-fits-all panacea such that other, more holistic approaches get excluded from consideration. It's a mixed bag across the country; every doctor's practice is different. You might see a highly experienced therapist; you're much more likely to see an unpaid trainee. The latter might turn out to be just as helpful as the former.
NHS talking therapy can be a terrific first step, and for many people, it's enough. They get what they came for. They feel better. To go beyond symptom relief however, and take a deeper look at you and your world and the causes of your upset, you might want to consider longer-term, life-changing work with a psychotherapist. Click here to find one.
• NHS Direct: Tel: 111 (this number has replaced the previous 0845 4647 service).
Your GP can prescribe medications and refer you to an NHS counsellor. There's an argument that antidepressants are overused—more than 10 percent of adults in America have a prescription to them, for example, and the UK isn't far behind. There are all kinds of conspiracy theories, some of which are true, about medical professionals being mere puppets for the big phamaceutical companies, who have a great vested interest in pathologising everyday human behaviour and ordinary difficulties. There is now a drug to "cure" shyness, for instance. I happen to like shy people. (I once went to a seminar by M. Scott Peck in New York. He asked anyone in the vast audience who considered themselves to be shy to put their hand up. Almost no one kept their hand down.)
Nevertheless, antidepressants can be useful. In my experience, they can help you get through a rough patch, a difficult season, some stormy weather.
Talking therapy
In general, however, antidepressants only impact the symptom, the low mood, and not the underlying cause. For that, I recommend talking therapy (I would, wouldn't I?). Typically you might get between 6 and 12 weekly sessions on the NHS. each 50 minutes long and free of charge. You are likely to receive basic counselling and/or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which seeks to improve your day-to-day thinking and behavioural habits and can be very practical and effective, though in my view it's over-valued, regarded as a one-size-fits-all panacea such that other, more holistic approaches get excluded from consideration. It's a mixed bag across the country; every doctor's practice is different. You might see a highly experienced therapist; you're much more likely to see an unpaid trainee. The latter might turn out to be just as helpful as the former.
NHS talking therapy can be a terrific first step, and for many people, it's enough. They get what they came for. They feel better. To go beyond symptom relief however, and take a deeper look at you and your world and the causes of your upset, you might want to consider longer-term, life-changing work with a psychotherapist. Click here to find one.
• NHS Direct: Tel: 111 (this number has replaced the previous 0845 4647 service).