Mental Illness: Talking To Doctors

by Rethink

Introduction

Talking to doctors can be difficult at the best of times:

• Doctors are sometimes not used to people asking for explanations: there is a tradition of doctors «talking down» to patients as if they were children. If a doctor is doing this you might not feel able to question what she is saying.
• Some people feel that the doctor's time is precious and shouldn't be wasted, others feel that asking questions will upset the doctor.
• Doctors often have problems putting things across in a way that people can understand: sometimes they use complicated or medical language, and sometimes they want to avoid worry and skirt around the issue.
• The situation can be stressful when your health is not good and you are worried about it: you may not be able to think of what you want to ask, or you might have problems putting it into words.

For whatever reason, many people will not understand everything that has happened and will have questions that they want to ask.

It is important that you feel free to ask whatever you want to and that you get an answer that you can understand. When you understand as much as possible about your condition,

• you will be in the best position to make choices about your treatment,
• you will feel more in control of your own health
• you will see the choices you have in other parts of your life.

To get the information you need from your doctor you need to know what it is you want to ask and how to ask about it clearly.

Planning What It Is You Want To Ask

Before you see your doctor try an plan what it is that you want to ask. Perhaps you don't understand something and want an explanation, or there is something worrying you and you want to talk about it. Think about what you expect to hear and what questions it will raise. It might be a good idea to write down the questions you want to ask. If you have a clear concise plan of what you want to find out you will be more confident when you ask.

Getting Your Point Across

When you talk to your doctor, ask specific questions. If you ask questions about yourself, and the way that your condition is affecting you, it will be easier for your doctor to answer.

If you stick to one topic at a time then you will be able to get all your questions answered. If you think of something new to ask about, wait until you've finished with the first question before you start on the new one.

If you don't understand a word the doctor uses or something she says, ask her to explain it. She should be happy to explain things to you so that you do, but she won't know that you don't understand unless you tell her.

If it still seems confusing you could try repeating back to the doctor what you think she means, then she might see where the difficulty is.

If you are not going to feel comfortable asking questions, you could try

• writing to the doctor - if there is a letter in your file the doctor is less likely to be able to pass over the question,
• getting someone to ask for you - a friend or relative could ask your questions for you.

Sometimes doctors will not want to answer questions, perhaps because of the old fashioned idea that «doctor knows best». You may need to be persistent, but polite, until you get answers to your questions. It is also true that sometimes the doctor will not know the answers.

About the Author

www.rethink.org
Rethink is the largest severe mental illness charity in the UK. We are dedicated to improving the lives of everyone affected by severe mental illness, whether they have a condition themselves, care for others who do, or are professionals or volunteers working in the mental health field.