Expect everything and anything. Be prepared to answer questions, discuss your problems, and learn about what the problem may be. For the initial visit you should have a history of yourself, including medical problems, medications you have taken and are currently on, a family history of members who have had the same or another mental problem. Be prepared to answer questions that at first you may be uncomfortable answering but will help the doctor to make a diagnosis.
After the diagnosis learn everything you can about your disorder; do research; question your doctor to find what the medication is and what side effects to watch for. Learn what the medications are supposed to do and keep a journal on any out of the ordinary feelings. Get in touch with your feelings about having mental disorder; you can be angry, sad or happy at finding that there is a treatment for it. It is natural to have feelings of anger and a grieving process is something you feel when you learn you have an illness for which there is no cure and chronic. Write down what you are feeling and show it to the doctor. He can reassure you, remember he will be your main support contact, and treat him as if he is your best friend. Some doctors encourage questions about where they went to school, how long they have been practicing, if you don’t feel comfortable with this one doctor ask to be referred to another it is your choice. Choosing a doctor is difficult at first and finding the right doctor and therapist if needed sometimes takes time but you are in control.
Learn the treatment plan often one visit is enough for a correct diagnosis and the treatment that will help in the fastest easiest way. Make sure your goal for treatment is the same as your treatment team. Ask for options to what the doctor plans and if there are alternative treatments such as a different medication or your preference of a male or female therapist remember your goal is to get well. Study your medication look it up in the various resources at the Library find all you can know about what to expect.
Once you decide which medications may work the best for our, we are all different individuals and medication works differently for every person; the expected results may not come with just one medication you may need to combine medications. Having a mental illness takes work finding the right drug or combination of drugs takes time. Give yourself time to heal do not stop your medication because you feel better or worse. Contact the doctor for any unpleasant side effects there may be a way to avoid them your dosage may have to be adjusted. Taking medication for a mental disorder is often trial and error. Never stop a medication once you have started it without approval of the doctor relapses come with noncompliance.
Keep your appointments do not skip because you woke up on the grumpy side of the bed, besides being disruptive to the doctor’s schedule it is crucial for the doctor to know how you are responding to medication and or therapy. Ask questions if you do not understand something that they have said sometimes the meaning is different in the medical field than to the layman. Your doctor and therapist are there to help you on your road to recovery try not to place obstacles in the way of treatment.
Compliance is the answer to the medication regime. Sticking to your treatment plan may seem hard at first but as it progresses you will feel more confident at handling triggers that may come your way and overall feel better at helping to help yourself.
Follow advice but keep a record of how the medication is making you feel; discuss any new symptoms; gain the knowledge to go back to living your life better than it was. With the right treatment recovery for most people is achievable take time to heal you.
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