Triggering (Suicide) - Honesty in counselling.

[Breadsticks]

Hi,

Sorry for posting. And sorry if this is the wrong forum.

I suffer from depression and anxiety. I hate visiting my GP, purely because i feel like i'm there ALL the time. Constantly nagging him. He tells me not to worry, but i do. So i have an appointment with a uni counsellor soon. Two weeks away i think. But i'm not sure how honest i should be.

Don't get me wrong, i want help. But i'm a first year mental health nursing student. So i'm not entirely sure how much i said would be kept confidential. I have recurring suicidal thoughts, which are becoming harder and harder to deal with. But i don't want to risk occupational health throwing me off the course. I don't know how much to disclose.

Oh and my uni already know about my anxiety and depression. They also know i'm on antidepressants.

Any advice?

thankyou.

[Rhuben]

I think they are bound to confidentiality about most things but if it's anything that involves serious harm to yourself or others then they have a duty to inform someone about it.

I see a university counsellor can tell them many things but when I told them about suicide they had to inform my gp. During your first appointment you'll probably have to sign some sort of confidentiality agreement and it'll probably state the limits of confidentiality in it.

[Breadsticks]

Thankyou for replying. I don't mind them telling my GP. I hate bothering him though. But i'm just scared they'll change their minds about me being stable enough to stay on the course :(

[musicmad123]

I always think I'm bothering my GP but that's their job :) I deffo think they like seeing the regulars more because you build a relationship! Can I ask about your original occupational health checks to start the course ? I'm about to start children's and as oyu can imagine history or suicide, self harm hospitalisation they're being funny about it! I doesn't sound like grounds for you to need to leave the course though, try not to worry x

[Breadsticks]

When I first went to occupation health, i was honest about previous self harm, and i'm not sure whether they knew about any previous suicide attempts. I was just coming out of a depression when i saw them. They rejected me first, said i wasn't stable enough to start the course. But then my GP wrote a letter (they asked him to write a report) and they changed their minds and let me on.

[musicmad123]

Oh right, well they've asked my GP for info and I went to read it today, he said he thinks I'm healthy to do it so hopefully they will listen to him! But he attached the most recent reports fromm Nov 09 when I was quite unwell so They'll probably have to talk to me aggain.

[Breadsticks]

Yeah I had to meet them a couple of times. I hope you get in, you should be fine!