How are you meant to "act" at psych app?

Mollydoubblybarrely · 25-02-2013, 03:34 PM

I went to my 1st appointment not long ago, after my CPN diagnosed me with bipolar disorder. It was really difficult, i spoke about a lot of things i haven't told anyone before, only to be told after 2 hours of crap that they couldn't SEE anything wrong with me.

I'm not asking for any advice on it really, but it would be really handy to know what you did during your first appointment to show your symptoms.

Did you just sit and just talk to them? Or did you do something that would indicate you are unwell?

I desperately tried to ignore all my hallucinations and the noise during my app, but should i just let my symptoms take over?

I just need help :(

Eccentrics · 25-02-2013, 09:18 PM

Hi there,

I just wanted to drop in here and say I can relate to how you're feeling. It can be hard to express during that short space of time exactly how you feel on a day to day basis, as everyone has better days and worse days regardless of mental illness. Some are more introverted than others and hide their feelings, whereas some people's symptoms can be seen externally.

Something that I found helpful was keeping a short note diary of how I felt each day to bring to the appointment, that way they can get an idea of what your problems are and how often they affect you. For a one-time thing you could also write a letter explaining things in more detail. Would this be an option at all? Also, it might be helpful for you to say out-right that you tend to hide your feelings so they are aware and can keep that in mind when assessing you. I wrote this down in a letter and the therapist told me it was good that I pointed that out, because despite being trained they are not mind readers and often can't tell if someone is really good at hiding their emotions. :)

Take care <3
- Holly

Mollydoubblybarrely · 26-02-2013, 09:02 AM

Thank you for all your advice :)

I've already done both of the above but i think you are right. I need to be more specific and i also need to take someone with me to back me up when i say i'm not "normal".

It's just very frustrating, because i find myself being less honest in front of other people and there are things i can't say in front of the person i would take with me. I just ant treatment. I just want to feel better.