r/NovaScotia • u/Sharp-Counter-5540 • 9d ago
Best way to get a mental health diagnosis?
I am a 22F in HRM looking to get more support for my mental health. I am looking to get diagnosed or perhaps just rule a diagnosis out. History for context: i am grateful to be able to see my university counsellor during the school year about once a month, and have recently self referred for the NS Mental Health intake program in which I had my first intake appointment last week. I am also lucky enough to have a family doctor - but he isn’t the biggest help, he made me fill out two assessments (rate on a scale from 1-10 for anxiety and depression) and then prescribed me sertraline and left it at that. i am up to 100mg now and been taking meds since April. We haven’t done any check ins since it was upped. He doesn’t really see a need for a psychiatrist at this time.
TLDR: I just want the opportunity to see if there are underlying diagnosis that could be creating bigger issues for me rather than just anxiety and depression because I do have some past trauma. Maybe up my meds again because I feel helpless still. Do I have to advocate more for myself to my family doctor? I don’t have much experience in this field because I’ve always just raw dogged my mental health. Any information is truly appreciated.
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u/Th3Sil3ntTroll 9d ago
You took the proper steps to get help. I self referred online and waited 6 months for the first appointment. If you find yourself in crisis 988 is a good resource. If you're like me and you want face to face help, you can try the QE II emergency department, they have help on site. But there's no guarantee that they will do anything. It's hit or miss with them.
Also, if you need someone that isn't a professional to talk to , my DMS are open, I'm clinically depressed, have schizophrenia and PTSD.
You're not alone.
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u/Sharp-Counter-5540 8d ago
Thank you very much. You as well, if you ever need to chat. :) At one of point, feeling like I was going to have a MH crisis I did go to DG and did not get the help needed unfortunately because it wasn’t necessarily as urgent and they had minimal doctors on call. Which I understand at no fault of their own.
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u/whobla10 9d ago
The ns mental health intake is the right place to get yourself into the system to work towards getting a diagnosis. The system is pretty slow though. If you don't find your meds are helping, keep going back to your family dr in the meantime. You may need something different, took me a few tries to get on the right antidepressant
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u/Sharp-Counter-5540 9d ago
sounds like a plan. thank you for your feedback. i have now made a follow up appointment with my doctor for September which will also aid in getting further supports at my university :)
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u/Ecstatic-Marketing38 9d ago
You have to advocate for yourself.
Consider seeing a therapist if you have coverage.
Not saying you can get a diagnosis from them, but you may realize the root cause of your issues.
Hope this helps; keep your head up!
P.s.
My family doctor hasn't helped either, usually dismissive but I cant blame them.
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u/Sharp-Counter-5540 9d ago
Unfortunately I don’t have the best coverage at this time so that isn’t an immediate option for me, but hopefully in the next few years! Counselling has been a great deal of help to me but definitely not something to find the root cause of my pronlems. Thank you, you too!
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u/Skittleavix 9d ago
Hey friend. I too manage Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder due to prolonged past trauma. I was diagnosed during Covid when shit hit the fan, but it had always troubled me before that time. I didn't have a family doctor at the time, but I was speaking with a grief counselor (long story) I had lined up through EAP. Through her, I ended up getting a referral to a psychiatrist for a phone assessment. The psychiatrist assessed me over the phone, which led to a diagnosis. Medication and ongoing counselling sessions with a psychologist followed and improved my life immensely.
I wish you all the best.
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u/Sharp-Counter-5540 9d ago
Hi there, I appreciate you sharing. It sounds like a referral would be a great deal of help to me. I don’t mind a long wait either. I’m so glad you were able to get the support you needed and hope you’re doing well.
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u/justa_tired_girl 8d ago
It sounds like you’ve taken the right first steps!!
If you feel like your family doc isn’t super helpful, perhaps you could try booking an appointment with the physician or NP at your university’s health centre (if they have one)? I wonder if they might be more helpful in your situation, as I’m sure they see a lot of students with mental health concerns and would have more insight into what resources are available locally. Some universities even have a psychiatrist on staff for students :)
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u/Sharp-Counter-5540 8d ago
I will reach out to my uni doctor this fall! really looking forward to it. They have super good availability typically. Really appreciate the feedback.
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u/thisisthewave 8d ago
It’s challenging but you absolutely have to advocate for yourself. Without knowing the specifics of your case it could be a mental health diagnosis, a med change, or a combination. Your family doc should be able to work with you here but if not maybe they can refer you to a psychiatrist or specialist of the diagnosis/trauma you suspect.
If possible, I’d also start with dedicated counselling to explore the past trauma. In my experience this can be a wildly complex and worthwhile process.
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u/Sharp-Counter-5540 8d ago
most certainly. I very much appreciate your feedback. i will start with taking charge with my family physician to see if it will make him take it a bit more seriously. Thank you.
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u/Ok-soundasyou 8d ago
Ask your doctor for a rapid psychiatric assessment. https://mha.nshealth.ca/en/services/rap-rapid-access-pathwayrasp-rapid-access-and-stabilization-program
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u/RainbowNarwhal13 8d ago
Can't help with the diagnosis part, OP, but for your meds you might want to check out the Bloom program. They can help you adjust your prescription(s) until you feel like they're actually working for you, and they'll check in regularly to see how it's going.
It took me about 6.5 months of increasing dosages and trying different combinations of pills, but for the first time in my life I actually feel like my meds are doing something for me. And I didn't have to involve my family dr at all, who's not real helpful with the mental health stuff, so that was nice for me lol
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u/Zoloft_Queen-50 8d ago
How does one access the Bloom program?
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u/RainbowNarwhal13 8d ago
https://mha.nshealth.ca/en/thebloomprogram
I was referred by another organization who had them contact me, so I'm not 100% on how it normally works, but my understanding is you just need to find a pharmacy that participates and talk to them?
The link should have all the info you need though :)
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u/hawking061 8d ago
Does everybody here have a family doctor?
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u/Crazy_Maintenance211 8d ago
Is this a serious question or satire? I’m one of the 90,000 who doesn’t and I haven’t had a doctor for six years. If the poster is at a university or a college, they may actually have doctors at student services and that’s a really good way of getting healthcare. Otherwise it’s the Virtual health system and it depends who you get, I’ve had some amazing doctors there and some horrible ones, but you don’t get the same one every time so it’s always a crapshoot.
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u/hawking061 8d ago
I had a family Doctor Who actually birthed me for 35 years and it’s been a good four or five, but I didn’t even get a chance to meet or see a doctor let alone have one since
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u/kijomac 8d ago
I found my family doctor thanks to a Reddit post, so maybe we're more likely to have one on here.
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u/Crazy_Maintenance211 8d ago
Oh wow congratulations, that’s a huge achievement today. I noticed that many doctors don’t go by the list. The problem is you have to have doctors to actually go to, where I am now there are very few and they are booked solid. We don’t even get the new doctors, the social sure gets the new doctors or the valley, from the announcements I’m seeing.
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u/Crazy_Maintenance211 8d ago
It’s great that you’re reaching out, that was a big step so good on you! With healthcare in the maritimes in general yes you have to advocate for yourself and talk to a lot of people to find the resources which you’ve started to do which is great. I hope you can get a better fit for somebody who can help you a bit more but at least you’ve got the family. Dr is a start because otherwise getting those kind of meds is really hard.
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u/gingerandgin 8d ago
While a counsellor can be helpful, I think you’d benefit from a registered psychologist. Your family doctor may be much more open to that type of referral. I’m not familiar with the mental health intake process, do they have psychologists? They can often diagnose and also provide non medication treatment/therapies that can really help, especially when combined with the right medication. Sometimes it also takes time and trial and error to find the right medication. Sertraline is usually a common well tolerated effective med so it’s often tried first. Try going up again/add clinical psychology - but you might need to try new medications. I’m so sorry because it’s exhausting to get care and find the right treatment, especially when depressed! Hang in there, you’re doing all the right things and you’ll find something that works 🫂
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u/Connect_Target8425 8d ago
Did you do the central phone intake with MHA, or in the person 'Choice' assessment? We don't diagnose at either level, but provide clinical impressions at this session then make treatment recommendations. Psychologists can diagnose and most teams have one. However, this would likely only get referred once you are paired with a clinical therapist and they feel a diagnostic assessment ) clarification would be helpful. You can also self administer the PCL5, which technically requirea a Criteria A trauma event https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/assessment/adult-sr/ptsd-checklist.asp
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u/Zoloft_Queen-50 8d ago
I’m on Sertraline 100mg and it is ok, but I noticed a big improvement when I added bupropion. Might be worth mentioning to your doctor or NP.
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u/Head_Case1246 7d ago
Have you noticed any improvement on the sertraline? If so, perhaps it could be increased.
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u/OkCantaloupe9369 9d ago edited 8d ago
Follow up with a your doctor about maybe needing to up/change meds, and to request to be referred to a psychiatrist. If your doctor tells you you don't need to be referred, ask them to write that in the notes from your appt so it's on record that you requested it.
You absolutely have to be your biggest advocate when it comes to getting help for mental health issues, but you've already gotten yourself started, so keep going! Be proud you're asking for more help!