I think I have General Anxiety Disorder. Who should I go to for that?

Question

I'm 16 and I'm pretty sure I have General Anxiety Disorder. I want to go to a doctor to find out for sure, but I'm not sure who to go to. My mom is a very passive person regarding this kind of thing so I don't want to even mention it to her. Can I use my insurance without her finding out until I knwo if I have it or not. What would be the best way to go about this problem

Answer 1

I think I have the same problem! im your age also. have you looked up the symptoms on the internet? I really dont want to tell my mom either. If you wanna talk about it message me!

Answer 2

If it wasn't the middle of the summer the answer would be clear- see you school guidance counselor.

Medication may help but I tend to think it's better to start with counseling. I don't know if your insurance will pay for it, though. That's something many of us have been fighting for for years- it's called mental health parity. Most insurance still only pays 50% for mental health related care. There are some who work on a sliding scale and depending on where you are there may be a mental health agency that you can go to for almost nothing.

Contact the local affiliates of the National Mental Health Association or the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. You can find them by getting on the website for NAMI.org or NMHA.org. They will know the resources in your area.

A counselor or therapist first. They will tell you if they think medication may help- use medication as a crutch only if you need to as it can be addicting. And get medication from a psychiatrist rather then a general practitioner if you can. General practitioners aren't always familiar with conditions like anxiety, and they never know to ask the right questions.

Answer 3

Pobept, I really hope you get an education on the realities of mental illness sometime. Your comment was not only uncalled for but heartless.

Now to answer the question at hand: I know you don't want to talk to your mother about the situation, but you need to at least try. It will help you to have your Mom on the same page, hopefully supporting you. You get much better help with a parent on your side, especially since you will have a hard time gaining treatment without her. There may be non medicative treatments as well that you can try out. Study up on ways to exercise, meditate, or start up engaging hobbies that can help tame your anxieties. I wish you the best. You have alot of good advice here too, aside from pobept.

Answer 4

You need to know the rules and regulations in your area. At 16 in some places you are allowed some privacy, in that your parents don't have to know. There may be a clinic you can go to. Your Family Doctor may have some skills with dealing for it, but a Psychiatrist is the Specialist for you. Often they work as a team. You might try to find questionnaires on the Internet to see for yourself, but usually it is better to get help with a person so you realize you are not alone. If your insurance covers psychologists they are also good. Some religious people are also trained counsellors, so look around before you decide. There are also some good books with advice. Good luck.

Answer 5

since you are under age. doctors are required to let the parents know. if your mom is hard to talk to, there are plenty of teen organizations that can help you out and test you. everyone gets anxiety attacks. some more than others and many don't even know there having it. if you approached your mom saying you have a disorder, they freak and say not my kids. its normal. maybe tell her you have been feeling stressed out about school, work and are tired and want to get a check-up. let the doctor do the diagnosing so to put your mother more at ease. otherwise use the teen lines that are out there.

Answer 6

Don't know where you live - but people under 18 cannot be treated without a parent present (at least at first visit). You could tell your mom you need to go for something else (medical), and when in the doctors office tell him or her the real problem.

I wish you luck. You need to go somewhere really soon.

Answer 7

I think you're smart to want to see someone about this, and I applaud you for that (a lot of people are too paralyzed by fear). Does your school have a guidance counselor? If so, ask them for referrals to local psychologists or psychiatrist or for suggestions. Your guidance counselor should be a good resource. I hope you find the help you need. Trust me, it will get better.

Answer 8

U should go 2 a doctor.
I hope u can figure something out.
U helped me alot on the other qustion i had.
No1's ever told me that i was ignorant.

Answer 9

Your regular doctor.

Answer 10

i recommend that you get a JOB
go to work
stop looking for another phony illness to blame your failures on!