Whats the deal with going to see a psychiatrist in this country?

Question

My mum has schizophrenia and I'm just incredibly scared/paranoid about getting it as well.

As far as I can tell everything seems real, but obviously I wouldnt know either way and would feel a lot better if a psychiatrist actually told me that I was alright, if you know what I mean.

Whats deal with going to see a psychiatrist in this country? Are they employed by the NHS? Are they free? Im living in Scotland btw

Are all doctors employed by the NHS as well? I havent been to a doctor since i was like 7 and I'm a student now living with flatmates. Can I just walk into any doctors surgery or hospital and ask to see a doctor?

Also I have 4 older sisters all of whome seem fine, so theres technically a 50% chance that one of us will develop schizophrenia, know what I mean?

And I drink and smoke daily, and would smoke some weed from time to time.

When I was younger I suffered from depression but I dont anymore

Any other advice would be well appreciated, thanks, John

Answer 1

First of all forget the weed, (sez me after just puttin one out lol) and secondly all you have to do is go to your nearest doctors surgery and ask for a registartion form, from there you will be able to make an appointment to see your GP, who should give you the right information and send you to see the right people. Good luck and hope all goes well in future.

Answer 2

I do not live in the UK. I am a schizophrenic paranoid (DDD) diagnosed over 40 years ago. I have been able to live a fairly normal life due to TLC and medications. I don't think you have anything to worry about. Schizophrenia is not a single disease but a spectrum of disorders. Some still think it is a genetic disease but I have never seen any definitive evidence showing this. Since your mother has it I suggest educating yourself about the disorders for her sake.

You can start right here on the computer by typing in "schizophrenia" into Yahoo! web search. A number of informative links comes up; wikipedia has a good summary. Other links may give more detailed info. Also type in "DSM 4TR" for access to the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" the tool used by psychiatrists in the USA in diagnosing these diseases.

I don't know about the access to psychiatrists in Scotland but if you have the diagnostic manual yourself you can tell if you have any symptoms that fit the criteria.

Good luck, good mental health, peace and Love!