Hi syrakim. I very recently admitted to my Physician that I was depressed and asked for a referral to a Psychiatrist. I think my Physician got a bit of a shock and asked why I wanted a Psych. I told him that if I spoke to him about it, I wouldn't need a Psych. He just laughed and referred me. I was in hospital at the time for my monthly IV meds and got to see the Psych the next morning.

It was the best thing I've done for myself in a long time. I never thought I'd see the day when I (me, myself, mois) would ever ask for Psych help. It was so wonderful to talk to someone with absolutely no vested interest in my medical condition, family, relationships etc. there was no judgement, just support and understanding. In short, I immediately felt a bond with this man. I think I would have been intimidated by a smartly dressed, slim young female but when an older, scruffy, overweight, absentminded type of bloke turned up, it put me straight at ease. The nurses on the ward said they love him to bits.

Seeing a Psych is doing a couple of things for me....it's working through my anger (didn't realise I was until he pointed it out), my depression, despair, hopelessness and all that nutty mental stuff. Then there is the practical side. As I have asked for psych help it proves that I want to improve and it's going to spur my medical doctors on to try to make me physically better.

If there is one thing I have learned since I became unwell, it's that you are the only person who can help yourself. Don't allow your concerns to be ignored, your pain to go untreated, your distress to be minimised.(just learning this now). You are your own Advocate. In the end there is only you who can insist on being treated properly.

I wish you every success on your journey because that is the other thing I've learnt. Chronic illness is a journey and it has a few bumpy roads.