Im pretty worried about it,would appreciate any replies! xx

It'll be like a regular medical appointment, questions about how you are, what's going on, what do you want and so on. Be prepared to give input on the treatment/meds you want and particularly what you don't want. The doc will otice if your hair is unwashed or uncombed and if you're wearing a red tie with an orange shirt so present yourself well.

Don't expect miracles. Be willing to ask for a second opinion. This is your life!

Thanks! Just have visions of some guy trying to get right into my head and trying to figure out if im a total nut job so they can take my kids away.Know that sounds extreme,scares me shitless xx

It's not scary :]

Yes, they will notice if you present yourself well but that can work against you. I have to clean up before I go into the world, OCD or just being normal, who knows.

But for several years seeing my pdoc he would judge me based on the cleanslyness of my body.

So I tried something, I skipped a shower and shave for a couple of days and went to him. He treated me very differently, changed my meds, and set me up for many more appointments. Funny but typical.

I also noticed that when I saw my pdoc in the morning the staff and him were very receptive towards me. Open for ideas etc.

When I go in the late afternoon he was cranky, quick, and basically fried from listening to crazies all day long.

Start makeing a list of questions and emotions you go through.

You will have a form to fill out, asking various depression-type questions. The first session he will ask how you are feeling and review how you answered the questions. Be as honest as possible with all your thoughts, fears, etc. The more info he has the better. The session may last about 45 minutes, depending. Hope that helps...

I notice people keep talking about presenting yourself well... it reminded me of this poem.

She reads his notes from over
His shoulder.
He writes that last time
She was appropriately dressed,

This,
Apparently,
Was good.
In the realms of the insane.
Forget the
Complex psychological theories.

No,
A sliding sartorical scale
Tells them everything
They need to know.
This time
She is presenting
An emergency.

Begging for safety, for solace
From the hum in her head,
From the need to cut.
But they decide,
She does not need the comfort
Of locked doors.

It's the pills
That need to change.
After all, she's done so well
In the community.

It must be the skills
Of appropriate dressing.

And she wonders
To the voices in her head,
What exactly is
The dress code
For a breakdown?

feck! Il be there all day! My app is 9.30 in the morning.When i go out anywhwer i make an effort,when im down i just dont go out or i wear a skip hat pulled right down to my eyes,great for hiding! xx

How can they judge you on how you look? When im going through mania i look shit hot! LOL! Will i have to go a state to get help? Im great at covering things up aswell,i could go in all cheery and upbeat but be dying inside xx

Go in as honest as you can be for yourself. That is seriously, the best advice I can give you. It is an illness and it has to be properly addressed.

Everytime I go to my pdoc she asks me questions from a form on the computer - suicidal or homocidal, feel worthless, sleeping good, etc. BE HONEST. Don't try to make it look good for the pdoc. And as far as your appearance goes, sometimes when I'm depressed I go in disheveled and unwashed. That's an honest state for me. good luck! peace, t

You dress up for your appointment? I'd be inclined to go as I am. Of course, even when I'm depressed I make an effort to shower, put on a bra and brush my hair before I leave the house. Who lets the whole world know what a mess they are on the inside? Then again, when I'm low enough I won't leave the house. I wonder what the score is if you don't turn up for the appointment because of a low?

I'm thankful that my support group is there to back me up and make sure I get to the appointments. They'd kick me out of bed, drag me screaming through a shower and into clean clothes, scrap my hair back and bundle me into the car if they couldn't talk me into getting out of bed.

I think the important thing is to just be honest. Go with the flow and let him guide you. He's the pro remember, trust his judgement, he does this many times a day and is used to new clients being uncertain and unsure of themselves.

T, that's how I'll go in, sometimes unshaven, hair lookin like I had a bat in it.

I will tell him what I'm feeling... then will go thru the same questions that I just told him. That fuckin drives me up the wall.

I see a new pdoc today and I don't know what to expect from him. They really are all different. The last one I went to had a checklist. He asked the basic questions to determine if I was manic or depressed. Then he asked how the medication was doing. He didn't really listen, though. But the first one I saw was wonderful. He would ask me about how I felt instead of just asking a zillion questions.

Good Luck! and I hope I have good luck with my new pdoc.

My psychiatrist is amazing. I love him.
When I walk in, he draws a line on some paper, and says,
"This is the shit-o-meter, how shit do you feel today?"