GP and Human

Do GPs need locking up? #generalpractice #nhs #nhscrisis #publicmisconceptions

This comment is in response to an article about a little girl with cellulitis and sepsis whose mother didn’t receive a call back from the GP quickly enough so stormed into the surgery demanding she was seen immediately.

As a medic, something we should NEVER do is read Daily Mail articles and comments. It is always depressing reading; seeing how we are portrayed by the press and how some of the…

#worldsuicidepreventionday #suicidalideation #suicideprevention #mentalhealthsupport

Introduction to this blog

I’m publishing this late I know. I wrote most of it then chickened out of sharing it on the day. But I have become known for being ‘brave’ enough to share my own experiences (which I am told is helpful to others) and talking about ‘taboo’ subjects and therefore I am going to do that again – exposing the most difficult situation I have ever had and a tough one to talk…

#worldsuicidepreventionday #suicidalideation #suicideprevention #mentalhealthsupport

Introduction to this blog

I’m publishing this late I know. I wrote most of it then chickened out of sharing it on the day. But I have become known for being ‘brave’ enough to share my own experiences (which I am told is helpful to others) and talking about ‘taboo’ subjects and therefore I am going to do that again – exposing the most difficult situation I have ever had and a tough one to talk…

Mental Health Awareness Week 2019: What we can do

A bit about my background and why I’m writing this

My ‘GP and Human’ blog evolved ‘accidentally’ after discovering writing was the only way I could express myself when I found myself in the depths of depression (secondary to ‘burnout’ and some other life issues) in September 2017. Talking was too hard but I knew I needed to release what was within somehow and I instinctively started writing. The…

#gpandhuman #burnoutanddepression #ajourney #lastchapter #farewell

The History of my ‘Journey’ (of Burnout and Depression)

My ‘story’ (and blog) started quite accidentally on September 16th 2017 when I wrote ‘The Other Side’ and shared it with just a few people – who then wanted to share it more widely as it struck a chord both with other medics feeling a similar way and other people and relatives struggling with mental health problems.

At that point, I was…

#domesticabuse #domesticviolence #gdass #humanity #newmission

Domestic Abuse has recently come onto my radar more closely than ever before for several reasons. This is why there have been some allusions to this topic on my blog and social media pages.

Of course, I have encountered it before in life as it is, sadly, relatively common. I have met victims of domestic abuse through my job and have also been distantly aware of it in other parts of my life.

But, …

I may only be one person, but I am one person with a strong fire within me and am hoping that I can make a difference in some way; even if I can only bring about a positive effect for a few people, it will be worth it. #domesticabuse

Domestic Abuse has recently come onto my radar more closely than ever before for several reasons. This is why there have been some allusions to this topic on my blog and social media pages.

Of course, I have encountered it before in life as it is, sadly, relatively common. I have met victims of domestic abuse through my job and have also been distantly aware of it in other parts of my life.

But, …

#worldmentalhealthday #cheltlitfest #aarongillies #christinapatterson

I was very aware it was World Mental Health Day yesterday. I wanted to write a blog then. But I couldn’t; for two reasons. Here’s why…

My life is in a right pickle at the moment to say the least. Not much else could go wrong. I am therefore in the midst of a living hell and battling to get through each day’s practical and emotional challenges which, in turn, are leaving me utterly exhausted.

Yet,…

GP & Human; A Year Later

September 14th.

On this day last year, I was sitting at a computer at work doing an admin session. Except I wasn’t. I couldn’t do it. The work was looking at me and I just looked at it back. I couldn’t keep pushing through life at the pace I was. Colleagues and friends at work could see something was wrong that afternoon.

I wrote a post on a GP Facebook group asking what they would think if a…

#blogs, #freshstarts, #generalpractice, #GP, #gphealth, #humanity, #lifestylemedicine, #patienteducation, #physicianhealth, #timetochange, #timetotalk, #wellbeing, #writing, #developingcareer

Here goes. As I said in my previous blog, ‘Preparing for ‘The Big Reveal;’ Who am I?!,’ this has been a big decision to come to and I have not taken it lightly. My reasons are explained in there and recapped below. I think revealing my identity is the right thing to do on balance, but it still makes me a little nervous to say the least! Please bear in mind my relative vulnerability and be gentle…

Preparing for ‘The Big Reveal;’ Who am I?!

Having deliberated on this for a couple of months for various reasons, I’ve finally made the decision to openly reveal my identity soon; it’s not been an easy decision to make. It is known in some circles anyway; family, friends and colleagues online. When I (accidentally!) first started writing the blog, I was in a very vulnerable position and it wouldn’t have been wise. Why do I feel this is…

#backtonormal #whatisnormal #returntowork #wellbeing #recovery #depression #burnout #selfpreservation #selfcare

It’s been a long 6 months since I hit crisis point and have worked towards recovery. I had to fill in a form about what’s happened and it asked when the ‘medical problem’ first started. I had no idea what to put! One of my earliest blogs, ‘Warning signs‘ is all about this. Life has been tough for a while. Not in a major way; no massive worries (a big part of why I feel so much guilt about it).…

#justagp #gp #generalpractice #gpvsspecialist #attemptatpoetry #abitofsilliness #seriousmessagewithin

This started off as a normal written blog but, quite frankly, it sounded like a bit of a moan and rather boring so I decided to liven it up a bit! (I do not claim to be a poet or to have written it well…I just had a bit of fun!) ‘Just’ a GP? I am ‘just’ a GP, so folk say, Even us ourselves some days, We do so much to keep ill health at bay, So why is it seen this way? We cannot mend your broken…

#returntowork #betterthanexpected #freshstart #optimism #brighterfuture #lifeadapatations

Anybody that has followed my blog will know that work was a major contributor to my decline into burnout/depression. Not all due to this, certainly; there were (and still are) quite a few factors from other parts of my life too. Within work, there were various things that got to me, mostly due to exhaustion, frustration and negativity; the sheer workload, the time pressure and lack of time per…

#thethursdayplan #childfreetime #selfcare #beingme #necessarytasks #lifeisabalance #reenergise

A few months before I completely hit crisis point, I knew I was struggling. In simple terms, there were two reasons for this. Firstly, there wasn’t enough time or energy to get through all the tasks required so I got behind with things and this caused huge amounts of stress. Secondly, there was no opportunity to rest and recharge or for me to be ‘me,’ rather than just ‘Dr’ or ‘Mummy.’ Work,…

#returntowork #phasedreturn #warmwelcome #supportive #greatteam #gp #generalpractice #primarycare

Today was the day; return to work. There’s been an odd mix of feelings in the run up to today and during the day. I was inevitably nervous; mostly through doubting my ability to remember what to do and cope with it. I was also worried about seeing all the staff again properly (although I have been into work a bit over the last few weeks); I can’t felt but feel weak, pathetic, ashamed and…

Music: Therapy Like No Other

For me, music was most prominent in my life as teenager. I played the piano, violin (or occasionally the flute which I learnt later) whenever I could every day. It wasn’t exactly the way to be in with the ‘cool’ crowd at school, but I wouldn’t change a thing now. The focus drifted once I started to make those big decisions about where my life was going. As much as I loved music, I made a very…