A checklist for people with mental health problems
Working in
partnership with psychiatrists and carers
Questions to ask the psychiatrist
This checklist suggests some questions you may want
to ask about your:
You may be able to get some of this information
from other members of the team who are involved in your care.
Not everyone will need all the answers to all these
questions, and not all at the same time. You may have questions
that are not covered in this leaflet. Even so, it should help you
decide what you do need to know.
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About the illness
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What
illness (diagnosis) do I have? |
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If
a diagnosis has been made |
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What symptoms suggest this
diagnosis?
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What
tests have already been done? |
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Are there any other tests that might be
needed?
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Have any physical problems been found,
and what will need to be done about them?
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Why has
this happened to me? |
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Will I
get better? |
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Where
can I get written information about my problem? |
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If
a diagnosis has NOT YET been made |
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What are the possible diagnoses
you are considering?
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What tests have already been done? |
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Are there any other tests that might be needed? |
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About care and treatment |
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What are the aims of my care
and treatment?
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Where can I get written information about the treatment
I will have/am having? |
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Who will be responsible for my care (named
nurse/care co-ordinator/ keyworker)?
What exactly will they do? How often will they
see me?
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Who else will be involved in my
treatment?
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How
often will the psychiatrist see me? |
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What
are the plans for my treatment? Do I have any choice? |
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How
long will the treatment take? |
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Would talking treatments (e.g. cognitive behavioural therapy,
family therapy) of any sort be helpful?
If so, will they be available in my area?
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What
happens if I refuse to have the suggested treatment? |
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Are
there any ways I can help myself? |
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Care Programme Approach (CPA) |
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What is the CPA?
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Am I on the CPA? If not, why not |
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Who is
responsible for organising it? |
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What
difference will this make to me? |
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If
I am not satisfied with my treatment and care, who do I speak
to? |
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To make comments
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To get a second opinion |
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To
make a complaint |
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Getting help |
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How can I get in touch with
you, especially if I am not in hospital?
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How can I arrange to see you? |
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What do I do if I am worried that I am becoming
ill? |
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Who do
I contact in an emergency? |
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Are there any local support, self-help or advocacy groups
that I could get in touch with? |
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Carers and my treatment |
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My carer(s) is/ are
…………………………………………………………………………………
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Will my carer
be involved in discussions concerning my care and treatment? |
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Does my carer
have to be involved in discussions about every
detail of my care? |
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Can I decide
that my carer may know only about some details of
my care and treatment? |
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How can it
help to have my carer involved in discussions about me? |
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Can I refuse
to allow my carer to be involved in any of these discussions? |
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Medication issues
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What
medication am I on? |
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What should the benefits of medication
be?
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In the short-term |
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In the long-term |
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Managing the medication |
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Why have you chosen this
particular medication?
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How long will I have to take it for? |
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Are
there any other medications that could be used if this one does not
work? |
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Is the
lowest effective dose being prescribed? |
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What
symptoms would mean the dose should be changed? |
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Can I
take a low dose and increase it when necessary? |
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Why am
I on different types of medication? |
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How
often will my medication be reviewed? |
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What
shall I do if I have unpleasant side-effects? |
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What
will happen if I stop the medication? |
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Do you
have any written information about this medication? |
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Hospital treatment
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Do I need to be admitted to hospital? If so, for how
long? |
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If I have to go into hospital, which one will it
be? |
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What
arrangements will be made for me after I leave hospital? |
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Self-help
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What can I do to help myself get better?
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How can I
contact other people who have been through the same
experiences? |
Any other
questions
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Further help
Carers'
Trust
Carers Trust is a new charity which was formed by the merger of
The Princess Royal Trust for Carers and Crossroads Care in April
2012. Carers Trust works to improve support, services and
recognition for anyone living with the challenges of caring,
unpaid, for a family member or friend who is ill, frail, disabled
or has mental health or addiction problems. With our Network
Partners, we aim to ensure that information, advice and practical
support are available to all carers across the UK.
This leaflet was produced as part of the
Partners in Care campaign, a joint initiative between the Royal
College of Psychiatrists and The Princess Royal Trust for
Carers.
One of the aims of the Partners in Care campaign was to show
that if all
those involved in the care of people with mental health problems or
learning disabilities can work together, a trusting partnership can
be development between carers, patients and professionals which
will be of benefit to all.
Editor: Dr Philip Timms, chair, Royal College of Psychiatrists'
Public Education Editorial Board.
Carer input: Members of the Princess Royal Trust for Carers
© November 2010. Review date: November 2012.
© Royal College of Psychiatrists. This leaflet may
be downloaded, printed out, photocopied and distributed free of
charge as long as the Royal College of Psychiatrists is properly
credited and no profit is gained from its use. Permission to
reproduce it in any other way must be obtained from the
Head of
Publications. The College does not allow
reposting of its leaflets on other sites, but allows them to
be linked to directly.
Please note that we are unable to offer advice on individual cases. Please see our
FAQ for
advice on getting help.
Please answer the following questions and press 'submit' to send your answers OR
E-mail your responses to dhart@rcpsych.ac.uk
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