A checklist for people with mental
health problems
Working in
partnership with psychiatrists and carers
- Survey:
as a carer of someone with a mental health problem, we would be
interested on learning how to improve the information we provide
for carers. Please take 5 minutes to complete this survey.
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.
| |
About the
illness |
 |
What illness (diagnosis) do I have? |
|
|
If a diagnosis has
NOT YET been made |
|
What are the possible diagnoses
you are considering?
|
|
What tests have already been done? |
|
Are there any other tests that might be needed? |
|
|
About care and
treatment |
|
What are the aims of my care
and treatment?
|
|
Where can I get written information about the
treatment I will have/am having? |
|
Who will be responsible for my care
(named nurse/care co-ordinator/ keyworker)?
What exactly will they do? How often will
they see me?
|
|
Who else will be involved in my
treatment?
|
|
How often will the psychiatrist see me? |
|
What are the plans for my treatment? Do I have any
choice? |
|
How long will the treatment take? |
|
Would talking treatments (e.g. cognitive behavioural
therapy, family therapy) of any sort be helpful?
If so, will they be available in my area?
|
|
What happens if I refuse to have the suggested
treatment? |
|
Are there any ways I can help myself? |
|
|
If I am not
satisfied with my treatment and care, who do I speak
to? |
|
To make comments
|
|
To get a second opinion |
|
To make a complaint |
| |
Medication
issues |
|
What medication am I on? |
| |
What should the
benefits of medication be? |
|
In the short-term |
|
In the long-term |
| |
Hospital
treatment |
|
Do I need to be admitted to hospital? If so, for
how long? |
|
If I have to go into hospital, which one will it
be? |
|
What arrangements will be made for me after I leave
hospital? |
| |
Self-help |
|
What can I do to help myself get better?
|
|
How can I contact other people who have been
through the same experiences? |
Any other
questions
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Further
help
The Princess
Royal Trust for Carers
Provides information, support and advice for
carers. Email: support@carers.org
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
On each line, click on the mark which most closely reflects how you feel about
the statement in the left hand column.
Your answers will help us to make this leaflet more useful - please try to rate
every item.
Did you look at this leaflet because you are a (maximum of 2 categories
please):
Age group (please tick correct box)