Is this letter enough for Knightsbridge? re: history of depression.

[DktrFaustus 38]

Hello all,

 

My GP has been great in terms of speed of getting things sorted with patient summary, vax records and now this letter. I just wanted to post the contents here and see if you guys this it is enough for me. Many thanks.

 

"To whom it may concern,

 

[Patient details like DOB, NHS number, address etc]

 

I am writing with some information regarding [Dktr Faustus], who is a registered patient at [GP Surgery]. I can confirm that he has a past medical history of depression. He engaged well with treatment and has been stable and off antidepressants for the last 2.5 years. He has never been hospitalised. [Dktr Faustus] has no history of deliberate self-harm or suicide attempts. There is also no history of aggression or violence towards others and nothing to suggest that this would pose a problem in the future.

 

Yours faithfully,

 

[Handwritten signature]

 

The Doctor."

[chlosicles 65]

Hey!

I'm currently doing the same thing as you and someone from this forum advised me to also put in what medication I was on and the strength, when that medication ceased and also a small update on how your mental health is doing now. That added along to what you have already seems okay tome, but you won't know for sure until you get there and see them..

[DktrFaustus 38]

48 minutes ago, chlosicles said:

Hey!

I'm currently doing the same thing as you and someone from this forum advised me to also put in what medication I was on and the strength, when that medication ceased and also a small update on how your mental health is doing now. That added along to what you have already seems okay tome, but you won't know for sure until you get there and see them..

Hmm. I wonder if I may need another then. I've read so many different medical exam reviews on this message board alone. Sometimes the doctor just waves it off, other times people get studied and quizzed. I've not got a criminal record and as the letter states, any depression never went further than meds and I certainly didn't cause myself or any other people harm.

 

I'm finding it increasingly difficult to get away from work in the run up to my medical on October 13th. They or anybody else I work with don't know I'm undergoing this process, so keeping it on the hush-hush can be challenging.

[chlosicles 65]

Yeah, I know what you mean, I’ve heard multiple things too. 

You could always take that letter and see what they say, they might ask for me, and then I think you can get it and email it them ASAP. 

I think you’ve got the main facts in the letter, which is that you suffered, you were on meds, you caused no harm to yourself or others and that now you’re off meds’ and doing fine. 

[northwest-boys 17]

Hi,

 

Your patient care summary that you have to bring along with you should have details of any medication you were on.

 

As cholsicles said they may want to know more about medication. Although it's tricky trying to do all this while at work, you can go back to your GP and ask that they rewrite the letter specifying details about what medication you were on, etc. I had to get them to rewrite a letter because of an error in it and while it was a little distressing going back and dealing with all that they did it pretty quickly.

 

I think we have to remember that our situation isn't something most GPs are used to dealing with so they don't really know what is needed outside of what you specifically ask of them (and even then they make mistakes and oversights).

[DktrFaustus 38]

17 minutes ago, northwest-boys said:

Hi,

 

Your patient care summary that you have to bring along with you should have details of any medication you were on.

 

As cholsicles said they may want to know more about medication. Although it's tricky trying to do all this while at work, you can go back to your GP and ask that they rewrite the letter specifying details about what medication you were on, etc. I had to get them to rewrite a letter because of an error in it and while it was a little distressing going back and dealing with all that they did it pretty quickly.

 

I think we have to remember that our situation isn't something most GPs are used to dealing with so they don't really know what is needed outside of what you specifically ask of them (and even then they make mistakes and oversights).

 

Hey,

 

Many thanks for this reply. This issue has been twisting my head all day. My patient summary that I had printed out and given to me by my GP doesn't actually list or mention the medication I received, which was Citalopram, a small dose of 10mg (if I recall correctly). My summary mentions "agitated depression" and "recurrent depression" at different intervals as past/closed issues, but there is nothing specifying meds prescribed or anything like that.

 

I have booked another appointment on Wednesday afternoon. Thankfully, my employer gives a large medical appointment time allowance and it's a nice office generally, so there tends to be no trouble. Furthermore, my GP has dealt with myself and members of family for a little while now, so I'm lucky to have that familiarity on my side. I imagine it must be difficult for people not in that position. I'm considering writing a model/template letter for her and suggesting we follow that as much as possible.

 

One more question, if I may...

 

I was referred to a counselling service in 2016, which I wanted to attend because I was keen on learning/discussing new ways of thinking and coping mechanisms pertaining to my anxiety. Would I need some kind of note from them, or can I have it mentioned in the doctor's note? Overall, I fear/worry about a) delays incurred by not providing enough information and/or b) if further information is requested, they may not like what they read. Although, I have read many accounts on this forum alone from people who have suffered from worse conditions and taken more drastic measures because of their mental health and gone on to collect their K1.

 

Again, thank you. Ironically, this is making me more anxious than ever! I suspect, as per my usual ways, I am worrying too much. I just need to get my head down and make sure I have as much/the best information I can. I have nothing to hide, I'm just coming to the end of this long and winding process, and just fear any kind of stumble on the final hurdle.

Edited October 1, 2018 by DktrFaustus

[northwest-boys 17]

No worries, the medical is a really stressful part of the process, especially when it comes to getting as much documentation together as possible.

 

The email from Visa Medicial specifically asks for this;

 

9. If you have any significant/ongoing/previous medical conditions please ensure that you bring a report from your GP/Specialist/Consultant regarding this; including, medication, prognosis, management etc.

 

I can't speak for you and your situation but the councelling is something you could ask your GP to mention.

 

The Doctor at the medical was really nice and explained to me why they specifically query mental health issues in applicants. They're concerned about allowing in people who are currently suffering from mental health conditions that are so serious they would bring them to harm others. They include depression and suicide because they're concerned about people taking their own lives and wanting to harm others in the process. So really they're only concerned with very serious cases.

 

Their concern is how serious is the illness, how long ago was it, how likely is it to cause future issues, etc. Again, I don't know your full situation but from what you have mentioned and what is included in your GP letter I can't say there's much to worry about and you're covering a lot of their concerns right there. Specific medications or treatment might be something you wanna make sure you've got from your doctor in writing just to be on the safe side (I'm guessing because information about the medication is a really good indication of how mild or serious your case was and that will put them at ease).

 

Give that next trip to the GP a shot and take it from there, but you've already got most of it together by the sounds of it.

[DktrFaustus 38]

9 minutes ago, northwest-boys said:

No worries, the medical is a really stressful part of the process, especially when it comes to getting as much documentation together as possible.

 

The email from Visa Medicial specifically asks for this;

 

9. If you have any significant/ongoing/previous medical conditions please ensure that you bring a report from your GP/Specialist/Consultant regarding this; including, medication, prognosis, management etc.

 

I can't speak for you and your situation but the councelling is something you could ask your GP to mention.

 

The Doctor at the medical was really nice and explained to me why they specifically query mental health issues in applicants. They're concerned about allowing in people who are currently suffering from mental health conditions that are so serious they would bring them to harm others. They include depression and suicide because they're concerned about people taking their own lives and wanting to harm others in the process. So really they're only concerned with very serious cases.

 

Their concern is how serious is the illness, how long ago was it, how likely is it to cause future issues, etc. Again, I don't know your full situation but from what you have mentioned and what is included in your GP letter I can't say there's much to worry about and you're covering a lot of their concerns right there. Specific medications or treatment might be something you wanna make sure you've got from your doctor in writing just to be on the safe side (I'm guessing because information about the medication is a really good indication of how mild or serious your case was and that will put them at ease).

 

Give that next trip to the GP a shot and take it from there, but you've already got most of it together by the sounds of it.

 

This is very helpful and just having somebody lay it out like that helps a lot. Really appreciate your time and answers, thank you very much. I'm sure things will be just fine as long as I'm clear and thorough.