When any illness is suspected in a family member, the first port of call is usually the General Practitioner (GP). The GP is the only non-emergency service available in the community 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When the patient?s own doctor is off duty, another doctor or locum is available to provide care.
The role of the GP is broad and holistic. In the area of mental illness it extends beyond the direct treatment of acute illness. A major part of a family doctor?s work is treating chronic illnesses and helping patients and families develop an understanding of the management of the illness.
Many doctors, while training to become a GP, spend a period of time working in a psychiatric unit learning about mental disorders. Later, the Irish College of General Practitioners offers continuing medical education to doctors throughout the country, with a wide range of resource material being available through the college. Thus GP?s have the opportunity to keep up-to-date with advances in treatment and new medical developments through seminars, lectures, small group learning and medical literature. The GP is the link between the hospital, the patient and family. He or she should be informed by the psychiatrist of details pertaining to the illness and treatment programme. The GP can offer information, support and guidance on living with schizophrenia in the family.
Most doctors will be happy to spend time discussing a problem as long as the waiting room is not full. If you want to discuss a matter in any depth, make an appointment and say that you will need additional time as you would like to discuss a problem. You can talk to the GP about the diagnosis, about the effects that living with the illness has on you as someone directly affected. As a relative you can discuss the impact the illness will have on the family as a whole. GP?s have wide experience to draw on. The GP will also keep an eye on your general health and not restrict their attention to the psychiatric condition. Therefore it is important to get to know your GP and to build up a relationship of trust with them. If moving house or flat, check that your doctor will be able to continue to treat you in your new home. Having established community supports in one area, it is worth considering the implications of moving to an entirely new area and having to build up new relationships. It is obviously preferable if all members of the family attend the same doctor who may then be aware of all aspects of the situation.
If the GP suspects that a more serious illness, such as schizophrenia, is present he or she will usually refer the person to a specialist (psychiatrist). The psychiatrist should then manage the condition in collaboration with the GP, who will also provide general healthcare.
In some cases, you may find that after an acute phase of illness the psychiatrist and psychiatric services will continue to treat you while on maintenance treatment. However in other cases, particularly if you?re accessing treatment in the private sector, care may revert to the GP once the illness is controlled. This is happening increasingly with the move away from hospital care to community care. The person receives his or her ongoing medication from the GP, with visits to the psychiatrist at long but regular intervals, until it is felt that visits are no longer required.
The GP should be kept fully informed about the outcome of these consultations with the psychiatrist and, vice versa, the consultant should be told about any problems that have been identified by the GP. If requested, the GP will provide a letter for you to bring to the consultation with the psychiatrist.
If you are returning home to live with your family after hospitalisation, a meeting should take place, where feasible, between you, your GP and family members involved in your care so that each person knows the treatment plan and understands each other?s roles.
Document Title
Hearts & Minds: Exploring the cardiovascular risk burden in psychiatric disease
The Irish College General Practitioners (ICGP) is the professional body for general practice in Ireland. The college was founded in 1984 and is based in Lincoln Place, Dublin 2. The college's primary aim is to serve the patient and the general practitioner by encouraging and maintaining the highest standards of general medical practice. It is the representative organisation on education, training and standards in general practice. The college is the recognised body for the accreditation of specialist training in general practice in Ireland.
irishhealth.com is Ireland's independent health website, designed to offer users a comprehensive yet easy to use online source of medical and healthcare information and up-to-the-minute health news. We have details on hundreds of common conditions, as well as resources, tools and links, all written and developed in Ireland for Irish users.
