Q. I have been feeling very confused and worthless recently. It is ruining all of my relationships with friends and family. I have been feeling unwanted, cannot stop crying, I feel useless and have thought about suicide on a number od occasions. I feel that I should seek help, yet as I want to be a teacher, I fear that getting medical help for such a condition will affect my future. Will my career be affected if I visit my doctor about this?
A. I am not sure what the laws are in the United Kingdom, but in America there are confidentiality laws that protect health records. While I cannot say for sure since I am not familiar with the UK and health records protection laws (or even if they exist), it is highly unlikely that seeking help would affect your chances of being a teacher. Many people seek help for all sorts of problems. They go to doctors, psychiatrists, therapists, etc. Even Presidents of countries have sought help to help them deal with difficult times. I have never heard of anyone seeking help and then later being excluded from certain employment for seeking help. Never. If you are suffering, seek help.
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Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 6 Jun 2006
