Why Don’t Doctors Ask About Mental Health During A Physical?
There is no health without mental health.
Generally, I don’t go for yearly physicals but I needed my doctor to order some tests for me. So I scheduled the physical. I was informed by the nurse in advance that if I wanted to talk about any specific health concerns I would have to make another appointment or I would get charged for it.
Say what?? Then what’s the point of a physician if one can not discuss any troubling health concerns?
My doctor walked in apologetically, only 45 minutes late, her face almost obscured under all the protective gear. She began by checking my vital signs- pulse, blood pressure, weight.
She checked if my vaccines were up to date. She systematically went through a review of each organ system and noted everything.
She then began the physical exam. She listened to my heart and lungs, palpated my abdomen, looked for lumps and bumps, and checked my extremities. In the end, she gave me a clean bill of health, ordered my tests, and sent me on my way.
But I felt the exam was incomplete. All the while as she was going through her checklist, I was waiting and hoping for her to ask me this simple question- “So how has your mental health been?”
