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LETTERS: James N Hardy Sickness certification system in the United Kingdom: Doctors are indeed agents of social control BMJ 2004; 328: 461 [Full text]

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Gratitide

Penny K Williams   (23 February 2004)

Gratitide 23 February 2004
Penny K Williams, patient Oxford Send response to journal: Re: Gratitide	In November last year, I finally recognised that the last few months (which had been stressful and difficult for a number of reasons) had finally caught up with me and that I was exhausted and stressed. I had a couple of long weekends, but came to the conclusion that this was not going to be enough to build my energy reserves back up. I went to see my GP, who was kind, sympathetic and supportive, and listened to my story. We agreed that I needed a break, and I suggested a fortnight might be enough. I felt guilty about asking for any time off. My GP very wisely said that he would sign me off for a month and then I could go back to work when I wanted. In the end, I took virtually the whole month and was very grateful that I had this as an option. Since then, I have been back to my GP 2 or 3 times, and will go again once more. This is because he wants to check how I am doing and only wants me to stop going once he is sure that I am completely back on my feet. I found my GP's actions not unthinking or irresponsible, but thoughtful, kind and considered. I certainly do not see myself in any of the descriptions of patients given above either. I am not in a position to say that what the letter above describes does not take place, but it certainly does not reflect my experience in any way. I am very grateful that there is a system in place to give people the break that they need, and that there are GPs who not only sign patients off out of a sense of obligation, but also because they recognise the therapeutic value of such an intervention. Competing interests: patient