Mental Health

Many people notice for a long time that something is not right and keep putting off the first step. Seeking help feels like a big step. At your family practice it is a small one. You know the place, you may already know your team, and you do not have to explain yourself across three different services.

Come to us if you have felt exhausted for weeks and sleep no longer fixes it. If your mind will not settle in the evening. If you feel irritable, empty or constantly tense. If you can no longer enjoy things that used to come easily. If worry or anxiety runs your day. Physical complaints without a clear finding, a racing heart, pressure on the chest, stomach problems, belong here too, because body and mind are closely linked.

You do not need a diagnosis before you come. It is enough to say that you are not doing well. We work out the rest together.

The first appointment is about listening. You tell us what is going on, at your pace and in your words. We ask questions, make sense of your symptoms and look at how long things have been like this and what makes daily life hard.

Because body and mind are connected, we also check for physical causes where it makes sense. Thyroid, iron, vitamin D or blood pressure can play a role when you feel exhausted or flat. Examination and lab tests take days at a family practice, not months.

Then we agree on next steps. Often a few follow-up conversations, practical relief in daily life and strategies for better sleep or less tension are enough. You decide the pace. Findings, lab results and notes sit in one file, so you do not have to tell your story twice.

Since July 2022, Swiss basic health insurance covers psychotherapy with a psychologist when a doctor orders it. Family doctors with a specialist title in general internal medicine are among those allowed to do so. One order covers up to 15 sessions and can be renewed once. As with any treatment billed to insurance, your deductible (franchise) and co-payment apply.

The hard part is rarely the order. It is finding a psychologist or psychiatrist in Zurich who has space, as many keep waiting lists. That is why we start earlier: we work out with you whether psychotherapy, a psychiatric assessment or support at the practice is the right first step, issue the order where needed and stay with you until therapy begins.

First: you do not need a referral. Book online or call, just as you would for a cold or a check-up. Mental health is part of family medicine, not a special case.

Second: you do not wait for months. A free therapy place in Zurich can take half a year. With us you get an appointment soon, and with it some support while we organise the next steps.

Third: you do not have to justify yourself. Jesse Fontana and your family doctor work as a team. What you tell us stays confidential under medical secrecy. We speak English and German.

You will find our practice at Utoquai 37 in Zurich.

An appointment at the practice is the right path when you want support and are not in immediate danger. In an acute crisis, do not wait for an appointment.

Die Dargebotene Hand is available around the clock, anonymously and free of charge, on 143. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, for example with thoughts of harming yourself, call the emergency number 144 straight away. That is the right step.

Once the acute situation is over, we are here for what comes after.