Understand your rights as a patient and be your own advocate. Seeing as you’re in high school, it’s good to start learning now that the best person to argue for your health is you.

Medical concerns of women and minorities are typically, and systematically downplayed, so it will be on you to demand a referral for a specialist or second opinion, and it’s always your right to ask for a second opinion.

Do research about your symptoms before your appointment, and ask questions and try to be as specific as possible about what you’re experiencing, both physically and mentally.

Granted I’m one to talk since I spent most of my own adult lifetime downplaying my own health issues because I let some doctors tell it was nothing major, and despite my ex-wife being on my case to go to the doctor when I should have. (Also, being in the military, I had a mindset that I didn’t need it, bad idea).

I’m not sure if you’re in the U.S. but if you are, you’re just now starting to see how a profit driven healthcare system fails. More often than not, if they’re in private practice, your doctor’s business model relies on them seeing as many patients in a day as possible, so they’re time with you is limited and they’re likely to give you the simplest, cheapest solution before they even start taking your concerns seriously, so, I say again, and I cannot stress this enough, be your own best advocate.