New Psychiatrist And Frustration

[erigby]

Has anyone else ever had the experience that their doctor or therapist put you in a position that made you feel they were basically like..."so you're here...now convince me you need to be here."
That is how I felt yesterday with my new Psychiatrist...and it really screwed up the rest of my day and sent me down into the shame spiral ending again with SI and a deep sense of worthlessness.

Granted he is new to me and he is only going off what another Psychiatrist has diagnosed me with...but seriously...if I was well...I wouldn't have been in his office to begin with!!!

So I had to rehash many parts of the trauma and relive the last year as this all came to the forefront. I felt I had to share difficult things I can barely talk about with my T (who I have grown to trust very much).
I remember feeling the adrenaline rushing through my body and I was feeling attacked...and even belittled...as if he didn't believe I was as depressed or suffering from c-PTSD. I was exhausted when the whole thing was over and just wanted to crawl into bed and never leave.

In the end...I don't know what he thinks...but he did prescribe me some new meds and scheduled to see him again in two weeks.
Either way...here it is the next day and I am still reeling from that experience.
Has anyone else had this experience or something like it?
Is this just something that has to happen when we see a new person?

 

[Friday]

Is this just something that has to happen when we see a new person?

In part, yeah.

Imagine someone walks into your office (or posts a thread here). Do we know anything about the person, at all? Nope. They have to tell us why they're there & what they want.

A good psychiatrist won't just take someone else's word on why someone is in their office, either. Imagine if instead of PTSD & depression, what you have, someone else said you were bipolar? A psychiatrist rx'ing purely on someone else's say so & not even bothering to interview the patient themselves? Would be really slipshod.

It's just hard when we're the person walking through the door, everything in our heads & history, trying to communicate what's relevant to someone who's sitting there all "How can I help you / why are you here / what brings you to my office / okay so tell me more about that." :wtf:

 

[erigby]

In part, yeah.

Imagine someone walks into your office (or posts a thread here). Do we know anything ab...

Thanks @Friday ...it makes sense...even though it sucks.
I like your emoji too...that pretty much sums it up.
I'm still pretty upset about it but have realized...I had such a strong reaction because it triggered emotions from other very traumatic and horrible incidences of "not being believed."
Yikes...I hate it when these things happen.
I guess I know what I'm talking with my T about next week.

You have been very helpful.

 

[Sideways]

I had such a strong reaction because it triggered emotions from other very traumatic and horrible incidences of "not being believed."

It's awesome that you've been able to identify what triggered your reaction. Really helpful.

After a very nasty episode with one T, the new one that I switched to I had a whole heap of "here we go again" moments. With trauma in the background, our "Trustworthy" radar can get waaay hypercritical of people trying to enter our Sphere of Trust, and it can be really hard for the pdoc and the patient when we're trying to establish trust at the start of a new therapeutic relationship. Being able to keep some rationality about that and identify what's reasonable criticism and what's leftovers to triggers from other people and how other people have let us down is such a difficult skill to master.

Hope it works out for you:)

 

[theshadowoftheliving]

I would actual take it as a good sign that the psychiatrist is independently assesing you. There isn't anything worse than a false diagnosis following you (not saying that is what you have) because therapists are too lazy to think independently.

 

[erigby]

It's awesome that you've been able to identify what triggered your reaction. Really helpful.

A...

Thank you @Ragdoll Circus