Fed Up

[Kb3]

Thanks Ayesha and I'm sorry that you are having psychiatrist problems too. It's incredibly frustrating isn't it?

Thanks for reading my rant, I'll be happy to return the favour anytime:).

 

[Srain]

Just a reminder Eat0429...you can always call first and get a feel for the staff...a happy staff reflects a decent dr...it really makes a difference! I know this from experience on both sides of that sliding window and locked door ;) Disgruntled staff..asshole dr. If you are unable to discuss with the psyche staff what the dr is like or even get a call back from them it is more than likely you will have difficulty with them. Most are rather rigid and trying to get heard may be difficult.

I found even in as busy of an office as mine is, talking to the other clients, they ALL loved her! Great sign even before I saw her because I was sweating it! I had called first, talked at length with the staff, slipped in how did they like working for her, while inadvertently mentioning how badly I needed to get in while shushing my dogs - "silly little yapper" (to start the conversation, I needed to know if the staff liked the doctor, if the staff would be nice to me because I tend to babble when I call, etc, these things are important to find out)...she answered, I booked an appt.

I can't afford the time or gas to waste on anymore inappropriately dismissing drs that want to immediately not listen to me at this stage of things. There is a HUGE movement going on, albeit shushed by other issues, where clients (most are referring to patients, to us, as "consumers") in the Mental Health industry are finally saying enough is enough, no more using scare and intimidation tactics to silence us, we must be listened to in order to treat us properly. Over-drugging or throwing everything out and restarting meds based on who is covering your bills is no longer allowable. The rules are changing. MI doesn't mean incapable, invisible, silent, or inept...we are a huge part of the your business and will be HEARD, our Dx is highly important in order to the additional help we need.

As difficult as it is...I have found much can be done over the phone with a large cup of coffee and a written script.

I'm sorry if this sounds like I'm preaching, I love my pdoc she is great and important to me but she was difficult to find. I did it through the internet and on the phone, then a "test run" ;) I had lost the last one because he retired suddenly, sadly, my thoughts are with you.

Rain.

 

[Deaf Global Nomad]

Hi Eat0429,

I, too, have been in your shoes with a misdiagnosis. Luckily, my family doc helped straighten out my medical records by adding her notes with references to the assessments. Luckily it helped within a few networks. Now I am very careful if and where I go for help.

Best of luck!

 

[Kb3]

That's good advice Rain and DGN, thank you:).

I'm American, living in England and the two systems are SO different. I really miss being a "paying customer" in healthcare - here, even if you do have insurance, the healthcare can still be very paternalistic. I hate being "managed":(.

I have learned the hard way that it is important to be assertive with doctors and be more discriminating with whom I will work with. Part of this has been due to terrible, terrible experiences, and part of it is just becoming more confident in myself. I don't stigmatise myself anymore either, and won't allow anyone else to. Having a mental illness does not give anyone the right to treat me like less of a person and that includes myself!

I'm glad to hear that patients in the US are becoming more organised and stronger advocates for themselves, and I can see it from the various blogs I read. It is true that we are a huge part of these doctors income, and we should be able to shop around to ensure we are getting good service.

I myself was able to look up the doctor who dx'd me with bipolar II on Yelp and RateMD as well as a couple of other sites just within the past year, and there probably a couple of hundred reviewers who had the same misdiagnosis as me! And those were just the people who bothered to rate her! A few of them even mentioned that this particular doctor has a terrible reputation with colleagues and that they had been warned by other Dr's not to go to her. It was too late to change what happened to me, but it was hugely validating to read identical experiences to mine, and it made me even more confident that my bipolar DX is incorrect.

Even though it has its obvious downfalls, I love the Internet for the way it has joined previously disenfranchised groups together, just like it does here. As I have said, it has given me an enormous amount of comfort to be able to reach out to others for empathy, understanding and some really GREAT advice. It has actually been more helpful to me than about 80% of what the psychiatric/therapy communities have done for me over the years, so thank you all again!:)

 

[Srain]

I myself was able to look up the doctor who dx'd me with bipolar II on Yelp and RateMD as well as a couple of other sites just within the past year, and there probably a couple of hundred reviewers who had the same misdiagnosis as me! And those were just the people who bothered to rate her! A few of them even mentioned that this particular doctor has a terrible reputation with colleagues and that they had been warned by other Dr's not to go to her. It was too late to change what happened to me, but it was hugely validating to read identical experiences to mine, and it made me even more confident that my bipolar DX is incorrect.

:tup::tup::tup:

I can't tell you how uplifting this is to me...it is not so easy where I live, though you think it might be by now. My tdoc just reminded yesterday that no, it's not my paranoia, she understands the perceptions I am facing.

I have been using the rating devices available here and then go back and check just to make sure it went through, if not I call the med service and give my account on one of them. Sorry I didn't check your location or forgot...I'm so forgetful :speechless:

peace,
Rain

 

[Kb3]

I used to live and was dx'd bipolar in NYC (there's no reason why you should have known that Rain, so please don't worry!) and there are probably more mental health providers per square foot there than there are pigeons; thus the rich pickings on the rating websites. I'm sure that a huge percentage of the practitioners are at least adequate, but as with most things, I seem to have a knack for finding the wackos.:eek:

Of course there are people who have an axe to grind who comment on the rating sites, but in cases where a number of people have commented, you can at least get an idea about the practitioner. What I have found is that unlike other specialities, it seems to be exceedingly difficult for patients to sue psychiatrists for malpractice, or even lodge complaints about how they practice, leaving rogue psychiatrists able to practice freely. Since people with mental health issues are often isolated/or don't chit chat about their shrinks(!), these websites offer invaluable anecdotal information. I wish to God that there had been a google search available for this doctor back in 2001 - it would have saved me years of anguish and thousands and thousands of dollars.:(

 

[Srain]

I wish to God that there had been a google search available for this doctor back in 2001 - it would have saved me years of anguish and thousands and thousands of dollars.:((

Isn't that the truth!!

No, it isn't easy to sue a psyche doc, I couldn't bring a pedaphile/abuse case against even a psychologist and that was my father with a witness! But I was able to lodge a complaint or request an investigation, he was removed or forced into retirement, I never did find out exactly - the files are closed.

I went toe to toe with a psychiatrist in this area when he 'fired' me several years ago accusing me of illegally seeing two psychiatrists at once and 'hoarding medications', or some bull crap like that. It was apparently some law I had broken but here's the deal...I had just moved to this area, I kept my pdoc from up North because he was my tdoc as well, I really really liked him! I saw this pdoc down here and asked him if he would just prescribe the meds as a secondary pdoc, I gave him my pdoc's information, they both knew my situation and this was all great until one day I receive a certified letter..."Dr. so and so is officially FIRING You for deliberate deception and medication hoarding...etc." he had cc'd my pdoc up North, the pharmacy I used, and my insurance company!!!! I could go to jail for this!!! WTF???? :speechless:

I immediately wrote up a letter refuting these charges and on my way to get them notarized I get another "Your Fired" from my Northern pdoc, I really trusted him, so receiving the " I'm just saving my own ass" letter and nothing else was heart breaking....:cry:....

I'm out of help, I'm fired twice, I'm looking at serious withdrawals AGAIN, and now I'm looking at possible legal issues! I was ignorant of all this because I trusted my pdoc that what I was doing was not a problem...I was trying to take care of myself and in the end ..everyone for himself.:cautious: I know better now....

I had to scramble to get a new pdoc that hopefully didn't know this asshole, couldn't because they ALL know each other, had to have my meds changed because now the "community" saw me as a DRUG SEEKER, it was the ativan I was taking 2-4mgs a day ....such a dope fiend!! sheesh!!! So I spent 3yrs struggling going from one useless med and pdoc to another only finally find a pdoc who gratefully put me back on ativan 1-3mg a day just so I could get some sleep at night. From there I was able to get other things tweak out but it's been a bitter hard fought battle. I know most if not all the pdocs in this area as well as the tdocs. They certainly know each other.

(I did manage to even get a part-time job for a little while in the same building just down the hall from this jerk. I use to think, "just step out once....let me say 'hello'" :sneaky:...my hunny use to think that would be worth seeing, he has an itty bitty evil streak ....I love that about him!)

Surely didn't mean to run off into Rain-land ....sorry about that, I guess it helps explains back to myself why I have such issues about the drs around here.HA!

peace,
Rain

 

[Kb3]

I had just moved to this area, I kept my pdoc from up North because he was my tdoc as well, I really really liked him! I saw this pdoc down here and asked him if he would just prescribe the meds as a secondary pdoc, I gave him my pdoc's information, they both knew my situation and this was all great until one day I receive a certified letter..."Dr. so and so is officially FIRING You for deliberate deception and medication hoarding...etc." he had cc'd my pdoc up North, the pharmacy I used, and my insurance company!!!! I could go to jail for this!!! WTF???? :speechless:

I immediately wrote up a letter refuting these charges and on my way to get them notarized I get another "Your Fired" from my Northern pdoc, I really trusted him, so receiving the " I'm just saving my own ass" letter and nothing else was heart breaking....:cry:....

I'm out of help, I'm fired twice, I'm looking at serious withdrawals AGAIN, and now I'm looking at possible legal issues!

Totally, totally out of bounds behaviour on these doctors' part. They didn't even have the courage to tell you in person, instead they leave a vulnerable person, dependent on their services, hanging high and dry to cover their own selfish asses. They could have worked something reasonable out with you so that you would have continuous coverage until you found someone new to help you, but they didn't even have the decency to do that. How hateful of them to do that, hateful and selfish. I'm so sorry Rain, I can't imagine how distressing you must have found that situation to be.

Doctors are totally specialised, expensively trained, and often extremely focussed on being upwardly mobile, with few to no legitimate options to maintain their high earnings if they get put out of business. I'm sure there are a few good guys out there, but the majority would happily let you swing if they thought you might come between their income, reputations and careers.

The bottom line is that they have too much to lose, and ALL of them, no matter what their specialities, should be approached with extreme caution. Ironically doctors have been more harmful to me than my own physical and mental health have been!

 

[Tinyflame]

-Horribly frightening.

 

[Kb3]

As is abundantly clear from this thread, I have developed a strong dislike and distrust of psychiatrists over the years. Today I was surfing the net and thought I would put in a search for "I hate psychiatrists".

The first sentence of the first hit listed read as follows:

"i f*cking HATE my psychiatrist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i swear to god i hate that man with such a f*cking passion it would blow his f*cking cashmere button down cardigan right off his back"

I laughed so hard I cried - sorry if this offends anyone, but this is priceless.