Anyone else feel like their shrink just doesn't listen to them??

[KlMeNw]

I've been feeling so dejected lately after visits to my psychiatrist. I tell them how I feel and they disregard everything I say and push their same old narrow opinion on whats wrong with me. For instance ive been on so many meds that just dont seem to work and I brought these new studies to her that show a clear and causal relationship between childhood depression and immuno-inflamation in the brain which can cause even more serious depression, anxiety, and OCD in adulthood. This inflammation is present in over 1/3 of patients with treatment resistant psychological issues and anti-inflammatory meds have proven to be effective. Yet my Doctor just acknowledge she knew about the study and agreed with it but then just dismissed the idea of prescribing me meds for it. WTF man? It's crazy, once these "professionals" latch onto a specific diagnosis for someone, its as if they get tunnel vision and arent willing to change their mind even in the face of opposing or contradicting evidence.

 

[FinalPeace]

Many doctors in various areas of practice are like this. Often times they already have an opinion that they dont feel ought to be challenged because, after all, they are the eXpErts!!

I call BS! Medicine is ever-changing especially the mental health field. That's why the second opinion was invented. A REAL doctor-patient relationship should be a handshake not a tugowar. Any doctor who isnt willing to be open to what you're saying or at least give you a strong counterpoint about why they are against your assessment should be questioned directly about the reasons they aren't listening, and possibly replaced. I'd only accept a risk to my health or a medication conflict / contraindication as reason enough for not exploring other avenues.

Another thing is that most psychiatrists only spend about 15 minutes on each patient. They dont really know you well unless you have a long history with them. Some dont even really care due to the short stints they have with their broad base of patients. Again, another reason you should get a second opinion.

I have had plenty crappy doctors many of whom had limited experiences with me and tried to slap me other extreme diagnoses due to their bias and expectations of how I should be acting. As a result, I was given lots of medications that were incompatible or just plain wrong and unnecessary. Often times it's best to discuss these things with a psychologist as well. Psychologists spend a longer amount of time with you and should know you better. They can confirm or refute a doctor's diagnoses if they are really good.

Psychologists often work very closely with doctors, or they have, at a bare minimum, seen the affects of their patients being slapped with the wrong diagnoses, and put on the wrong medicines. The longer depth of history with their clientele often gives them better insight into you as you person. Many psychologists also keep up to date with research in the field because it changes more rapidly due to ongoing societal waves. Doctors on the other hand don't necessarily have real pressure of staying up to date despite their requirement to fulfill cOnTiNuINg EdUcAtIon requirements via medical cOnFeReNcEs usually held on lavish beach resorts. Whatever!

Try to see if you can find a Dr. who is surrounded by psychologists in a full scale specialized Mental Health center. If that is not possible in your area then just get another Dr altogether. Make sure you type their name into a search engine and look at their reviews across various websites. Other patient experiences can often give you forewarning or advisory on whether he / she is a good practitioner as well as indications on whether they are a good fit for you, specifically.

 

[Chiisai]

Well, they're still human beings and still need to earn for a living. Maybe in a world where money isnt a problem, a psychiatrist can truly focus on their work and really help a patient.

 

[Ligottian]

This is weird. Just a couple of seconds before I saw this thread, I was thinking about my own once every three month shrink visits. My next one is tomorrow. They are pure financial transactions. He asks me how am I doing and if my meds are having any side affects. I've been on the same meds for many years. He then hands me a script. Often he is writing the script or even has it finished when I walk into his office. NEXT!

$125 (out of pocket, he doesn't accept insurance) for about thirty seconds or less of "work".

 

[Smart No More]

Well, they're still human beings and still need to earn for a living. Maybe in a world where money isnt a problem, a psychiatrist can truly focus on their work and really help a patient.

There's no point in their work if they don't help their patients. Giving them money on the basis that they need to earn money is charity if they don't provide a service. Some might say a scam.

 

[*Psyche*]

Mine has been playing the "supplement game" for about 11 years with me, even though I've asked her to stop for financial reasons. Yes, I understand that our bodies can be made better by a holistic approach, but I'm on a fixed income & can't afford 15 different supplements @ $20/bottle. I've asked for different meds. Sometimes she placates me & we try it. Usually it fails & I'm back to square one. I've asked for medical treatments (most recently magnetic cranial stimulation) and she says she doesn't think it will benefit me (?). WTF?

I see her because she takes my insurance. Again - limited income & govt insurance - so I kind of have to stick with her. PCP says she can't help anymore because it's not her specialty. That's how I ended up at PhD in the first place. But PCP is still involved on an oversight level.

Anyhow... yeah, not happy with my psychiatrist, but not much I can do. I kind of want to just get off all my meds & see what happens. At least the SSRI & mood stabilizer. I've heard coming off a benzo is hell & I don't want to deal with the anxiety that comes with that.

Lost & don't know what to do ☹

 

[FinalPeace]

Mine has been playing the "supplement game" for about 11 years with me, even though I've asked her to stop for financial reasons. Yes, I understand that our bodies can be made better by a holistic approach, but I'm on a fixed income & can't afford 15 different supplements @ $20/bottle. I've asked for different meds. Sometimes she placates me & we try it. Usually it fails & I'm back to square one. I've asked for medical treatments (most recently magnetic cranial stimulation) and she says she doesn't think it will benefit me (?). WTF?

If you are buying the supplements from your Dr they are scamming you. I've met these types too. Usually they are charging you 2-4 times the price for some BS "proprietary blend".

These types typically dont expect to meet well informed people and they prey on vulnerable people like us. I'm a very holistic person myself. I remember encountering an eye Dr. who tried his best to explain to me why the Omega 3/6's in his office were better for my newly diagnosed "dRy EyE pRoBlEm" than the ones I was already taking for years for brain health that were made of wild caught Norwegian fish oils bought elsewhere for 1/3 of the price. UMmmm.....NO!!

If I have a "dry eye problem" that's so bad I need your specialized vitamins why isnt there also a specialized drug for it that will be covered by my insurance?? Surely Pfizer, GSK or some other profitable drug company would have figured out how to cure this cHrOniC pRoBlEm and get it by the FDA while boosting their profit lines, right? So now tell me again, why do I need this pRoPrIeTaRy BlEnD from you Mr Dr??

 

[Chiisai]

There's no point in their work if they don't help their patients. Giving them money on the basis that they need to earn money is charity if they don't provide a service. Some might say a scam.

Oh no dont misunderstand. They are helping but since the human psyche is a complex matter, it is sometimes seen as a temporary fix or ineffective.

 

[*Psyche*]

If you are buying the supplements from your Dr they are scamming you. I've met these types too. Usually they are charging you 2-4 times the price for some BS "proprietary blend".

These types typically dont expect to meet well informed people and they prey on vulnerable people like us. I'm a very holistic person myself. I remember encountering an eye Dr. who tried his best to explain to me why the Omega 3/6's in his office were better for my newly diagnosed "dRy EyE pRoBlEm" than the ones I was already taking for years for brain health that were made of wild caught Norwegian fish oils bought elsewhere for 1/3 of the price. UMmmm.....NO!!

If I have a "dry eye problem" that's so bad I need your specialized vitamins why isnt there also a specialized drug for it that will be covered by my insurance?? Surely Pfizer, GSK or some other profitable drug company would have figured out how to cure this cHrOniC pRoBlEm and get it by the FDA while boosting their profit lines, right? So now tell me again, why do I need this pRoPrIeTaRy BlEnD from you Mr Dr??

Nah, it's not anything they sell. It's supplements I can get on Amazon or drug.com (I think that's the site). Anyway... it doesn't affect her bottom line, it just affects my wallet. I feel like if there is a treatment out there that might help (MCS), why won't she let me? We've even talked about ECT before, & she was ok with that, but not MCS? I'm medication resistant. Let's try something else!

 

[bloodfallsfirst]

Mine gives me my meds and gets me out the door. He has set "phone times" and turns off the office voicemail five days a week, keeping it on 12 hours total a week. Idiot.

 

[*Psyche*]

Mine gives me my meds and gets me out the door. He has set "phone times" and turns off the office voicemail five days a week, keeping it on 12 hours total a week. Idiot.

Can you possibly find another one? He sounds like an ass. ☹

 

[completely-done]

I have had only one therapist who truly understood me. Unfortunately only after a couple of months doing sessions with him, I had to move very quickly, so I wasn't in his scope of patients anymore. Even so, he continued to do virtual sessions with me for a couple more months until I got handed over to another local therapist.

He made a true difference in my life. It felt like he was a friend. I wish he was still my counselor, because I would have a friend in my life while I die and wouldn't feel as lonely as I do now. Now I have to die alone.

Not many people have a beautiful experience like this, I am very grateful. Most therapists and psychiatrists see you as a number.

 

[KuriGohan&Kamehameha]

A lot of these practitioners, if you can even call them that- all they do is follow guidelines and never stray outside the realm of pre-destined regulations- have only encountered mental health scenarios in the pages of their university textbooks.

Many lack insight and experience as to what it is like to live with the conditions they are meant to be experts on. There is an expectation in the power structures underpinning medicine that the patient lacks any relevant expertise and must have their decisions made by a physician or therapist on their behalf.

This couldn't be further from the truth, yet this attitude is entrenched in the very framework of how healthcare establishments operate. Wanting control of your treatment or diagnostics or challenging assumptions made by medical staff can lead to castigation and dismisall from a practice in extreme cases.

Contrary to popular belief, your average psychiatrist or therapist is not a scientist. They don't scour studies searching for groundbreaking findings and novel treatments. Instead, they're lucky to get a government leaflet informing them of updated reccomend actions for x disease and how y protocols should be employed.

Thinking outside the box can often be dangerous for individuals in these professions, as taking any risk puts their lisencure in jeapordy. Even though there are a multitiude of studies showing CBD can help with some types of inflammatory pain while displaying anti-axiolytic properties, or that psychedelics can help trauma victims, you will not see 99% of shrinks touch these substances with a 10 foot pole, even if a patient is on the brink of suicide and has no other options.

I'm sorry that you have to deal with these clowns. One day, hopefully, people will have had enough of this beurocratic system and patients will have autonomy and freedom to access things that they find beneficial, rather than having to go through these dated channels that are remiss in solving complex problems.

 

[bloodfallsfirst]

Mine just told me he's not sure he can help me on an outpatient basis. Like wth.

 

[meetapple]

I just had an appointment with my psychiatrist today. I told him about some of my symptoms and whether a new medication was needed. He reminded me that my paranoia was nothing new. He reminded me about when I had problems with people watching me to see if I was looking at them while playing tennis and when I thought people were harassing me during Toastmasters. He was basically saying that all the incidents I mentioned to him were all in my head. I wanted to be cordial but I told him he was gaslighting me. He was of the mind that nobody could read my mind hence these incidents were impossible. I said that my paranoia had become a self-fulfilling prophecy. I believed people could read my mind which caused me to act differently which caused people to pay attention to me.

When you have a diagnosis doctors tend to stereotype you by invalidating your beliefs as symptoms of your disease.

 

[neurotoxic]

mine is absolutely dismissive. none of the many meds hes given me have worked, yet he refuses to consider other options like TMS or ECT, despite that being highly recommended for what im dealing with. Its an ego thing for them, i think.

 

[KlMeNw]

A lot of these practitioners, if you can even call them that- all they do is follow guidelines and never stray outside the realm of pre-destined regulations- have only encountered mental health scenarios in the pages of their university textbooks.

Many lack insight and experience as to what it is like to live with the conditions they are meant to be experts on. There is an expectation in the power structures underpinning medicine that the patient lacks any relevant expertise and must have their decisions made by a physician or therapist on their behalf.

This couldn't be further from the truth, yet this attitude is entrenched in the very framework of how healthcare establishments operate. Wanting control of your treatment or diagnostics or challenging assumptions made by medical staff can lead to castigation and dismisall from a practice in extreme cases.

Contrary to popular belief, your average psychiatrist or therapist is not a scientist. They don't scour studies searching for groundbreaking findings and novel treatments. Instead, they're lucky to get a government leaflet informing them of updated reccomend actions for x disease and how y protocols should be employed.

Thinking outside the box can often be dangerous for individuals in these professions, as taking any risk puts their lisencure in jeapordy. Even though there are a multitiude of studies showing CBD can help with some types of inflammatory pain while displaying anti-axiolytic properties, or that psychedelics can help trauma victims, you will not see 99% of shrinks touch these substances with a 10 foot pole, even if a patient is on the brink of suicide and has no other options.

I'm sorry that you have to deal with these clowns. One day, hopefully, people will have had enough of this beurocratic system and patients will have autonomy and freedom to access things that they find beneficial, rather than having to go through these dated channels that are remiss in solving complex problems.

Good stuff!

 

[Pallf]

I have the opposite problem. My therapist is neat and understands me, but there isn't much she can do. Right now I use therapy as rent-a-confidant for 10 dollars an hour once a week. I'm halfway between wanting to recover and wanting to end it all. Being able to bitch about everything and everyone without fear of being reprimanded feels good, but I'm not sure it's enough. Still, there's only so much they can do for my situation, but it is keeping me on this earth.

 

[hans0solo]

A lot of these practitioners, if you can even call them that- all they do is follow guidelines and never stray outside the realm of pre-destined regulations- have only encountered mental health scenarios in the pages of their university textbooks.

Many lack insight and experience as to what it is like to live with the conditions they are meant to be experts on. There is an expectation in the power structures underpinning medicine that the patient lacks any relevant expertise and must have their decisions made by a physician or therapist on their behalf.

This couldn't be further from the truth, yet this attitude is entrenched in the very framework of how healthcare establishments operate. Wanting control of your treatment or diagnostics or challenging assumptions made by medical staff can lead to castigation and dismisall from a practice in extreme cases.

Contrary to popular belief, your average psychiatrist or therapist is not a scientist. They don't scour studies searching for groundbreaking findings and novel treatments. Instead, they're lucky to get a government leaflet informing them of updated reccomend actions for x disease and how y protocols should be employed.

Thinking outside the box can often be dangerous for individuals in these professions, as taking any risk puts their lisencure in jeapordy. Even though there are a multitiude of studies showing CBD can help with some types of inflammatory pain while displaying anti-axiolytic properties, or that psychedelics can help trauma victims, you will not see 99% of shrinks touch these substances with a 10 foot pole, even if a patient is on the brink of suicide and has no other options.

I'm sorry that you have to deal with these clowns. One day, hopefully, people will have had enough of this beurocratic system and patients will have autonomy and freedom to access things that they find beneficial, rather than having to go through these dated channels that are remiss in solving complex problems.

one of the issues you mention is 'epistemic injustice'-- many kinds of people --disabled, mad, female -- have their ability to be a knower questioned.

I've been feeling so dejected lately after visits to my psychiatrist. I tell them how I feel and they disregard everything I say and push their same old narrow opinion on whats wrong with me. For instance ive been on so many meds that just dont seem to work and I brought these new studies to her that show a clear and causal relationship between childhood depression and immuno-inflamation in the brain which can cause even more serious depression, anxiety, and OCD in adulthood. This inflammation is present in over 1/3 of patients with treatment resistant psychological issues and anti-inflammatory meds have proven to be effective. Yet my Doctor just acknowledge she knew about the study and agreed with it but then just dismissed the idea of prescribing me meds for it. WTF man? It's crazy, once these "professionals" latch onto a specific diagnosis for someone, its as if they get tunnel vision and arent willing to change their mind even in the face of opposing or contradicting evidence.

according to much research the 'theraputic relationship' affects your outcome. if you like the person you work with, you will have better results. as many people say, the richer you are, the more choice you have. and yeah, once you get tagged with a diagnosis, other professionals mostly follow along. it requires caring and thinking to break out of the tunnel-vision.