Ah...Introductions

[Black Rose]

I'm not quite sure what to put here, but I'll try. I'm a very quiet person who tends to keep mostly to myself. I recently sought help for what I felt was chronic depression that recently became debilitating. Not sure how I've managed to keep my performance up at work. My doctor informed me that she did not believe I have depression and that she also didn't believe there was anything I would respond to as far as treatment. She believes that I have some sort of personality disorder that she refuses to identify and I get the impression that she believes it to be a hopeless situation. So in my quest to understand, I came across this site and it seems like it could be a valuable resource as I struggle to with the idea, I personally don't believe my life or social skills are impaired enough for a personality disorder diagnosis, but then again, I don't know much about them. I just hope this doesn't turn into a case of simply trying to label me without listening. If you have questions for me,just ask,I don't bite

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Welcome to Psychlinks, BlackRose.

I can imagine that the comments from your doctor must have been discouraging. I take it this is your general practitioner? In any case, even it she's right about a personality disorder, she's wrong about it being hopeless or untreatable and people with personality disorders can have depression too.

 

[Retired]

she did not believe I have depression and that she also didn't believe there was anything I would respond to as far as treatment. She believes that I have some sort of personality disorder that she refuses to identify and I get the impression that she believes it to be a hopeless situation

Welcome to Psychlinks, BlackRose! Glad you joined us and I'm especially glad you are working to become informed. Sadly, for whatever reason, some physicians have difficulty dealing with patients who present with mood, emotional or personality disorders. Whatever is the "official diagnosis" if there is an issue that is affecting your quality of life, it deserves and requires to be evaluated by a competent medical specialist because in this day and age, these illnesses are treatable.

By becoming informed, you can be better prepared to advocate on your own behalf and insist on getting a referral to a specialist for evaluation. Knowledge is power, and sometimes we need to be an empowered patient to advocate for our own health care.

I'd like to point you to some informative Psychlinks posts that might provide some insights into what we're talking about:

http://forum.psychlinks.ca/psycholo...-mental-health-what-is-a-mental-disorder.html

http://forum.psychlinks.ca/personal...rch/25991-what-are-personality-disorders.html

http://forum.psychlinks.ca/depression/26079-what-are-mood-disorders.html

http://forum.psychlinks.ca/depression/25983-what-is-depression.html

Have you ever been seen by a psychiatrist for your difficulties with mood?

 

[Andy]

Welcome to Psychlinks Black Rose!:2thumbs:

 

[forgetmenot]

Hi Black Rose sometimes when we feel we are not being heard it is best to go to another doctor get a second opinion Try going to a psychologist or psychiatrist someone that deals with mental health issues okay. Don't let one doctor stop you from getting help you need and deserve okay Let us know how you are doing hugs

 

[H011yHawkJ311yBean]

Welcome, Black Rose!
Perhaps the physician felt she shouldn't guess at a diagnosis or was unsure how to proceed, being she wasn't a psychiatrist or psychologist and wasn't used to handling this type of situation. But she should have at least offered to refer you to someone who could determine this. Maybe she felt powerless about the relationship and that was relayed to you as your situation being hopeless. But I agree with what's been said so far. Don't go by what one doctor said or did, get a second opinion.

I'm kinda surprised the doc didn't refer you to someone. That's like someone going to the gas station to ask about engine trouble and not being referred to a car dealer... Or going to a landscaper to ask about plants and not being referred to a greenhouse.

If it happened to me I would say, "I mean, c'mon doc, this isn't a dead end. There's possibilities for me, just not in your own realm, for Pete's sake!"

Good luck out there! :2thumbs:

 

[Black Rose]

Thanks for the welcome everyone. I don't know that the comments were discouraging exactly, but they were definitely hard to hear. Granted she didn't use the word 'hopeless' exactly she used 'pointless' and 'useless' but when they're being used in reference to treatment, their meaning seems close enough to me.

This was indeed my GP, we've never seen eye to eye but I live in a small area where you really can't afford to get rid of your doctor if you're lucky enough to have one in the first place. This definitely helps me to understand why she tells me that everything is 'nerves 'and that I just need to go home and learn to relax.

I'm not so much concerned about having a personality disorder. I mean, I am, but if I truly do, then - I want to know. My biggest concern is being 'railroaded' into a diagnosis or having people rush into labelling me just because it's convenient. I would still like them to consider depression possibly complicated by some degree of PTSD or Rape Trauma Syndrome, but to assure them that it could be the issue, that would require me to reveal something that I absolutely do not want in my medical records where anyone can see it.

I also have a question. If personality disorders shouldn't be diagnosed before 18, should my doctor really be quoting a psych report from 2001, when I was 14, and had just lost two family members within 5 months which describes me as 'more defiant and angry than depressed' as the basis for her diagnosis?

I realize I've probably not answered most of the questions asked, but I will once - get bacl to a computer

 

[H011yHawkJ311yBean]

Well, if it were me, and she was quoting stuff from when I was a teenager (and I would be thinking to myself but would want to say: "Ahem, why WOULDN'T someone be 'defiant and angry' rather than 'depressed' if they lost 2 family members?? Don't you know anger can be part of depression? I would like a referral, please, because I want a second opinion.")... I might be inclined to put up with her for now, but in the meantime look for someone else to get a second opinion. Getting a second opinion doesn't mean you're never going to go back to your GP ever again, it just means you want more information. Nothing wrong with that.

It took me more than one physician to finally get one that would actually look up my family history and diagnose me properly, and that was just for physical ailments. I would like to know why she thinks treating stress or depression is so 'impossible'? Pardon me for sounding harsh, I don't know her, but isn't that a bit lazy?? It doesn't even sound like she's going to try looking into alternatives for you. From those terms she used ('pointless' and 'useless') I am starting to wonder if she is depressed or something? Because she sounds like she's giving up... I say to her, "Physician, heal thyself!" (and looking to find a newspaper to roll up and hit her upside the head with that perhaps has a list of psychiatrists and psychologists on it so she can reference it after I leave a nice newsprint smear on her right temple).

But I would be interested to hear more what everyone else has to say about it...

 

[Black Rose]

Wow, sorry for the lengthy absence, things have been crazy here.

I just wanted to share that I have a psych appointment for this Friday, the 15th (if I don't let the panic get the best of me and end up canceling.)Not sure how to feel. On the one hand I know it's for the best. On the other, all I can think about is how I've fought for years to make sure certain things were never discovered, and never made it into any file. I know that in order to get the most accurate picture and the most effective treatment, I do need to be completely honest, I'm just not sure I can do it no matter how much I know I need to. I call it self preservation, don't give 'em anything they can use against you. But in reality it's probably just a serious mistrust of people, particularly ones I don't know. I do have a question though, and maybe someone here can tell me how the Canadian mental health system works since this is my first time dealing with them on my own as an adult (and to my relief it sounded like they were opening a new file).

Anyway, my question is this, How much of what is said gets put into your medical file, or gets back to your GP? Is there any way to have things kept from her even if this psych lady thinks it's relevant to a diagnosis/treatment/ or to explaining or justifying to my gp why she's recommended certain things or meds(which my gp has already made it clear she is against prescribing because she doesn't believe I have anything that can be medicated.).

Maybe this is just me being paranoid, but there's just some things that if I wantedd her (or anyone) to know I'd have told them years ago, I might be willing to share with a therapist eventually when there's some trust there and I believe they can/want to help. But I Feel that my GP is rather useless in that respect, everything is my nerves and I just need to go home and relax, but I don't need anything to help those nerves (now, if things can be managed drug free, I'm all for it, but PLEASE give me some sort of ideas, ddont just tell me to relax, if I could, I would) and so I just don't feel that there's any need for her to know anything about my past.

Sorry for the length and confusion that I'm sure is present. Hope everyone is doing well.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

I just wanted to share that I have a psych appointment for this Friday, the 15th

Anyway, my question is this, How much of what is said gets put into your medical file, or gets back to your GP? Is there any way to have things kept from her even if this psych lady thinks it's relevant to a diagnosis/treatment/ or to explaining or justifying to my GP why she's recommended certain things or meds(which my GP has already made it clear she is against prescribing because she doesn't believe I have anything that can be medicated.).

Is this a psychiatrist or a psychologist?

With a psychiatrist, usually the referral is made by the family physician or GP, so a report from that referral will typically be sent by the psychiatrist back to the GP as a matter of common practice. You can certainly talk to the psychiatrist, though, about what that may contain or whether s/he is willing to keep certain information confidential and private.

If it is a psychologist, it is less common for such reports to go back to the GP but this varies from one psychologist to another. Again, I would urge you to raise the question directly with the psychologist.

 

[Black Rose]

Im honestly not sure at the moment, I questioned my GP again and she told m I needed someone with a strong background in psychiatry. She told me to call the local community addictions and mental health center, make an appointment and have them call her to get the reason for the referral. I did and when the intake lady called me back she told me it was a self referral, which confused me because even though I called personally, it was my Gp who had me do it. I'm wondering if they aren't just a sort of screening/crisis center that's going to get basic info and possibly refer me to someone(psychologist or psychiatrist) in a private practice based on what they think I need/what they think would help. I honestly have no idea how far their. Services reach or what they include. I think that's a big part of my anxietyover this, not really knowing anything about it and feeling completely unprepared, I was told I'll be asked about early childhood though and the intake lady asked a lot of questions about anger, suicide and self injury, but nothing about drugs or alcohol. Not sure if that's normal, or indiciative of what they're screening for. I fully intend to grill them over their confidentiality policies and how far various information goes before ever opening my mouth (which will probably get me labelled paranoid haha) I'll figure out pretty fast who I'm dealing with I guess and I'm hoping it turns out to be somebody who doesn't take the GP's opinions as gospel truth and actually listens to the other person and takes into consideration what they have to say. That'll make things go a lot farther and a lot smoothe. I also have an appointment with my GP for 5 days later, so I guess I'll find out fairly quickly if they agreed not to share and then did.

---------- Post added at 04:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:57 PM ----------

Oh wait, the report she was reading from when she declared 'personality disorder' was from those guys. So I guess reports do make it back, though I don't know how specific it got, just that it outlined family conflict etc as the causes. Unless sending the GP a report is common practice for all mental health associations when the client is a minor...I don't know

 

[AmZ]

Belated welcomes