Psychiatrist issues

[kelsischanging]

Hi everyone, this seems kinda dumb but I have to see my psychiatrist on Monday and am totally dreading it...I really do not like this man...my therapist highly recomended him and told me that he is the best at what he does but seriously I have serious issues with how he treated me in our initial two meetings...the first meeting was an evaluation and he told me and I quote, "if you don't go into an inpatient program for drug and alchol abuse I will not be your doctor." ok yeah I was mad at him for that but I understand that was his professional opinion and I ended up in treatment and I now understand that I am an addict and an alcoholic...so my issues don't come from me just being mad that he exposed my secrets...my issues are 1)his language...yeah my language is not always perfect but in no situation would I consider dropping the F word to any one ever and I would never ever do that in my job...I would be fired...it made me extremely uncomfortable how he used that word with regard to me and my actions...he didn't have a problem inplying that I was a whore...2)he is extremely stern and has takes no issue w/ lecturing me...he lectured me last time for seriously 20 minutes....and lecuture was his word b/c he told my therapist that he lectured me....anyway there are some other things about his general attitude...but I guess my question is do I just suck it up and go when I am supposed to for a med check b/c they are only like 15 minute appts....what do I do...I'm really dreading this but I'm not sure if it's worth switching psychiatrists over again b/c I only have to see him for like 15 minutes ever several months, and in all reality he is good at matching people w/ the right meds....I'm just confused here...any advice would be extremely appreciated...thanks for your time...

 

[ThatLady]

Sounds to me like the trade-off might be worth it, hon. 15 minutes every few months isn't that much to pay for someone who can get you on the right medications for your condition. Also, since your therapist recommended this person, and this person is reporting to your therapist on how things are going, I'd think you can probably gain a great deal from the relationship. Heck, you've already gained. While you might not have liked him telling you that you had to go into inpatient treatment, he was right, eh?

 

[comfortzone]

I realize that your situation is different than what I am about to tell you but...here it goes. When I waited tables (years ago) I had a co-worker who did not like to keep her tables cleaned. She drove me nuts! I decided that I had to clean her tables for her so I did not get all of the "new tables." I finally complained one night to the manager. He pointed out that it built character for me to have to stay on top of it all. I did not necessarily agree with him but after some time I realized he was right. I was a better person for taking the initiative to do for myself by cleaning this other person's tables. So in other words, we have to learn to handle people (even the most difficult of people) so that we can accomplish what we must. For you it is getting the right medication. Let this psychiatrist be example to you how not to be in life. I would also discuss your feelings with your therapist. This gives you the opportunity to work through a difficult situation with the assistance of your therapist. There are going to be others you meet in life that you might have to "handle" but may not enjoy their way of being (whether it be a coworker, fellow student or a friend's friend).

I recently heard someone say, "10% of life is action and the other 90% is our reactions." Sounds like you can use this situation to learn about yourself and your reactions.

 

[Eunoia]

kels, he probably thought he was justified in saying the things he did and in that particular manner... to get you to realize that you needed treatment. but the point is, you will only have to see him for 15 min every couple of months... I'd rather have an okay person personality wise but excellent at what he does than a really nice person prescribing me meds but not having a clue as to what s/he is doing... right? comfortzone has a good point in that you can discuss this w/ your therapist and learn something from the situation... sometimes, you just have to be the 'bigger' person. I've had to deal w/ people at work, school, social situations where you don't nec. like the other person but have to find a way to get along and possibly work w/ them to meet a common goal. your goal is to get on the right meds through this person's expertise.

 

[kelsischanging]

I agree with each of you and I thank you for your replies...if he is good at prescribing the right meds then i can put up w/ his personality for a few minutes every couple of months...I'm starting college in the fall as a biochem major w/ a psychology minor on a pre-med track...I have wanted to be a doctor all my life and I'm interested in either going into dermatology or psychiatry...I hope that when I'm a doctor I will remember my expierence w/ him...thanks again for your replies...

 

[kelsischanging]

I went to see my psychiatrists today and it didn't go to badly except that he diagnosed me as being bipolar....that scares me...I mean major depression(my previous diagnosis from a different doctor) I could handle that diagnosis but it scares me to be diagnosised as being bipolar...I'm not sure why it scares me so much but it does...so I'm on a new medication(a mood stabalizer vs. an antidepressants)...so I'm on Wellbutrin, Effexor(but half the dose I have been on) and Lamictal (which is the new drug)...I'm scared to lower the dose of Effexor b/c my Dr. told me there could be some w/drawl effects and I just finished w/drawling from alcohol and drugs and I'm anxious w/ starting the new drug...ok so that's just a little update..I needed to type all this out to get out some of my anxiety
Thanks

 

[David Baxter PhD]

If you were to stop Effexor entirely, you might experience some "discontinuation" effects (although not necessarily - some people do, some don't). Since you're only reducing the dose, especially with the addition of Wellbutrin and Lamictal, it's not very likely that you'll have a problem. I'm sure the psychiatrist is aware of the issue of discontinuation effects, in any case.

 

[ThatLady]

Just remember, sweetie, you're not your "affliction". You're yourself. Whether your "affliction" be called depression, or bipolar disorder, or flippity-flap disease, you're still you, and you is the perfect person to be!

 

[kelsischanging]

ThatLady:
thank you for your reply..that reminded me a one of my favorite quotes by my favorite author...
Today you are you.
That is truer than true!
There is no one alive
who is you-er than you!
Dr. Seuss

 

[Eunoia]

kels, my sister went through the same thing that you did... 1st being diagnosed as having depression for years and then eventually as bipolar- and she said exactly the same thing. that she had made sense of who she was and her life in terms of depression, but that she didn't know how to deal w/ now having to make sense of all of that again in terms of bipolar. Eventually, she realized that being bipolar made a whole lot of sense though, and made sense out of things that didn't make sense before- like her extreme mood swings, highs/lows, resistance to anti-depressants... what I'm trying to say is that sometimes we get caught up in a label even if it doesn't seem to make too much sense... and maybe you will discover things you weren't able to see before... the point is that you want to get better and if this means taking diff. meds or revising a diagnosis, then so be it... you can get through this.