Psychiatrist from Hell!

koyaanisqatsi · Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2005 3:24 am Post subject: Psychiatrist from Hell!

Anybody ever run into one?

A couple weels ago, I saw the counseler for iniitial consultation. Pretty good. He seemed to ask the right questions. I mentioned suicidal thoughts, severe depression. Sensing that I may be a more at-risk patient than many, he arranged for me to see a psychitrist in a reasonable amount of time

I arrived to see the pdoc. Upon entering the room, I encountered a man of very "severe" demeanor. I'm aware that I may be overly sensitive to such things, but the demeanor was unchanged throughout our very short session of about 5 minutes. He reviewed the counelers notes which _do_ mention my suicidal thoughts. There was no "good afternoon, please have a seat" when I entered his office--I was barely acknowledged. I decided slowly and tentatively that I should sit. The pdoc asked about three questions, not one of which were "how are you feeling today?" or anything to that effect. He asked what meds. I was taking. I asked "all meds.?" He said, "just psychotropic meds." The average person probably isn't going to know what is meant by "psychotropic" meds. I told him I was taking clonazepam, so he wrote a prescription for that medication...why he did so is a puzzle since I'm already taking it. He then asked about why I had two stents recently implanted. "Because I have coronary artery desease" you moron. I offer that I did not do well on SSRIs as an AD, thinking that he may prescribe an AD, but he said that leaves few options. I'm starting to get a little hot. His demeanor is unchanged...I am an inconvenience to him. He then says "Two months." Confused, I say "What?" He repeats "Two months." I still apparently appear puzzled. He tells me that's my next appointment with him. Confused and a bit angry I leave, wondering why he would send someone with suicidal thoughts off for two months. I stop at the reception to make my appointment. Hell no! I want to see the manger. She happens to be right there and we go to her office. I explain as clearly as I can what transpired. She apologizes profusely and I allow as how the pdoc might be having a bad day. She says that is no excuse. We arrange for me to see another doctor. I saw another ( quite good ) counseler today and she will try to get me in to see the other pdoc sooner than had been scheduled. I'm hoping for better this time. The counselers who are not pdocs seem more interested the the pdoc I saw. The pdoc from hell was in no hurry, no other patients to see. As I left the facility he was joking with the receptionist. Anybody have a similar experience? I'm still pissed. I would like to punish him. How? I would want him to walk in my shoes ( or the shoes of one of you who has it even worse than I ) for one full year, maybe the year I've just been thru and is continuing. I believe he would _never_ again so casually dismiss patient, at risk or otherwise. Grrrrrr!

LittleMissScareAll · Expert User Joined: Jun 15, 2005 Posts: 716 Location: Hell

Every psychiatrist I've seen has been a "psychiatrist from hell"...same goes for the therapists. A few months ago I saw a therapist who, I thought was going to turn out to be okay and helpful, but then she started asking me stupid questions, like whether I do witchcraft(because of my appearance and because I'd mentioned liking horror movies once before). Rolling Eyes

What does that have to do with my problem? She'd mentioned having me put in a mental hospital if my suicidal thoughts got ANY worse than they already were(which they have, but I haven't seen her in awhile so she doesn't know that). I thought maybe when I didn't go back, she might call to check up on me or something but she never did. I was just a number to her. She apparently got me confused with somebody else too, because at one point she thought I'd told her I'd been to a psychiatrist and had been put on medication but I hadn't...she had to have had me confused with somebody else. After that I told my mom I didn't know why I bothered to go there, if all she was going to do is make fun of me and get me confused with other people.

And the last psychiatrist I had was even worse...he made me mad. He made my mom mad. My mom went back with me to talk to him and he asked HER what medicines she was taking(out of sarcasm--she doesn't take anything...she doesn't have depression or any other mental problems that I know of) Rolling Eyes

And he told me my social phobia was due to me being homeschooled, which just made him look like the biggest idiot ever, because I didn't start homeschool until I was in high school, and I've always had social phobia--ever since I was a little kid. Social phobia was one of my reasons for starting homeschool...but try explaining that to Mr. Perfect Always-Right Psychiatrist. Rolling Eyes

And he basically blamed all my problems on my parents, and told me it was "too late for me now" Mad

I just wanted to choke him. So that done nothing for me...he gave me a couple of prescriptions for medicine, which I threw away. Medicine is useless for me. I don't even know why I bother to see any psychiatrists or therapists. Mad

I just feel 900 times worse after I go to one. And I really dont need to feel any worse than I already do. So I've given up on all of them. Confused

koyaanisqatsi · Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2005 5:12 am Post subject:

Hmmm. You've given me a lot to think about. My last ( and only other ) psychiatrist was very good. I think he actually cared about treating me and did treat me fairly well. I was diagnosed as a SPic in 1991. More likely, I suffer from GAD. I guess I was lucky...until now.

redlady · Elite User Joined: Jul 08, 2005 Posts: 1958

What is so bad about that is that psychiatrists have an acute understanding of mental illness, so he would have known how you were feeling based on you condition and how you would take being treated like that. Despite that he pushed all that aside to indulge his own personal mood. Ironically in some cases people who do all this training to become doctors and such just end up with an overinflated sense of their own self importance and the very focus and meaning of their profession - which is to help people - becomes secondary to that.
You know what - good for you for speaking up for yourself. I probably just would have walked out of there and cried, never returned and went through the whole process of trying to find somewhere and someone else to try and help me.

crazyfairyx · Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2005 11:03 am Post subject:

This kinda makes me glad I haven't been to see a counsellor / therapist / psychiatrist ect

I live in a small area and there is only really one place here with counsellors ect, and my sister went to see them a while back, and they were terrible. My sister had told her counsellor that she had problems speaking up and saying when something was wrong, but when my sister went in with mum, the counsellor just started telling my mum everything my sister had told her, saying to my sister 'If there's anything you don't want me to say, just speak up' KNOWING she wouldn't because she has a problem speaking up! So I really can't see myself going to see them.

Naomi x

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koyaanisqatsi · Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 12:16 am Post subject:

My experience with the psychiatrist from hell is long past, though I'm still in recovery.

I too live in a "small area", quite rural and economically depressed. My insurance coverage is very limited and I think very few sessions are allowed. In any event, I've met with a counseler the last two weeks and am satisfied with her approach. I'm not saying all is well because I am not entirely well ( I'm very SPic, quite generally anxious, severely depressed ) , but I am battling to get back to at least a meta-stable equilibrium from which I can leap to the next level.

And crazyfairyx, don't use my past experience as an excuse. If you have any reason to see a counsellor / therapist / psychiatrist, then you shoud see one. Most are quite helpful,

As I ponder my visit with the "psychiatrist from hell", I ask myself was he really that bad. The answer, when I really think about it, is "yes"!