Posted by Victoria on March 24, 2000, at 18:10:42
In reply to where are the good psychiatrists?, posted by ryan_s on March 24, 2000, at 0:21:47
You don't say why you don't want to take an ssri, but here are some thoughts on the subject of psychiatrists. I think a lot of psychiatrists are very excited about medications because, if they have been in practice for some time, they've had a lot of experience of treating people with intractable depressions and other problems that they could only partially help with talk therapy. Now, they've seen dramatic results for their patients and feel that it is finally in their power to really help people that they couldn't before. So, for some psychiatrists (not all, I know) urging a patient to consider an ssri may be a sign of genuine caring and a genuine desire to use their knowledge and skills to help someone feel better. On the other hand, a good doc would also be sensitive and interested in the reasons for a patient's reluctance to take meds. If you read past posts here, you'll find many discussions about not wanting to take drugs, feeling bad about what "relying" on a med says about one, etc. They might help you think through your feelings about meds. And finally, you might think about looking for a PhD psychologist rather than an MD when you look for a new doctor. Since they can't prescribe, they might be more amenable to trying therapy without meds. Or try my solution: look for an MD who's also trained as a psychoanalyst. Even if you don't go into formal analysis, such doctors are thoroughly trained to consider the doctor-patient relationship as the key to therapy. Hope this helps in some way. Good luck!
s> "Good" is a relative word. however, a good pyschiatrist, in my opinion is one that will encourage and listen to his or her patiences. in my two year struggle with depression i have been to four psychiatrists and have not felt comfortable with any of these doctors. what will make me comfortable is simple. i want a doctor who has the enthusiasm and the excitement to see their patients get better. a passion for one's profession must involve the psych's acute attention to detail. for instance, dr whiten, the last psych that i visited, pushed ssris. he said that there is a 66% chance that if a patient fails with an ssri like celexa then another ssri such as serzone has a chance of working. in the pure statistic sense of this world dr whiten is probably true. what makes for the for a good psych is one that understands the percentages, positives, and negatives of antidepressants, but who focuses on the patient and his or her needs. i told dr whiten, "i do not want to be placed on an ssri". paxil, prozac, and celexa have only made my depression worse. he put me on serzone.
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> the point of this message is that i feel frustrated in picking a pyschiatrist. is it just me? am i that treatment resistant to antidepressants that the doctors are getting fed up with me? all that i want is compassion and a relationship with a psych. please help me. i am going back to school at the university of dayton in two weeks and am looking for a personable psychiatrist in the dayton, oh area. if anyone has any information please reply, it would greatly be appreciated.
poster:Victoria
thread:27998
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000321/msgs/28064.html