Posted by JohnL on November 22, 2000, at 5:25:24
In reply to Your idea of a good psychiatrist+does he/she exist, posted by Shirley on November 21, 2000, at 20:21:21
Shirley,
In my experience finding an ideal pdoc is not easy. It's just as difficult as finding the right drug. The ideal pdoc should be compatible with your preferences.When I was on the hunt for one, I called all clinics, my GP, my counselor, hospitals, and universtities asking for references of who they would prefer if their own family member needed a pdoc. A few names came up more than once. Those went on my priority list, while the others went on a secondary list. I also wrote a one page letter describing briefly my diagnosis, treatment history, and desires in treatment.(This was sent to pdocs in the yellow pages, and was a pain because I had to call each to get the address and zip code). I included a self addressed envelope and my phone number for the pdocs to respond to me if they felt they could meet my needs. I specified in my letter I wanted a pdoc who was in love with their work and found satisfaction in treating difficult patients. I didn't think any would respond, and my GP said they wouldn't because no pdoc wants to take on a difficult case on purpose. So I was surprised when about 30% of them called me to set up an appointment. That was pretty cool.
I then attempted to call them. If I could manage to talk to the pdoc personally on the phone and ask some screening questions, that was a definite plus. Depending on my gut feeling after the short conversation, I either kept them on the list or scratched them off. If they were unreachable, I scratched them off the list. I absolutely did not want a pdoc who was not easily accessible. Obviously too overbooked to give me the attention I want.
After all was said and done, I ended up choosing a pdoc on the secondary list. He had a reputation for handling difficult cases, he was mentioned by others as having excellent bedside manners, and one pdoc during a screening conversation mentioned that this guy was who he sent his more difficult patients to. (Yeah, you might even get one pdoc recommending another. That's a plus. You could even ask this during a screening conversation.) He was also easily reachable and did return my phone call personally. That was a real good sign.
I had to decide ahead of time what I personally wanted in a pdoc. Not what someone else wanted. These were things I was looking for:
1. Easily reachable.
2. Not too overbooked.
3. Willing to let me take an active role in drug choices.
4. Open minded...that is, no favorite drugs, no favorite strategies, willing to mold treatment to fit me. (In my case that meant being able to sample perhaps 3 drugs in a 6 week time period instead of just 1.) And I definitely didn't want some jerk who treated everybody with SSRIs (don't need a pdoc to do that, any nurse practitioner would be just fine). If a pdoc wasn't open to trying things like Lamictal, Naltrexone, stimulants, or antipsychotics, well, forget it, they were scratched off the list.It might be worth the exercise to decide what YOU want in a pdoc, and then get creative and go hunting. It's a lot of work, and no fun, but it could be time very well invested. It was very very hard for me because I was quite depressed at the time and everything was a real effort. I had to push push push to even just pull out the phone book. But I needed a good doctor, and I didn't want to just surrender to one blindly. I didn't see that I had a choice. I could either do it right and do it thorough, or not do it at all. In the end I got lucky, I found the ideal pdoc, but I think all my efforts had greatly increased the odds of getting lucky. I didn't leave it to chance. I tried to stack the cards in my favor. It wasn't easy. But it was definitely worth it.
You could always try changing direction with your current pdoc. It's never too late to be open and honest and say hey, we've been on this particular path that I'm not happy with, I want to change course and take this other path instead, will you work with me on this? You might find your pdoc to flexible. If not, well...
Your ideal pdoc does exist. Finding him/her is kind of like doing a little detective work. Don't be afraid to bang on doors, ring phones, and ask questions. After all--always remember--who's paying who? You are the paying customer and you are ultimately the boss, so you should receive the service you desire.
These are all, of course, just my opinions. They may or may not be appropriate for someone else.
John
poster:JohnL
thread:49203
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20001115/msgs/49224.html