Posted by sweetmarie on April 15, 2001, at 9:22:36
In reply to Re: first visit with Pyschiatrist-what to expect, posted by JohnL on April 15, 2001, at 5:41:01
> Bonnie,
> Most pdocs will ask you a series of questions to arrive at a diagnosis. Then they will attempt to match a drug to your diagnosis. As evidenced by the many difficult cases here at this board, this commonly accepted practice has many flaws. Personally I find a diagnosis nearly useless, except in the beginning of treatment where it offers a starting point.
>
> I know one person who's lifelong anxiety was not cured by anything, until they tried something that has no clinical justification for anxiety...lithium. Miracle cure in one day for that person. Treatment resistent depressions often respond to antipsychotics. Yet there was no diagnosis of schizophrenia or psychosis. Etc etc. Examples go on and on and on. I think most people somehow feel the need for a diagnosis, but in all honesty I have found it fairly useless in many cases.
>
> My favorite pdoc, now retired unfortunately, did not find a diagnosis very helpful either. He could care less. He would instead try patients on various drug categories to narrow down which ones might work the best for the particular person. No two people were ever the same. Each person has unique chemistry, circumstances, and personality. Those in my opinion are much more important than some diagnosis. Each patient is a unique case and cannot realistically be lumped into some guaranteed category.
>
> Nine out of ten doctors though do practice the diagnosis routine. So you can probably expect that.
> JohnBonnie,
I sympathise with your situation completely. It really does feel like a huge step to admit that you have a problem with mental health. But, as you can see (and John`s post confirms), there are loads of `us`. It really isn`t a rare thing (sadly).
I agree with what John says re. diagnoses being largely irrelevant. At the end of the day, it`s the symptoms that require addressing, and not `clear-cut` answers for specific illnesses.
My first psychiatrist was very limited in outlook - he acknowledged that I suffered from depression, tried a couple of traditional treatments and gave up on me when they didn`t work.
What you are looking for in a psychiatrist is not one who asks `how depressed are you?`, but one who asks `how do you feel?`, `do you have any physical symptoms?`, `what are you able to do?`, `what are you incapable of doing?`, `is this a recent problem?`, `does it have any circumstantial causes?` etc etc. This then enables he/she to narrow the field down, rather than chucking random medications your way and hoping for the best.
If your psychiatrist is a good one, then this is the kind of thing you can expect. Remember, you are not `stuck` with a psychiatrist - if you feel that he/she is barking up the wrong tree, then you have every right to change doctors. Don`t forget, it`s your health and your treatment.
Good luck.
Anna.
poster:sweetmarie
thread:59894
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010411/msgs/59942.html