Posted by Viridis on December 7, 2003, at 2:10:41
In reply to Re: Psychiatrist or Psychologist, posted by stjames on December 6, 2003, at 16:35:12
I've had lots of therapy (various kinds) and generally, the conclusions of the therapists/psychologists have been that I seem quite rational and simply have problems with brain function that require treatment with medication. That's just me, and I have had some very helpful and insightful discussions with therapists -- but, in the end, the right medications were vastly more helpful, much more quickly, than hours of talk.
I should add that I've had a pretty nice life, good family, no substantial trauma, etc. For someone with major issues (due to their background and experiences), I expect that therapy could be very helpful -- these things just don't apply in my case.
I've also had some awful GPs and psychiatrists who insisted that I keep taking meds that were totally inappropriate for me. After a lot of searching, I finally have an excellent psychiatrist who listens to what I say, is flexible with meds and is happy to discuss my suggestions (many based on information learned here). He keeps his client base small and spends a lot of time with his patients, so there's actually a "therapy" component too, in that he's genuinely interested in what's happening in his patients' lives and will suggest behavioral as well as drug adjustments.
I think I hit it lucky, but it also took many years to find the right person. BTW -- this not some expensive, big-city "executive" psychiatrist, but a pretty low-cost, down-to-earth guy who just loves what he does and is eager to do it better.
poster:Viridis
thread:286928
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031202/msgs/287333.html