Posted by Think1234 on June 13, 2006, at 20:10:33
In reply to Finding a great psychiatrist?, posted by darcan on June 11, 2006, at 9:05:05
I too have difficulty finding a good psychiatrist. As far as greed is concerned, such as their tendency to make unnecessary appointments. That seems to be the way with pretty much all doctors. I don't think the doctor are conscious of the fact that they are being greedy, they just believe thats the way they should practice. And the way they practice just happens to make them a lot of money. The fact that other doctors act the same way helps reinforce that pattern of behavior..
The real problem with doctors is groupthink. Let me give you several examples from psychiatry.
1. I have an uncle-in-law. He was a very successful engineer performing a very high pressure job. He did the engineering and financial managing of multibillion dollar construction projects for a very large construction corporation. (maybe you can guess which corporation)
During his time as an engineer he had an acute psychotic breakdown. If you know how psychiatrists think you can already guess what diagnosis he had been given. He was diagnosed with bipolar. He doesn't have bipolar in any way, but because that the only box the Pdocs can fit him into they (The hospital Pdocs) give him that label, and tried to prescribe him lithium, which he prudently refused. He instead takes Klonopin whenever he feels panicky, and that puts him right to sleep.
2.I have a friend who took ritalin. As a result of the ritalin he had hallucinations. Now the Pdoc find that this reaction to ritalin "uncovers" a previously undiagnosed bipolar disorder. He doesn't have bipolar. That the way they think. Hallucinatory reaction to ritalin combined with his past agrressive behavior = bipolar. Its not critical or scientific thinking its groupthinking.
3. I had a bad reaction to Wellbutrin. The reaction is difficult to describe. But its probably comparable to the electrical shock feeling that people who withdraw from paxil experience. (I took it for 4 days and the electrical shocks continued on for about 3 weeks) He tells me that it isn't a side effect of Wellbutrin. Why? Because that side effect isn't listed in his handbook. So he tells me to put a klonopin under my tongue whenever I get that hard to describe feeling. In other words because its outside of the box, he totally dismisses the reality of my experience with Wellbutrin and attributes it instead to my anxiety.
Pdocs have available to them a vast array of useful drugs. Sadly I think that have more privilege than their abilities warrant. They are beholden to groupthink, Big Pharm, and subconscious greed as are many doctors.
So. I would agree, a good Pdoc is hard to find.
> I have gone through 6 to 8 proviate psychiatrists over the past 6 years here in Southern California. Most were focused on making money or just took people like me (Severe atypical depression and anxiety) to supplement there true interests.
>
> I have great insurance and am fortunate enough that paying the docs is not a problem. I can't find a good one.
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> I've been to UCLA and UCI. UCLA was actually pretty good but you get a resident and they leave every year.
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> Because of the nature of this disease, a true scientist is what I need. Someone that will monitor what the drugs are doing or are NOT doing.
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> I had one doc that kept adding drugs and never took any way.
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> Is there such a thing as a great doc? How do I find out if he is successful? If I were hiring a plumber, I'd call his references. In the doc biz you have to make an appointment and pay the guy just to interview him, and you can't get references.
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> I want someone that specializes in the treatment of depression and has a proven track record of helping patients. How do I find this person?
poster:Think1234
thread:655463
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060610/msgs/656624.html