Posted by deniseuk190466 on October 26, 2006, at 15:26:34
In reply to Why your doctor can make or break you, posted by getinwl72 on October 25, 2006, at 7:59:39
I just had to respond to this post because sometime I feel like my current psychiatrist is grinding me down.
I'm in the UK, unfortunately last July I got made redundant (due to my depression I'm convinced although I never took any time off sick with it). Anyway, I lost my private medical insurance and had to go and see one on the NHS in January.
This one seemed (and is) very kind and sweet by he is so f*cking rigid he makes me want to throttle him (excuse my language. Admittedly I have presented him with a difficult challenge, which is "get me better but without the use of antipscyhotics" and let me try "what I want to try within reason".
He first of all added small dose of tegretol, then tried buspar which just made me more tired and then after trying thyroid hormone (at my suggestion and after a long hard fight)he tried my on Cymbalta. The cymbalta made me extremely anxious and so I went back to see him hoping he would try adding something else to the Seroxat to get it to work, hoping that he might have another idea. This was back in June and he more or less threw his hands up in the air and said that I wasn't getting any better (like it was my fault, not that I'm saying it's his) and that in order for him to try me on anything else I'd have to go in either as a day patient or as an inpatient. I told him I wanted to try and carry on working and he sort of insinuated that by saying I wouldn't go into the day care centre I was not helping myself! I thought the idea was to keep people in work.
I wouldn't have minded going into hopsital if he intended trying out a radical treatment but his only plan was to put me on escitalopram!
I really feel like I'm at loggerheads with this psychiatrist. I'm actually going to go to the Daycare centre now for three weeks (so three weeks without work) just to get to try escitalopram.
Admittedly, I know I am not entirely blameless in this, if I wanted to I could just take the zyprexa regularly like he wants me to (but for some reason, don't ask me why, I can't bring myself to take it daily). I guess I just would feel happier if I was just feeling well on an antidepressant on it's own. I'd feel a bit safer for some reason, a bit closer to being normal I suppose.
Anyway, the long and short of this is that I don't have much faith or belief in my current psychiatrist but unfortunately I'm stuck with him, he refuses to refer me to anyone else as HE doesn't feel it would be necessary. And YET he feels its necessary for me to go into a hospital as an inpatient! He never gives me any encouragement, I can't communicate with him, I don't understand his reasoning half the time. He never gives me a good explanation for not trying something new. I just don't have much belief in him and I think you need to have some faith in your psychiatrist.
The first psychiatrist I saw that was any good was a private one, admittedly he never got me better but he was the one who gave me zyprexa 10mg to take as and when needed, he radiated passion in what he did and he never doubted what I told him. He always encouraged me to keep working and he made me believe that one day I would get better. My latest psychiatrist just makes me feel more confused and disheartened each time I go to see him.
Denise
poster:deniseuk190466
thread:697569
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20061020/msgs/697967.html