Posted by bavmorda on December 7, 2003, at 8:27:51
Background: So I have a series of several nervous breakdowns starting in the summer and continuing through autumn. During the years since adolescence, I have been very good at dealing with my disthymia and self-diagnosed ADD without meds. An amazing therapist gave me some great tools to keep myself in check. However, weekly public panic attacks and the sudden onset of stuttering forced me to admit that I may not be able to do it all alone anymore. None of those mental exercises were doing me a bit of good.
***
In October, I finally admitted that therapy and a simple anti-depressant would be beneficial. A very non-threatening, humorous, and intelligent therapist was chosen for me. Much like the woman who helped me as a teenager. She was very quick to get me to a pdoc, who diagnosed me with ADD. (We are still exploring the possibility of GAD)
My fourth appointment with the therapist was at the end of November. When I walked into her office, there were boxes everywhere. She immediately explained that she was moving to Baltimore to be closer to her grandchildren because "family is more important". Hmm. What a lovely thing to say after squeezing $100 out of my pocket (and who knows how much from my insurance company). I was furious. She asked if I would like to continue the appointment. HAH! I told her that there was no way that I would continue to pay her for nothing, and ended the session.
On my way home - 40 mins from her office - I had a few realizations. Our sessions always felt like I was having a conversation with an old friend. At times when I felt that she should have jumped in to focus on a subject, she didnt. In other words, she knew the entire time, and held back because there was no point in really studying my issues if I was going to see another doctor in a month. If I had worked with this woman regularly for a year or so and she decided to leave, I would be sad, but not angry. I wasnt suicidal when I set up my intake, so why the rush to get me to someone like her when I was willing to wait?
Now for my question (sorry that this is so lenghty). How can I trust the mental health facility who assigned her to me? How can I trust the next person to not do the same thing? Trial and error is a different story... I am sure that many of you here have weeded through your fair share of therapy duds. Nevertheless, none of us have the time or the money to deal with being lied to from the beginning. Would you:
A) Find another mental health center/professional office.
or
B) Stick with your current, but make it very clear to the patient advocate that this situation should NOT happen again.
(Thank you all in advance for your time)
poster:bavmorda
thread:287373
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20031202/msgs/287373.html