![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dr. Bob on April 26, 2004, at 8:17:56
In reply to Dr. Bob:Thanks also for Students Board! UK board?, posted by TheOutsider on April 23, 2004, at 5:55:12
> Its a great idea to have a student board!
Thanks!
> Maybe having a board for foreigners might be an idea to?
> Its not that I want to exclude US people!
> Its just that the situation in the UK is so different.Different in what way? The medications are mostly the same, aren't they?
Bob
Posted by TheOutsider on April 26, 2004, at 17:11:58
In reply to Re: Thanks also for Students Board! UK board?, posted by Dr. Bob on April 26, 2004, at 8:17:56
The medication are the same, more or less, that much is true.
Now heres the difference! Many UK doctors are extremely unpleasant, not to mention backward in their understanding of mental illness.
There are of course really great docs in the UK. But some ideas that are standard in the US, such as combining meds are almost unknown in the UK.
Plus most UK docs think stimulents are evil. One particuly unpleasant doctor told me that stimulent "are neurotoxic and cause long term damge".
Unless you have money and inicitive the prognosis for many patients on the NHS is bleak, especially if they suffer from complex conditions.
Hope this helps, sorry about spelling I am dyslexic.
Posted by Slinky on April 26, 2004, at 21:34:26
In reply to Re: Sorry, slow to reply, posted by TheOutsider on April 26, 2004, at 17:11:58
I agree...sometimes it's frustrating for me , trying to explain to US folks ( I have an attention problem ) about the lack of services and meds in uk / europe although it's great to find so many knowledgable people here they don't know how difficult and behind the times it is here( I also believe Canada is similar to uk )
..The system here in uk is over burdened and difficult- it's not the pdocs fault - mostly.
I suppose members can put UK in title.I don't know...can't think straight.
Posted by Dr. Bob on April 27, 2004, at 21:08:18
In reply to Re: Sorry, slow to reply, posted by TheOutsider on April 26, 2004, at 17:11:58
> Many UK doctors are extremely unpleasant, not to mention backward in their understanding of mental illness.
> some ideas that are standard in the US, such as combining meds are almost unknown in the UK.
> Plus most UK docs think stimulents are evil.So wouldn't it be good for UK patients, at least, to be exposed to other practices? Which they wouldn't be if they stuck to a UK-only board?
Bob
Posted by NikkiT2 on April 28, 2004, at 5:53:34
In reply to Re: UK board?, posted by Dr. Bob on April 27, 2004, at 21:08:18
It is VERY frustrating for us Brits.. we're faced with much longer waits than our US counterparts as a rule (my 2 year wait for a psychiatrist was incredibly hard), very different med regimes, and often different med names.
I'd love to see a board where I could connect with UK people.. Though I can see if you set up a UK one, the french will want a French one, the Canadians a canadian one etc..
I think its hard for the Americans here to uunderstand the problems we do face.. we say "I'm having x problem with y drug" and in the US it would be treated with a further drug, where as here in UK they are very unwilling to prescribe more than 2 drugs at once.. and for example, Wellbrutin isn't available to us.. Its a very different world here with regards to psychiatric care.
Nikki x
Posted by TheOutsider on April 28, 2004, at 7:38:05
In reply to Re: UK board? » Dr. Bob, posted by NikkiT2 on April 28, 2004, at 5:53:34
I take your point about being exposed to different treatment systems Dr Bob.
It is a very good point! If it wasn't for this website I wouldn't have realised that things could be different. I am extremely grateful to you for setting it up!
It was just a suggestion on my part to have a UK board, not a demand.But as Slinky says most US people have no idea how hard it is to get good treatment in the UK.
This means that you can get very well meaning posts from US people who just don't realise how different it is here.
By having a UK board I wouldn't seek to excluded other nationalities by any means, it would just be useful to have the input of UK people for uniquely UK problems.Well I'm on the subject I don't know how you'd feel about treating someone from the UK? (i.e yours truly)
P.S. Sorry about spelling am seriesly dyslexic
Posted by Dinah on April 28, 2004, at 9:07:58
In reply to Thank you for all you've done for me Dr Bob!, posted by TheOutsider on April 28, 2004, at 7:38:05
On the other hand, I have learned so much from you guys that I bring with me to political discussions of healthcare. I've learned to see the good and bad of other people's systems. I suppose it can be frustrating to have to explain when you really just want help, but I appreciate the global outlook of the board.
Posted by Dr. Bob on April 28, 2004, at 22:23:05
In reply to Thank you for all you've done for me Dr Bob!, posted by TheOutsider on April 28, 2004, at 7:38:05
> By having a UK board I wouldn't seek to excluded other nationalities by any means, it would just be useful to have the input of UK people for uniquely UK problems.
I thought Slinky made a good suggestion:
> > I suppose members can put UK in title.
> Well I'm on the subject I don't know how you'd feel about treating someone from the UK? (i.e yours truly)
Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I think it would be better if I didn't. Nothing personal!
Bob
Posted by cybercafe on May 13, 2004, at 3:59:15
In reply to Re: Sorry, slow to reply, posted by Slinky on April 26, 2004, at 21:34:26
>
> I agree...sometimes it's frustrating for me , trying to explain to US folks ( I have an attention problem ) about the lack of services and meds in uk / europe although it's great to find so many knowledgable people here they don't know how difficult and behind the times it is here( I also believe Canada is similar to uk )
> ..The system here in uk is over burdened and difficult- it's not the pdocs fault - mostly.
> I suppose members can put UK in title.
>
> I don't know...can't think straight.
>This is something i would really really really like to see. Canada is horrible, but much much better than the UK. The UK has an absolutely unacceptable system. I would have been living there for the past 3 years, but have had to tough it out in Canada (weather, no jobs, poor transit) because it's the only place I can see a doc without waiting months and months. Eventually I ended up going private, and was paying something like $300 a visit. That's once a week, no insurance.
oh and a lot of Pdocs lied to me and that really upset me... telling me that the newer antipsychotics weren't used because they were no better, studies were too complicated to draw conclusions from, etc... when the truth was... they just weren't covered by the NHS!!!
but yeah.. the insane waiting times .... and then once i moved i didn't know this but i had to START OVER and see a different (much worse) doctor and wait the ... 5 months? all over again because you are restricted to seeing a doc in your area... even if he happens to be unqualified to treat you, you have to stick it out
"dude i feel really bad, I just can't go on"
"in that case, i'll make a special attempt to try to squeeze you in sometime in the next 8 weeks" .... arrrg!plus the UK seemed really pro-antipsychotic (the traditional kind ! chlorpromazine, mellaril) .. for anxiety, for bipolar, etc... "this will help you sleep" ... when i'm already sleeping too much ... ummm... it was just so frustrating trying to deal with these people i eventually gave up and left the country I LOVE and hope to return to ... (and hope i can claim residency status for past 3 years and get into med school)
Posted by cybercafe on May 13, 2004, at 4:16:54
In reply to Re: UK board?, posted by Dr. Bob on April 27, 2004, at 21:08:18
> > Many UK doctors are extremely unpleasant, not to mention backward in their understanding of mental illness.
> > some ideas that are standard in the US, such as combining meds are almost unknown in the UK.
> > Plus most UK docs think stimulents are evil.
>
> So wouldn't it be good for UK patients, at least, to be exposed to other practices? Which they wouldn't be if they stuck to a UK-only board?Of course, but why would they be "stuck"? We would read the regular boards just like everyone else, and then when we want UK chat move over to the UK board. The same argument could be made for the removal of many of the other specialty boards (which I DO think has been a good idea and give props to Dr. Bob, for the record).
One problem is that if you post a question about the UK no one seems to respond on the regular boards. I have been in real need (i.e. determine the course of my life) of information about the UK but just havn't been able to get a response. Even simple questions like "is abilify available over there yet?". People seem to miss over other UK posts... rarely do you see a group of UK posters getting into a discussion on a single topic. I think having a UK board would be an EXCELLENT way to get UKers together.
And trust me dude.. they need the support ....
Canada has a ridiculously horrible system and it really really upsets me, but I would never ask for a Canadian board because as bad as we have it, the UK is really in a much worse state. I think such citizens certainly need to stick together, to get that UK information, really desperately.
Let's put it this way. I decided to start studying medicine (non-registered, just bought textbooks) because the Canadian system is so bad in terms of waiting times I figured I could teach myself psychiatry faster than it would take to be diagnosed/cured through 6 or 7 15 minutes appointments a year. And I finally succeeded after several years.
Now as bad as that may sound, I wouldn't even compare the canadian system to how horrible the UK system is. Everytime I went into emergency with real problems I was basically told "go private, go away" ($300/session). Ug... so eventually I did..
On the bright side, I was manic for 8 months and when no one is willing to treat you, you do end up leading quite an interesting life.
:)
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Administration | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.