[fingertingle]

Say something positive about going to see a psychiatrist.
I can't get myself to call.
After I've established 5 times over that my parents WILL NOT find out, I still find myself not calling.

Part of this could be due to my fear of phones - but mostly its all the negative things I hear about the whole process....

Psychiatrists not respecting privacy.. or that drugs don't work and therapy doesn't work.. that nothing works and nobody helps.. That sometimes they can be rough and insensitive with patients (I REALLY can't deal with that right now).. or that they misdiagnose you and pack you with mind-numbing drugs or don't believe what you say.

I'm so incompetant. Its almost hilarious. At first I was upset because I couldn't get therapy, now I find that I can - and I'm NOT doing it. Yes, I am definitely my own worst enemy.

 

[peacedove]

Ok... my psychiatrist is HOT.

Sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me today.

Seriously though... all the psychiatrists in my life have respected my privacy. It's those psychologists and their family sessions ya gotta watch out for. But all you have to do is say no I don't want a family session.
As long as you don't tell your psychiatrist you're gonna kill yourself or someone else you should be fine.

Drugs CAN help. A lot of them don't, but some do and they are worth looking for. Not all drugs are mind-numbing. The only one that numbed my mind was seroquel... an antipsychotic. But that has helped people on here I think. Different drugs work for different people.

Try looking for a psychiatrist with a humanistic approach. When I was searching for psychiatrists it said this by my current one's name and that is why I picked him. He is the best I've seen yet. Don't expect a big long conversation with a shrink though, they basically just give meds... they leave the deep talk therapy to psychologists.

 

[Milan]

Mines pretty good.

Very professional and willing to help. He also understands a lot about anxiety and DP/DR and we talk about a lot of issues in my life. He has given me a few insights and is not afraid to offer advice. The combination of my doc, this site and Janine's posts has helped me or at least given me a little extra hope at times.

I hope thats positive enough?

 

[Sojourner]

If you want to take it one small step at a time, get a therapist first. To to the following URL for your state and find someone in your area. The people listed in the APA are a better shot than the yellow pages. My therapist is a member of that organization. Not all of them even do the Freudian couch thing. Most do regular face-to-face psychodynamic therapy. Let them advise you about seeing an MD:

http://www.apsa.org/cgi-bin/olroster.py?T=S&S=MICHIGAN

Here's a good site for general information:

http://www.guidetopsychology.com/

 

[widescreened]

Hi Fingertale.It sounds like you are encountering something therapists call 'resistance'.basically it means that your subconscious mind is presenting you with obstacles in the way of facing your issues.Its amazing how cunning,resourceful and clever we make our excuses to avoiding getting help.I used to be afraid to get help because I thought that 'well if this doesent work,its one more thing crossed off the list,and what happens when ive crossed all options off and none remain?'It was a fantastic excuse to remain dpd.At least the idea of a cure around the corner that hasnt been tried was better than none at all.But,eventually I started going for treatment;told my family and spoke to people about it who care.It didnt hurt a bit.Hope you read this and act on it!!

 

[Guest]

Oh, there are some real jackasses out there, and there are MANY "mediocre" psychiatrists. (just like there are many idiot and mediocre dentists, surgeons, and house painters).

I worked with one who was very good, but he wasn't perfect. NObody is. And before him, I worked with at least 6 others who were mediocre at best and one was just a wack-job.

The reason we get so scared before going for help is that we WANT to just surrender our head totally to somebody who can solve everything for us. We also are not totally nuts, lol...so we know that is a terrible idea as the person may be an idiot. But it's the conflict/desire about WANTING to just turn ourselves over totally to somebody and "be fixed" that makes us unduly scared.

There is nothing a lousy psychiatrist can do to harm you if you keep your eyes open. If you try a med and it is not working, stop taking it. If the doctor is rude or degrading, walk out and don't pay him. If you try a few sessions, and you don't think the two of you are connecting at all, say thanks but no no thanks, DO pay him, grin, but change doctors.

The major changes if you are going to successfully make them will come from YOU, not from the doctor, although remarkable growth and changes can happen IN the work you do together. But there is very very VERy little that any mental health professional can "DO" to you or for you - they can guide. And if your eyes and self-interest are open, you'll only walk where it feels right.

All that said, my doctor and I were a very good "fit" and I am positive that without him, I would not have ever made this kind of recovery. But the imbeciles before him did not make dent, because the work WE did together was "nothing" to me, had no meaning, was not involving and was all too easy for me to run rings around them.

 

[Universal]

I'm seeing a psychiatrist, saw him yesterday as a matter of fact. He was very nice and had a very professional attitude. I like him, and now he told me that he's going to be my regular doctor, which is great. He has a sense of humor and isn't afriad to laugh and be easygoing, which is a good thing. He seems to be well educated and knows what he's doing, he perscribed me some more meds which I was already taking and told me to not drink or smoke with them since the interactions could mess things up. Basically I say to you if you're out there looking for a doctor, don't just settle for anything that you get. Make sure you're comfortable with the person you're going to be sharing your life experiences with.

 

[Guest]

Hola,
Yeah...it's hard to find a "professional" who understands DP. All the ones I went to in the "early days" of my mind bending trip, had no better ideas than to write up RX's and ask me about my childhood... Well...skip ahead, skip ahead, and now a few years into my DP, I have pretty much taken charge of my situation and am doing it pretty much on my own with the help of a good counselor who is "open" to any ideas about my DP and how it happened, why it happened, and how we can make it somewhat better. She wasn't too excited to learn that I took myself off of meds, but I like I told her, I felt my best chance to get better involved me not being under the influence of ANY drug. Though I still have to fight everyday for "clarity of reality", and yes there are good days and really BAD DAYS... I dont bother with the generic medical doctors anymore. They can't help me, I fight my own demons on my terms. Sometimes I win, sometimes they win, but at least I dont feel helpless like the medical community would have me feel.

Regards,

Tony

 

[fingertingle]

Thanks everyone. I will try to respond individually later!