[Hedgehog fuzz]

Dear All,

After much deliberation from my mental health team, I am due to be seeing a new consultant psychiatrist tomorrow.

Is there anything that I should say (or not say)? Any advice on handling this meeting would be much appreciated.

I will ask him about getting a referral to the DP clinic as well.

thanks,

 

[forestx5]

Don't get your hopes up too high. A psychiatrist treats mental health conditions with medication. He will listen briefly to your symptoms. He will decide if you fall into the depressive or psychotic camps. He will prescribe a starter dose of an appropriate medication. He will ask to see you in a few weeks to evaluate the effects of that medication. He will continue that process until you feel better, or become tired of the game.

During this process, he may never even discuss his opinion of your diagnosis. A diagnosis is just a rationale to bill the insurance company. If you want to achieve maximum benefit from this exchange, then do exactly as the psychiatrist advises. Take the medication as prescribed.

 

[Chicane]

Psychiatrists generally have very selective hearing. They will pick out one or two words you say and then funnel everything into their little pre-determined pigeonhole which more often than not leads to SSRIs and the like. If I could do this journey over again, I would probably avoid using words like "anxiety" and "depression", and only list the other DP-specific symptoms I experience. But the problem is, ultimately they are doctors of a sort, which means they only have a limited repertoire. If I go to the doc and it can't be fixed with an antibiotic or a steroid/pain pill, they just kind of look at me blankly. It's the same with psychs. It's anti-depressants or nothing, it seems like. Anyway, I would stress the other DP symptoms as I mentioned, and definitely insist upon the kind of referral you brought up. You never know your luck I guess.

 

[Surfer Rosa]

Be really focused. Sometimes I play amature doctor with my real doctor, and we cut through the fat more quickly. Most importantly, organize all of your questions and statements. Write all of your questions and statements down first.

 

[eddy1886]

Welcome to the "shrink / med trial / shrink / med trial / shrink / med trial / shrink / med trial"........... ("Oh that last med actually worked").... world of dark ages DP psychiatric treatment..........

You will get a little pep talk and a prescription.........Hopefully the first damn med they give you works........

Actually therapy is basically the same thing only its a 50 minute pep talk without the drug prescription to take out the door with you...So you come out feeling doubly crappy

My advice...if the med they presrcibe helps stick with it and dont go back...

Sorry about my apparent sketchy attitude towards this but like ive said many many times on here...After 20 plus years of living with the world of mental ill health and its treatment regime I am now neither an optimist nor a pessimist....I am a REALIST....And the reality is all shrinks are just guessing how to treat you according to what theyve read in manuals...

Please god you get some kind of reasonable help from this visit...

As regards what to tell him/her it probably isnt going to make any difference what you say....You will get an SSRI or an Atypical and probably a short term script for a Benzo to help you adjust to the other drugs....

I wish you the best of luck....Maybe you are going to be the lucky one who gets the magic silver bullet treatment and can pass on this valuable info to the rest of us....