Discussion Your experience with psychiatrists

[favourite]

I'm so scared of being called an addict. I can barely get medical doctors to acknowledge my pain until it hits a breaking point... Is it stupid to fear for your 'ADULT PERMANENT RECORD'. Nightmares about being taken to court for some shit I didn't do or Baker acted and my scars and 'ADULT PERMANENT RECORD' being used against me. Do psychs even know what they're doing when the scrawl down "Xanax addict", how that hurts you? :(

Fortunately Baker act doesn't apply in my country. As for xanax addiction, when I went to the shrink for the first time, I didn't even know exactly what it is, but I was given 0.25 mg, then 0.5 mg, then 1 mg....and then they called me an addict. Just lol and thanks for nothing. I was introduced to xanax by them, I didn't actively seek for it.

 

[Vegrau]

Psychiatrist in the end are just human. They wont have anything new to say to me which I haven't already thought of already. I wont even waste money or time with them.

 

[Exile]

I've had some insightful and compassionate ones, and some who were incompetent. Just like humans in many professions. Ultimately, none could convince me for more than a little while that there was a real point to going on.

 

[meaningisgone]

I'm so scared of being called an addict. I can barely get medical doctors to acknowledge my pain until it hits a breaking point... Is it stupid to fear for your 'ADULT PERMANENT RECORD'. Nightmares about being taken to court for some shit I didn't do or Baker acted and my scars and 'ADULT PERMANENT RECORD' being used against me. Do psychs even know what they're doing when the scrawl down "Xanax addict", how that hurts you? :(

Once they pick up the scent of addiction of any kind, or even substance use for any reason (which they'll probably label an addiction even if it's not, and if you say otherwise they don't take you seriously because you're just "in denial"), most helping professionals will turn their focus towards that like it's the holy grail of all your problems. It's annoying, demeaning, alienating, and definitely doesn't make me feel safe and comfortable to spill my guts effectively.

 

[favourite]

Once they pick up the scent of addiction of any kind, or even substance use for any reason (which they'll probably label an addiction even if it's not, and if you say otherwise they don't take you seriously because you're just "in denial"), most helping professionals will turn their focus towards that like it's the holy grail of all your problems. It's annoying, demeaning, alienating, and definitely doesn't make me feel safe and comfortable to spill my guts effectively.

This is so true. Once they see any H I N T S of addiction, everything else flies out of the window. You'll never be treated seriously anymore, your bad mood will be labelled as withdrawal symptoms, even suicide urges will be treated as the drugs speaking. I never even mentioned my sporadic codeine use, because I knew that it would be considered the very root of any problem.

 

[Going Home]

I knew I had another bullshit psychiatrist after I was refused a prescription for a drug that worked because the psychiatrist claimed the drug caused addiction. At the same time no alternative was offered. Another bullshit doctor.

 

[favourite]

I knew I had another bullshit psychiatrist after I was refused a prescription for a drug that worked because the psychiatrist claimed the drug caused addiction. At the same time no alternative was offered. Another bullshit doctor.

Was it one of the benzodiazepines?

 

[Going Home]

Was it one of the benzodiazepines?

A stimulant, which helped me alot. Also a benzo that helped me when I needed it. I was offered an alternative for the benzo, doesn't work the same. Seems like I am being set up to fail.

 

[Going Home]

Or set up to look like a complete idiot.

 

[justabouttobedone]

I switched between 4 or 5 different psychiatrist but just one of them tried to help me. Others were ready to give me some known medicines and show me the door afterward. Our medical system is shitty, they gave you 10 minutes at max. (usually it is 5 minutes, my last visit was lasted in 2 minutes lol) to talk with the doctor and it is not enough to tell your problems.

 

[Pulpit2018]

Shakespear wrote "Let's kill all the lawyers".I think he meant the psychiatrists.

 

[ArtsyDrawer]

I've tried a few IRL, ended up signing up for an online one. Despite the 90's phobia, he's quite competent, but the "at your time, at your comfort" is a bit of a stretch.

The first one didn't say a word, spent about twenty minutes on reading my file and shoved a bottle of pills at me.
The second did let me talk before shoving the same bottle of pills at me.
The third immediately decided I'm crazy suicidal, despite my file never mentioning any attempts. Depression? Sure, "acceptable", but no suicide attempts. She tried to feed me multiple pill bottles. None of them seems to have tried to check the little paper that comes with my antiepileptics that describes what they react to and how.
One psychiatrist that acts as a sort of filter for the neurosurgeon kept practically chanting about some mysterious criteria I have to fit for the surgery. My nerves we're wracked for good three months until another, less of a dumbass filter lady explained that this criteria is actually having epilepsy. "Do you have epilepsy? Cool, you fit" kind of thing.
Last guy, yesterday, put me through a rigorous interrogation of 516 questions, not counting the "tell me about yourself" part.

The online guy is good because he can't summon the White Coats on me, and he's kind of... Fatherly, if that makes sense. Accepting. Although, he does his job very well, better than face-to-face shrinks.

 

[Grey-zone]

First experience in final term of college (at age 26/27, jeez) was with school counselor. We met for several months. It was largely unproductive, but free. I told him about my frustration in life and anger, and he basically told me, "No, anger is not a primary emotion. You're describing sadness." When I told him that anger was what I usually felt, rage and frustration, he insisted I was being macho and was afraid of my sadness. I guess this is the standard psych approach to male angst. "No, what you're telling me isn't what you're dealing with, you just can't tell me because you're a man." For me "depression" is often like a low-rage produced out of chronic disappointment with life. There's sadness involved as well, but it's a whole cocktail of shit.
Second counselor, also free. Also mostly unproductive, but less insistent on not letting me explain how I understood my emotions. I got the sense we were both bored with the whole thing by the time it was over.
I should have gone for massage therapy instead.

 

[JustAboutDone]

In the UK in my experience, psychiatrists diagnose and perscribe (often after asking a long set of irrelevant questions including favourite colour, head circumference in cm, salary etc) which can make diagnosis a bit of a lottery.

Then psychologists, counselling services, therapists do the talking therapy bit.

I've met one psychiatrist who was an absolute moron. The rest have been fine and helpful. Psychological services tend to bring up too many bad memories for me to deal with so not ideal for me