Saw a psychiatrist for the first time last night.....?!
Question: and in 25 min and a few questions questions - how are you feeling? - (overwhelmed a bit) - do you cry often? (yes at least 3 times a week) migraines? (yes but not as much) and then he asked some family history -
he diagnosed me - SEVERELE BI-POLAR and gave me an rx for - triliptal - 5 days @ 2 a day then after 5 days 2 in am and 2 at bed - this medicine which i looked up is mainly to treat epileptic people - also used for bipolar treatment -
1 - i feel he jumped the gun
2- the meds seem a bit harsh
3- he even said to me how is your insurance - its a good 1 i tell him - he said ok good cause im going to give you these meds cause thats what i supposed to do - we as psychiatrists dont really have time to sit and talk with patients thats what therapists are for - we are here to administer drugs
i was pissed
your thoughts please?
now im not in denial about a possibility of being bi-polar - but....... after 25 min and such a harsh diagnosis with those meds
Answers: and in 25 min and a few questions questions - how are you feeling? - (overwhelmed a bit) - do you cry often? (yes at least 3 times a week) migraines? (yes but not as much) and then he asked some family history -
he diagnosed me - SEVERELE BI-POLAR and gave me an rx for - triliptal - 5 days @ 2 a day then after 5 days 2 in am and 2 at bed - this medicine which i looked up is mainly to treat epileptic people - also used for bipolar treatment -
1 - i feel he jumped the gun
2- the meds seem a bit harsh
3- he even said to me how is your insurance - its a good 1 i tell him - he said ok good cause im going to give you these meds cause thats what i supposed to do - we as psychiatrists dont really have time to sit and talk with patients thats what therapists are for - we are here to administer drugs
i was pissed
your thoughts please?
now im not in denial about a possibility of being bi-polar - but....... after 25 min and such a harsh diagnosis with those meds
I have just been diagnosed Bipolar type 2 by a psychiatrist - he spent an hour talking to me (I also happened to be hypomanic at the time and talking really fast and jumping from topic to topic and having trouble concentrating on what he said so it was probably an easy diagnosis to make) anyway he suggested a mood stabiliser that was originally just an epilepsy drug - I had to ween off the antidepressants and then go back to see him - in the time I was weening off the antidepressants I researched the drug he wanted me to take and wasnt happy with all the side effects I found so when I went back to see him (was still on minimum dose of antidepressants I was due to stop a few days later) he spoke to me for half an hour and he said he thought I was now a little too depressed so told me to stay on the dose I was on for the antidepressants - I then discussed the worries I had with the mood stabilsers and he said OK well lets try lithium then and combine the antidepressant - I am already feeling better (except the odd nausea and the fact that it just made me throw up for the first time I have been on it for a week) I go for a blood test tomorrow and then back to see him next week - my appointments are now half an hour each but my first was definately 1 hour.
A couple of sites I found handy that have tests that score you are as follows - print them off and take them with you to your next appointment or to the other Drs you are going to see and also discuss your concerns with the medications.
http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/publ...
http://counsellingresource.com/quizzes/g...
get a secound opinon
25 minutes seems to be too short of a time to diagnose something like that and especially to state it's severe and prescribe drugs. The psychiatrist you saw is a pretty lousy one, but a lot of them are that way from what I gather. If you feel the diagnosis was too quick and you're not comfortable taking the meds (which it sounds like), go see someone else, maybe even a real psychologist who will talk with you more, try psychotherapy first and prescribe drugs only when they feel you really need them.
go to another psychiatrist! tell him/her about this. maybe they'll say you do it, maybe you don't.
Thtas exactly right psychiatrist only admit medication based on your signs and sympyoms mines is the same way and most likely most others are the same my apointment is usually 15 minutes if that and off i go however a psycologist(therpist) will spend a hour with you and help you cope. If you do have Bipolar you should continue to see the doctor and even the councelor preferably witin the same doctors office that way the doctor and counceler can share notes and thoughts and better help you.
He's right, most psychiatrists just administer drugs and chat a bit with you to see what's wrong.
You should consider going to a therapist to talk things out. Based on my own personal experience, the medications really do help as well. A combination of meds with therapy is great - it depends on your personal situation. You are entitled to a second opinion but keep in mind that the new psychiatrist may be asking a different set of questions from the first one and could have a different diagnosis because of that.
If you're not comfortable with that judgment (and I wouldn't be either!) then get a second opinion. Maybe you should talk to a psychologist - someone who isn't going to throw meds at you right away. If he or she thinks you may need medication, then you can be referred to someone who can prescribe them. Or you can seek out another psychiatrist; just research them as thoroughly as you can.
i know exactly how you feel, after i was in a mental health facility i was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bi polar and when i got out i obviously was highly recommended to go see i psychiatrist, so i started to see one, and immediately he put me on medication, i was on three different kinds. and then every week when i went to go see him he would up my seroquel, finally once he had me taking 150mg/day i decided to just stop going, i think to many Dr's jump the gun as you said and automatically think that medication is the answer. i don't believe that it is.
hope you are able to find something that helps. :)
i am 23 and have had bipolar for 10 years now. and at first i was in complete denial and i didnt think i had it and i felt like he jumped to the gun when dianosing me. however if you feel that way then go into see another doctor to see if he comes up with the same dianoses. i got 3 opinions and all of then came up with the same thing that i have severe bipolar.
AAAGH! That sounds scary, I'm sorry you had to deal with that!
My aunt is bipolar and it is really hard for her.
But listen, if you feel like you deserve a more thorough analysis, I would seriously bring it up with my parents. And also, I would switch to a therapist, because they can diagnose but they have to send you to a physician to prescribe pills. Plus they're more about listening and helping than analyzing and studying.
Good luck!
There aren't enough psychiatrists to go around. No matter where you go your not going to get much more then 30 minutes. The only difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist is the second guy has an MD and can write "scripts". Be thankful you clinic is set up that way it will save you big dollars. Lots of what they do is guessing at the drugs that will help you. It took almost three years to get a mix that helped me.
If you're not comfortable with the diagnosis or his attitude, get a second opinion. It is a serious diagnosis and not to be taken lightly.
Pdoc's rarely do therapy. As for the quick diagnosis, sometimes it is that easy. If you are hypomanic, then all he'd need to know is whether you also get depressed. If you are showing signs of being in a mixed depression, same thing. If you answer questions about your history that includes periods of not needing much sleep or unusual spending or other more "mild" signs of hypomania plus certain not so good responses to antidepressants, it can also be enough to justify the diagnosis. What I'm trying to say is that sometimes it does not take an hour for someone with a lot of experience with the illness. I'm NOT defending the doc you saw! Just pointing out that 1/2 hour can be enough. Still, I got a second opinion even though I knew I was over the top hyped up.
As for Trileptal, it's a standard mood stabilizer with a lower side effect profile than quite a few others. It's a good starting choice. The start up, depending on dosage that you didn't say, sounds standard as well.
Follow through on therapy. It makes a difference in many ways. Meanwhile, go get that second opinion. Seek out a psychiatrist who specializes in mood disorders and perhaps find out if they do an hour evaluation. Expect to pay, but it's money well spent in my opinion.
Definitely get a second opinion. There are psychiatrists that basically only do meds and they only see you for about 10-15 minutes somewhere between monthly and every 3 months. You CAN find psychiatrists that do meds AND therapy. My recommendation is to keep searching your good insurance for one of those. I believe this is more effective because the person prescribing your meds really gets to know you and has a better idea of what you need.