She's nice and all but…..

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders » OCD » She's nice and all but…..

Question:

I feel like I’m stuck in this rut when I have to tell people over and over again about my OC. I’m pretty sure that this doctor doubts that I have OCD. I could understand the doubt if my symptoms were few and far between, but I’m a text book case.

Response:

Could you get one of your parents to speak to your doctor? Steve – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -PDRLowe wrote: >I feel like I’m stuck in this rut when I have to tell people over and over >again about my OC. I’m pretty sure that this doctor doubts that I have OCD. I >could understand the doubt if my symptoms were few and far between, but I’m a >text book case.

Response:

>Subject: She’s nice and all but….. >From: pdrl…@aol.com (PDRLowe) >Date: Sun, 22 August 1999 10:20 AM EDT >Message-id: <19990822102046.14371.00002…@ng-fr1.aol.com> >I dont want to go back to my physchiatrist. >She implyed ( or should I say practically told me flat out) that I didn’t >have >OCD and that it was all in my head

Well, it is all your head, in the brain. You need someone who understands this and knows how to treat it. Biochemical imbalance can be treated. Grindo

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -PDRLowe wrote: >I dont want to go back to my physchiatrist. >She implyed ( or should I say practically told me flat out) that I didn’t have >OCD and that it was all in my head. I like her, but I think she’s trying to >make up for some mis-diagnosises in the past. All my old physch wanted to do is >perscribe meds and all this one wants to do is talk. I wish they would settle >somewhere in the middle. When I want to talk, I can talk to my parents and my >physcologist, but I feel so stupid talking to all these different shrinks about >my problems. I know they’re trained to deal with OCD, but I cant understand why >my old physch didn’t transfer the records.

Hi Rachel, I agree that one of the *worst* things about seeing different people is having to explain your problems all over again. I’ve lost count of how many times that I’ve had to do it myself! However, there are some valid reasons for the psychiatrists making you do that. While they are listening to what you have to say they have the opportunity to observe things like your general mood and anxiety level. If they read about your past history from your existing records then they wouldn’t be able to do that. Also, if they are beginning a new doctor/client relationship (that may last for a long time) then it serves as a good introduction. Some people find it too tough to sort of jump in at the deep end with somebody they’ve never met before, so it’s an easy way to "break the ice" and get a conversation going. Some people are actually very frightened of psychiatrists as well. Another reason for repeating your past history is that sometimes a client will tell a *different* story to the one in their medical records. That gives the psychiatrist the chance to compare what you say now with what you said in the past. So, although it’s a right pain in the neck to keep repeating yourself every time you see somebody new, there are some good reasons for having to do it. Your new psychiatrist should have requested your medical records from your old psychiatrist. Perry said that you had to authorise that yourself but I suspect that the UK system is different to the US system. If you saw your old psychiatrist somewhere else then it could just be a delay. Hospitals can be incredibly slow at transferring records. The records may also have been copied onto microfiche or some other electronic format, so maybe your new psychiatrist has them but you just can’t see them sitting on his desk. I think that it could be worth asking what’s happened to your records. Presumably your psychologist thinks that you’ve got OCD. Are you *certain* that your psychiatrist doesn’t think so? Maybe there’s some misunderstanding going on? Anyway, the best thing to do is to ask *both* of them for a diagnosis. If they disagree… then maybe that’s a serious problem that needs to be discussed!! How come you got misdiagnosed in the past? If you can’t get along with your psychiatrist then I suggest that you talk to your psychologist about it and see what she/he thinks. Do you think that they know much about OCD? Most people they see don’t have OCD, they have completely different illnesses, so not all psychs are experts on OCD. Where I live (in Cambridgeshire) they have a special psychiatric service that’s just for young people, so maybe you could find out if there’s one in your part of the country. Many psychs (and other mental health workers) specialise in treating young people. Kind regards, Steve

Response:

I dont want to go back to my physchiatrist. She implyed ( or should I say practically told me flat out) that I didn’t have OCD and that it was all in my head. I like her, but I think she’s trying to make up for some mis-diagnosises in the past. All my old physch wanted to do is perscribe meds and all this one wants to do is talk. I wish they would settle somewhere in the middle. When I want to talk, I can talk to my parents and my physcologist, but I feel so stupid talking to all these different shrinks about my problems. I know they’re trained to deal with OCD, but I cant understand why my old physch didn’t transfer the records.

Response:

You Have to give them permission to transfer your information. I hope you feel better. Perry – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -PDRLowe wrote: > I dont want to go back to my physchiatrist. > She implyed ( or should I say practically told me flat out) that I didn’t have > OCD and that it was all in my head. I like her, but I think she’s trying to > make up for some mis-diagnosises in the past. All my old physch wanted to do is > perscribe meds and all this one wants to do is talk. I wish they would settle > somewhere in the middle. When I want to talk, I can talk to my parents and my > physcologist, but I feel so stupid talking to all these different shrinks about > my problems. I know they’re trained to deal with OCD, but I cant understand why > my old physch didn’t transfer the records.

Response:

Hi PDR, Not all psychiatrists are particularly knowledgeable about OCD. I know it’s hard to find the right doctor, but you really do need to keep looking for the one that you are comfortable with. In my case, we have a psychiatrist that both my son and I like, but we can’t seem to find the "right" psychologist, and everytime we change we have to retell the whole story again. I hate that! Take care, Mynx :O) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Perry Mobley wrote: > You Have to give them permission to transfer your information. I hope you feel > better. Perry > PDRLowe wrote: > > I dont want to go back to my physchiatrist. > > She implyed ( or should I say practically told me flat out) that I didn’t have > > OCD and that it was all in my head. I like her, but I think she’s trying to > > make up for some mis-diagnosises in the past. All my old physch wanted to do is > > perscribe meds and all this one wants to do is talk. I wish they would settle > > somewhere in the middle. When I want to talk, I can talk to my parents and my > > physcologist, but I feel so stupid talking to all these different shrinks about > > my problems. I know they’re trained to deal with OCD, but I cant understand why > > my old physch didn’t transfer the records.