While I agree, some are more human than others and just plain better than others. And though it may seem a radical idea, in many cases you have a choice of doctors and if necessary you should shop around. Especially if you feel you aren’t being heard.
I had a bungled ‘first contact’ with a psychiatrist, and from this experience I’ve developed a list of important traits for a ‘p-doc’. My story is going to be a little long, so I’ll list these traits first before getting into the story.
- They should speak your native language fluently, understandably and explain things well
- They should listen effectively
- They should be flexible and offer options
My first psychiatrist was referred to me by my Jungian therapist after I had an initial session with her. I was sold on therapy, but not necessarily on drugs at the time, but I agreed to see him. He was a Korean doctor who had a thick accent that I found difficult to understand. Up front I told him about my complaints and about my apprehensions to drugs, but that I had an open mind and would consider limited treatment.
He interviewed me with basic questions, and came to what I thought was the question “Who was the first president?”. So I said George Washington, but I could tell by his face that maybe he said “current president.” Strike one, but I recovered and gave him “Ronald Reagan.”
Then he gave me a test called “serial 7s” where you have to count down from 100 by 7s. I thought I did it okay, but I hesitated a bit and he proceeded to tell me that I should have done it faster because I was a computer engineering student and should know my math. I told him that the point was to have the computers do the work, but if he wanted me to solve some algebra or calculus problems he should bring them on. Oh well… strike two. And if you think counting down by sevens is easy, try it sometime when you can barely understand your doctor, are stressed, and in an unfamiliar environment-- with or without schizophrenia.
Then he rushed me through hurriedly explaining my delusions which I did thinking naively that he needed to hear MY story. And that was strike three, because he then told me to leave the room, wait outside and bring my mother in. I’ve been told that she thought the whole episode was surreal and that he was a very strange fellow.
Anyway, a few minutes later the door opens and I’m invited in and he proceeds to start prescribing four different drugs and I wasn’t even close to psychotic at the time. So I told him he I didn’t feel heard, my situation wasn’t that serious, and would he consider a more limited treatment. And he told me to take it or leave it. So I walked out, and went back to my therapist.
After a year of Jungian therapy without drugs, a new part-time job and part-time local college work (I’d dropped out of my University) I eventually did have a psychotic break and a short hospitalization. By that time, I’d realized I wouldn’t keep my job if I didn’t opt for drug therapy, and my therapist had a different p-doc for referrals. A moderate dose of a single typical AP was prescribed, I kept my job, advanced in my career, eventually finished college and I haven’t been back to the hospital since.
My mother and I can laugh about it now, but we wonder how much pain and trauma we all could have avoided if we’d just gotten a second opinion or shopped around for p-docs ahead of time.