![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 17 of 17. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Kind Girl on March 11, 2004, at 21:37:19
Okay, I am relatively new here...new to therapy pretty much...and I am not sure, but pretty positive when all of you say "pdoc" you are referring to your psychiatrist? Am I right?
Well...my "pdoc" is very curt....very short...saw me a whopping 5 minutes for my initial diagnosis, threw some anti depressents at me and sent me on my way! The next visit she did the same thing. Gave me a refill....never really asked me much about how I was doing. In fact, she told me after the LONG 5 minute evaluation that I didn't have PTSD because I wasn't hiding under tables. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When I told my t. her mouth dropped. She said, "You even fooled the psychiatrist with your charm!" and she couldn't believe the psych didn't see through it. I WAS very nervous and tried to act cool and I guess it fooled the doctor.
Sooooooooooooooooooooooooo...all that being said, I am a bit jealous of all of your great doctors! I know I have a very loving T. that some of you said were jealous so I guess it is even!
I went to p doc on Weds and she added remeron to my wellbutrin...FYI....that was a long visit...6 minutes this time!
Posted by toomuchpain on March 11, 2004, at 22:06:36
In reply to I think my psychiatrist doesn't like me......., posted by Kind Girl on March 11, 2004, at 21:37:19
my pdoc is the same way with me.. he doesnt say much of anything and just gives me meds... i thought there was something wrong with me too ... but i relized that is how he is with all his patients... my sessions are about 6-8 mins and that is it ...
Posted by Dinah on March 12, 2004, at 1:10:53
In reply to I think my psychiatrist doesn't like me......., posted by Kind Girl on March 11, 2004, at 21:37:19
But that's perfectly ok with me.
Posted by tinydancer on March 12, 2004, at 1:33:37
In reply to I think my psychiatrist doesn't like me......., posted by Kind Girl on March 11, 2004, at 21:37:19
As unfortunate as it is, I think you are experiencing a fairly common phenomenon....
That is not to say that all p-docs are cold and dismissive, but a number of folks here as personal friends of mine have been extremely hurt by the treatment they recieve from p-docs.
I myself will NEVER go to one again, the last one I went to was downright cruel and demeaning. I find that psychologists are much more caring and have more empathy.
Posted by Elle2021 on March 12, 2004, at 1:51:46
In reply to Re: I think my psychiatrist doesn't like me....... » Kind Girl, posted by tinydancer on March 12, 2004, at 1:33:37
I had to convince my pdoc to see me for an hour. He wanted to do 30 minute med checks instead. (This was before I started seeing a therapist). It really hurt my feelings that he didn't want to talk to me about what was going on in my life and the problems I was having. Do you only see your pdoc for meds and have a separate therapist for counseling? I was told that the rule is that a person is only supposed to see one therapist/pdoc at a time for therapy, but that it is okay and a good thing to see a therapist for therapy and a pdoc for meds...which is what I'm doing.
Elle
Posted by Penny on March 12, 2004, at 8:10:09
In reply to Re: I think my psychiatrist doesn't like me......., posted by Elle2021 on March 12, 2004, at 1:51:46
I'm one of the few with a fantastic pdoc. In our last session I was having a problem with transferential-type feelings toward him and so on, and our session lasted nearly 2 hours. He's seen me as frequently as every week, he's available 24-7 by pager, he's given me his home phone number, and I can email him (though that's not the most reliable way of reaching him, I've discovered...).
Anyway - he was the third pdoc I'd seen. The first two did the 15 minute or less med checks, and the 2nd of those recommended ECT for me, after never once asking if I was suicidal and only trying me on a couple of different meds. I also saw a pdoc of course during my hospital stay last summer who was less than helpful, to put it kindly. I know I am fortunate to have found a doc who is as knowledgable and caring as mine, and I so wish those of you who need such a doc could find one as well. But they are, unfortunately, few and far between. :-(
My pdoc *doesn't* do 'therapy' with me, per se. Not to the extent/depth that my therapist does. But he *knows* me and what's going on in my life, which I think is vital. And he referred me to my current therapist, who I think is fabulous (as most of you know).
Another couple of things to point out, tho' - my pdoc treats probably more children and adolescents than adults (though he does treat both), and he is a "neuropsychiatrist", not just a psychiatrist.
P
Posted by Miss Honeychurch on March 12, 2004, at 8:40:39
In reply to I think my psychiatrist doesn't like me......., posted by Kind Girl on March 11, 2004, at 21:37:19
I had one and only one experience with a psychiatrist and it was enough to put me off forever. I figured when I first decided I needed help that I would go straight to the top, to a psychiatrist. I had no idea that pretty much all they do these days is solely deal with medicine.
So after a 10 minute interview, he told me I needed drugs and started writing out a prescription. I told him I wanted to try psychology first.
"Well, it's clear to me you should be on meds, but if you want to make yourself miserable with talk therapy, be my guest," he said disgustedly. "Here's the number of the LCSW who works here, I assume you'll want to see a woman." And with that, he shut his door and left me out in the hall, making it clear I had just wasted his valuable time.
The LCSW I saw was awful as well, but my current T, a clinical psychologist, is wonderful.
Posted by Camille Dumont on March 12, 2004, at 10:11:11
In reply to Re: I think my psychiatrist doesn't like me......., posted by Miss Honeychurch on March 12, 2004, at 8:40:39
I got a horrible evaluation with the shrink at the psych hospital ... scared me into hiding absolutely all my symptoms, lying, etc. etc. His attitude was very confrontational and I was sooo afraid to end up locked up in there that I denied all the suicidal thoughts, all the ideation, the halluciantions, everything.
But after that, my psychologist gave me the name of a shrink that does only private practice. It took a good 4 months for me to be able to see her but boy was it usefull. Her initial evaluation lasted like 1.5h and I went back another time and it was 1h. She writes detailed report and my psychologist gives me copies. I'm always amazed at the amount she remembers ... the details and such ... sometimes I'm wondering if she's hiding a tape recorder somewhere :P
As with all kinds of professionals, sometimes it helps to get a recommendation from someone. Having a good doctor can make a world of difference.
Posted by All Done on March 12, 2004, at 12:00:49
In reply to I think my psychiatrist doesn't like me......., posted by Kind Girl on March 11, 2004, at 21:37:19
Kind Girl,
I am currently looking for a new pdoc because I didn’t like how brief mine was with me. I started on an AD with a prescription from my family doctor and when I switched over to a pdoc, he just kept writing the same prescription but adjusting the dosage. I feel like I don’t have enough experience on meds to know what works best for me and I guess I just need a little guidance to help me understand how a different medication or a different dosage might help to improve my current state of being. Hopefully, I will find a pdoc that will take at least a little more time talking to me about this and *then* we can decide what, if any, changes need to be made. Once I know and understand a little more, I’m guessing I’ll feel comfortable with short visits.
Take care,
All Done
Posted by terrics on March 12, 2004, at 15:25:40
In reply to I think my psychiatrist doesn't like me......., posted by Kind Girl on March 11, 2004, at 21:37:19
I would give it a few more tries and then look for someone else. My pdoc is not very nice, but she took 1 hr for eval. and gives 1/2 hr now. She has a wonderful brain for meds, but she is rude, curt and stubborn. I would leave except for her brains. How can your pdoc evaluate you in 5-6 minutes? She needs more info/input from you. terrics
Posted by spoc on March 14, 2004, at 0:40:22
In reply to Re: I think my psychiatrist doesn't like me....... » Kind Girl, posted by tinydancer on March 12, 2004, at 1:33:37
So good to hear all of your pdoc comments. To those of you who like your pdocs, please excuse my generalizations here. Like Miss Honeychurch I too chose a pdoc when I knew it was time for help, based only on thinking I'd get the best help I could. This one insisted on providing the talk therapy too, which turned out NOT to be psychotherapy, but psychoanalysis. MEGA difference. Ouch -- to both head and pocketbook. I'll need therapy to get over it! Keep in mind that if you don't need the "big guns" for your problems yet, or need to lift your spirits and functionality as soon as possible, you might not want to start with analysis. Most importantly, looking back I see that some very key "ground rules" for client/analyst interaction were not followed either, so that anyone at all (not just a vulnerable patient) would have been insulted.
I take responsibility because I didn't do my technique homework before I chose a pdoc, and didn't ask for concrete answers at the consultation. But he knew when I came in wagging my tail and talking about combining cognitive behavioral aspects and energizing stuff with hashing out my problems that this wasn't what I had intended to stumble into. Pdocs train on hospitalized patients. Analysis looks for serious problems in you -- not garden variety ones or good qualities. And I'm sure many people end up believing they are much worse off than they actually are -- or were before they came in anyway.
> As unfortunate as it is, I think you are experiencing a fairly common phenomenon....
>
> That is not to say that all p-docs are cold and dismissive, but a number of folks here as personal friends of mine have been extremely hurt by the treatment they recieve from p-docs.
>
> I myself will NEVER go to one again, the last one I went to was downright cruel and demeaning. I find that psychologists are much more caring and have more empathy.
Posted by terrics on March 14, 2004, at 10:13:27
In reply to Re: I think my psychiatrist doesn't like me......., posted by spoc on March 14, 2004, at 0:40:22
I had a pdoc for 10 yrs. He was just a down to earth guy. He never made a big deal out of anything even on the day I was nearly arrested. That day he just said; 'take an extra klonopin' which worked well. His dx for me was cyclothymia. I was on 2 meds and he never made me feel crazy. Now I am on 5 meds, have a dx of borderline [from one crazy T.]and am going to DBT whether I am 'crazy' or not. I left the good pdoc for ins. reasons. I shouldn't knock DBT though because I think I need it. I think alot of Ts are borderline. terrics
Posted by spoc on March 14, 2004, at 11:45:21
In reply to Re: I think I made a mistake » spoc, posted by terrics on March 14, 2004, at 10:13:27
Terrics, were you in analysis with the good pdoc or just seeing him for meds? My pdoc takes things in stride too, maybe too much so. It's his lines of questioning and occasional (closed-ended) hypotheses that can easily be seen to be considering only worst-case dx scenarios. When in reality there is every reason to think my problems may have worsened due only to being "developmentally directionless" and able to continue floundering indefinitely. I do unrewarding work at home and am accountable/observable to no one. Socially/personally I show only what I want to show, when I want to show it. I have it all locked up. I don't *have* to change and that's not good for the increasingly lethargic and hopeless. But implementing some structure, goals and positivity with the right T as influence may buouy me up exponentially and I think I owe it to myself to try that first!
Additionally, of all the personality disorders he seems to be entertaining, the one thing he won't take seriously no matter how descriptive I get is that I am, at least as a result of other things, depressed. I am 100% on my own as this "analysis" ensues to figure out how to feel any better and keep it in motion, and that is the last way I wanted to feel when I finally sought help.
But again, I acknowledge that as far as any kind of therapist including pdocs, we can't put them all in a box any more than we want them to put us all in a box. I had spent a lot of $$ shopping around for the right one, and it disheartens me that I was so sure the vibe was right. BUT I did not ask/know that this would end up being psychoanalysis.
> I had a pdoc for 10 yrs. He was just a down to earth guy. He never made a big deal out of anything even on the day I was nearly arrested. That day he just said; 'take an extra klonopin' which worked well. His dx for me was cyclothymia. I was on 2 meds and he never made me feel crazy. Now I am on 5 meds, have a dx of borderline [from one crazy T.]and am going to DBT whether I am 'crazy' or not. I left the good pdoc for ins. reasons. I shouldn't knock DBT though because I think I need it. I think alot of Ts are borderline. terrics
Posted by terrics on March 14, 2004, at 13:35:14
In reply to Re: I think I made a mistake {{ terrics, posted by spoc on March 14, 2004, at 11:45:21
Why struggle. Look again. Not that getting better is not going to be a struggle anyway. Good luck and feel better. Depression stinks. terrics
Posted by lonelygirl on March 19, 2004, at 1:00:25
In reply to I think my psychiatrist doesn't like me......., posted by Kind Girl on March 11, 2004, at 21:37:19
Nobody answered the question about what "pdoc" means! I have a pretty good guess that it's psychiatrist, so I hope somebody will correct me if I'm wrong...
Anyway, I have been going to a psychiatrist for, oh, about 10 years, I think? My parents forced me when I was in jr. high and high school. They also forced me to go to a psychologist for several years, but eventually, that stopped and it was just the psychiatrist for the meds (I've been on Zoloft and Ritalin, Welbutrin, and currently Prozac). I go maybe 2 or 3 times a year for refills. She asks her standard questions (How are "things" going? Are you having any suicidal thoughts? Etc.) and I give her all the standard answers (Fine; no; etc.) and she gives me the prescription.
It makes my parents happy, but I don't even take the meds. Nobody seems to know the difference, including the psychiatrist. I gave up on psychology/psychiatry a long time ago, because it seemed like they just wanted to shove meds down my throat to "solve" my problems, which obviously does NOT solve my problems. Also, it seems kind of wrong to me that this woman just refills my prescription without even thinking about it or evaluating its effectiveness (or lack thereof). I was not under the impression that this is how "treatment" is supposed to go.
Anyway, I recently got into some trouble at school (I am in college) and was forced to go to counseling at the student health center as my punishment. I went, grudgingly, only because I had to, and I intended to go just for the mandatory number of sessions and be done with it. Then I actually started to like the guy (a psychologist who recently got his Ph.D. from the same school), so I am still going. He has no knowledge of the situation with the psychiatrist, and the psychiatrist has no knowledge that I am seeing the psychologist.
Posted by Dr. Bob on March 19, 2004, at 13:18:14
In reply to Re: I think my psychiatrist doesn't like me......., posted by lonelygirl on March 19, 2004, at 1:00:25
> Nobody answered the question about what "pdoc" means!
Sorry about that, see:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/psycho-babble-tips/links/Miscellaneous_001009377572
Bob
Posted by lonelygirl on March 20, 2004, at 5:27:08
In reply to Re: Abbreviations, posted by Dr. Bob on March 19, 2004, at 13:18:14
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Psychology | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.