Posted by g_g_g_unit on October 17, 2011, at 7:59:11
In reply to Re: what a jip, posted by Christ_empowered on October 17, 2011, at 6:32:39
> hey man. Please realize that psychiatry isn't exactly a science. I was told at a mental hospital/detox facility that I wasn't bipolar. I overheard workers talking about my case during the night, and apparently the theory was that I was narcissistic and "trying to be cool" by...being bipolar. I still don't get it, honestly. A couple years later, I was hospitalized and told I was (wait for it...wait for it) Bipolar I w/ Psychotic Features.
>
> I don't get the zyprexa either. I take Abilify because I hear voices. I think some sort of psychosis should be required for docs to justify long term use of neuroleptics. They are tranquilizers, though (old psychiatric text books refer to their actions on patients as one of "de-activation", marked by apathy and indifference, along with some sedation with lower potency drugs), so he might just be trying to get you to calm down and care less. Maybe he thinks a dose of apathy will do you good? I personally wouldn't take it, especially if you're already on depakote. That's like a bipolar I/schizoaffective combo right there, and those combos can make you feel like crap (trust me on that one).Sorry to hear about your crazy run-ins with the world of psychiatry .. Trying to be cool? That's whack!
I know .. this is kinda turning into sob-story-of-the-week with me, but yeah, I don't particularly get Zyprexa either. I must admit, my OCD is *crippling* and I have to be on something to treat it. But his justification, in part, for Zyprexa was that it would help treat social anxiety. Maybe if you were strung out and paranoid? but since most of my SA is due to just not really having much to say to anyone, I didn't see how Zyprexa could help that.
Lexapro alone controls my anxiety enough. The problem is that I can't tolerate stimulants even while on it, but that issue wasn't really addressed today.
> Stimulants can help OCD. Stimulants can help depression. Its weird to me that they won't at least try wellbutrin or straterra or something. Maybe they're afraid of triggering anxiety?
Yeah, he said my response to Dexedrine was too erratic (sometimes sleepy, sometimes anxious) to bother using it. I made a list of all my responses to various drugs .. Strattera had some +s, but it did cause a lot of agitation like all the stims do .. but he never really read it very thoroughly.
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> I'd find somebody else. Personally, I prefer female shrinks with lots of experience. They're not as ego-driven and hard to work with as male shrinks, and they tend to be more willing to listen to your ideas. Younger shrinks in general tend to be all about the atypicals and their own egos, so avoid them.
>I was just there for a second opinion. My primary psych. isn't ego-driven at all .. he's a psychotherapist, so quite the opposite in fact. But he is very intent on me being in psychotherapy with him - nevertheless, I'm hesitant because meds often get pushed aside for therapy and my day-to-day life quality is so poor right now. Regardless, he's the only one I've met who's listened to my story about attentional issues (rather than too-quickly writing them off as OCD-related.
It's good you brought that up though, because I'd been wondering if I'd be better off seeing someone younger .. I saw one young guy prior to immigrating who was great - very professional, easy-to-talk-to, knew his stuff (put me on Nardil after 2 other meds failed .. didn't leave me on the SSRI-go-round).
I've seen one woman in her 50s who was similar (knew her stuff, not afraid of prescribing limitations), but a total egomaniac. Also saw an older woman who ran a private hospital, but she was very prim and humorless and misdiagnosed me with schizophrenia .. so yeah ..
poster:g_g_g_unit
thread:999961
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20111016/msgs/999977.html