![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by shadows721 on February 23, 2004, at 0:34:50
I was treated for depression years ago. I suffer from PTSD. I was hospitalized around 15 yrs ago. I took Prozac for several years after that and then I quit Prozac do to feeling a flat effect. I have had years of therapy.
Any way, I was injured on the job and went into the worst depression of my life and had to be hospitalized for depression again. The atty for the employer has requested all of my medical records. I know the recent hospitalization was directly related to untreated pain from my injury. I am really freaking out bad. I have never been unfunctional until after the injury. I had no idea that yrs ago my records would be read by an atty by my employer. I don't think this is right at all! The employers atty has ALL of my mental health records. This is triggering my PTSD big time. My atty says this is what happens in suits. I am totally freaking out about this. Be warned by my experience - your records can be in the hands of wicked atty one day and used against you. It feels like a mental rape. No one knows all my stuff, but some blood sucking freaking atty for the employer does. What is this? Don't I have any bloody rights? The real knife is that I didn't even know until my therapist told me about the supena for my records. God shakes this is awful! Can anyone help give me some knowledge on this or just reply please? I am totally losing it. I literally feel totally helpless in this wicked law game with my life. Please - anyone - help me.
Posted by EERRIICC on February 23, 2004, at 1:10:54
In reply to MENTAL HEALTH are unprotected with suits? HELP!!!, posted by shadows721 on February 23, 2004, at 0:34:50
I'am sorry this happened to you. You should be commended for working, even though an organ of yours has been injured in a way that is not completely understood, and therefore stigmatized. Your employers should commend you, the attorney should commend you. Its like dishonourably discharging a soldier because he fought on despite his wounds. Fuck them all. I commend you.
Posted by Aussie on February 23, 2004, at 2:03:41
In reply to MENTAL HEALTH are unprotected with suits? HELP!!!, posted by shadows721 on February 23, 2004, at 0:34:50
I don't know what to tell you.
I just wanted you to know there was some one listening late this night. I care about you. Bad people suck. I saw that as a bumper sticker one day. I liked it.
Posted by leo33 on February 23, 2004, at 21:00:00
In reply to MENTAL HEALTH are unprotected with suits? HELP!!!, posted by shadows721 on February 23, 2004, at 0:34:50
I understand your anger and situation. I just posted to someone on this site asking if they should see a psychiatrist and start meds. I then gave a lengthy post citing the reasons of not doing this. One of them being that if you get into any sort of legal trouble / conflict that the attorneys will use your mental history records against you. I feel this is a complete abomination and abuse of our system and privacy but with Bush in office, I'm sure it will continue to get worse. It is the only disease that will serverly limit your life in many ways. (From attaining employment to attaining medical coverage to having your rights violated by the legal system) Unfortunately for me and you, we were not aware of this when we got ill, if I did I would have just gone on my own and never received help thru the system, not that they helped me that much anyway. Now I know that you will have this dragged around on you for life. Your credibility will always be questioned and your motives always suspect since they will consider you mentally ill. It is a horrible and unjust treatment in our great american system that the mentally ill have to bear on top of the illness itself. I'm sorry that you are experiencing this and I wish you the best of luck with your suit.
Posted by leo33 on February 23, 2004, at 21:10:30
In reply to MENTAL HEALTH are unprotected with suits? HELP!!!, posted by shadows721 on February 23, 2004, at 0:34:50
I found my post about this.
Personally I think your better off not going the medication route. First, Psychiatry is an inaccurate science at best. Second, psychiatric help is extremely expensive and you are better off saving your money, I have spent tens of thousands on medication and therapy only to be in the same place that I started. Third, there are many side effects that can happen and no one knows what effects long term use will cause. I'm sure if any turn up negative they will be covering their asses. Fourth, as you have been experiencing, the withdrawal syndrome, which sort of makes you feel like a drug addict since you need your fix to start taking away the withdrawal symptoms. Fifth, there is a lot of stigma involved for the people who take meds and suffer mental illnesses, (ie, you can be excluded out of jobs because you suffered the illness). Sixth, if you ever get into some type of legal trouble, they will use your illness against you to destroy your credibility (ie, The Kobe Bryant Case). Seventh, there is no accountability for the psychiatrists and drug companies for misdiagnosis's or negative drug reactions that happen sometimes leaving permanent damage. Also, if you do run out of money I can guarantee very little help or cooperation from the mental health industry or anyone else for that matter. Better to hold on to your money because if you read the posts here there are very little success stories with meds, especially for the long term. This is just my opinion thou.
Posted by jack smith on February 23, 2004, at 23:51:46
In reply to MENTAL HEALTH are unprotected with suits? HELP!!!, posted by shadows721 on February 23, 2004, at 0:34:50
As an attorney myself who has worked for two federal judges, I can tell you that federal judges are generally VERY sympathetic to mental health claims, and VERY wary of employers trying to use a history of depression against employees trying to apply for diability benefits. . . . Now, some ALJ's (administrative judges, not real judges) are not so accomodating but if they deny you benefits you get a hearing in federal court, and there, the federal judges will help you, so don't worry. Employers know this and will generally not try to use it against you, because if they do, they can get in big trouble. . . .
JACK
Posted by shadows721 on February 24, 2004, at 0:00:17
In reply to Re: MENTAL HEALTH are unprotected with suits? HELP, posted by leo33 on February 23, 2004, at 21:10:30
I thought that mental medical records were classified as confidential. Since, I was injured on the job, I have no rights to privacy in regard to any and all medical records.
So, I warn you - Don't tell what you don't want to be told. It goes against the very idea of psychiatry. There should be a trust between the client and medical professional. That goes out the door folks in legal matters in which you were hurt.
When you are in a suit for injury, you have to sign a total release of ALL PROTECT MEDICAL INFO. and if it gets in the wrong hands. I was thinking, "This doesn't even sound legal". Yes, it is according to my attorney.
I have found out that lawyers love to use the written words of your trusted personal health professional against you.
I am writing this to educate and to ventilate. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW THIS. No one cared to educate me.
I was a medical professional, but now I am not due to an injury. If I slipped on snow, I would be treated totally different. I have seen doctors out right lie to stop my case to get their kick backs. But, there is a nicer name for shortening care with intent for extra dollar in the pocket. I get better care from doctors that have nothing to do with my employer. I feel like some docs are a wolf in sheeps clothing. I don't know who I can trust, but I do not tell. I can't say that to anyone or it might be put on a record.
Posted by HappyGirl on February 24, 2004, at 8:58:50
In reply to MENTAL HEALTH are unprotected with suits? HELP!!!, posted by shadows721 on February 23, 2004, at 0:34:50
Hi:
In my guess, ... probably empolyer's atty is so aggressive to win this case. Then, every bits of your 'flaws,' although you sufferred from depression years ago, ... but they regards 'hospitalization' is 'pretty serious,' especially those who has NO good knowledge in mental illness.
I agree with you, ... it's too tough to trust anyone, once come to the case like yours. There could be better 'outcome' if you did some 'homework' before going to atty. Because, in my knowledge, if you would accuse someone or a group/employer, they'd start to investigate your background very tediously, that might be just us, 'human-nature' to fight it back as hard as we can. Then, there are many lawyers working on different cases, but I wonder how many of those accusors win and get what they REALLY want in the first place. In that regard, we're living in pretty 'cold world.'
Hopefully, you can get support and encouragement as much as possible.
H.G.
Posted by socialdeviantjeff on February 24, 2004, at 12:52:41
In reply to MENTAL HEALTH are unprotected with suits? HELP!!!, posted by shadows721 on February 23, 2004, at 0:34:50
Shadows,
I can fully understand what you are going through. I raised a discrimination complaint against one of my managers once.
IMHO, what they are trying to do is raise issues of credibility. It seems to me that your employer is trying to make it look like you are malingering. This sort of thing is very unfortunate, but here are some things I hope might help.
For one thing, people without illness will lie and malinger. This makes any issues of mental ilness highly irrelevant. Not to mention that because of your illness, they are required to accomodate you. I would consult an attorney about this since accomodation can be a gray area.
In my own suit, my ilness was dragged all over the floor and it DID feel like a mental rape of sorts. In the end, that only helped my case further. At the end of it all, I was transferred to a super that was sensetive to my illness and received back pay plus a written apology from the regional director in the company.
I can't say that the results would be the same in your situation, but there is hope. I wish you the best of luck.
SDJ
Posted by Dr. Bob on February 26, 2004, at 0:09:15
In reply to MENTAL HEALTH are unprotected with suits? HELP!!!, posted by shadows721 on February 23, 2004, at 0:34:50
> I was injured on the job and went into the worst depression of my life and had to be hospitalized for depression again. The atty for the employer has requested all of my medical records.
I'd like to redirect this thread to Psycho-Social-Babble. Here's a link:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20040219/msgs/317783.html
Thanks,
Bob
Posted by Dr. Bob on February 26, 2004, at 0:32:21
In reply to Re: MENTAL HEALTH are unprotected with suits? HELP!!!, posted by EERRIICC on February 23, 2004, at 1:10:54
> F[*]ck them all.
Please don't use language that could offend others.
If you have any questions about this or comments about posting policies in general, or are interested in alternative ways to express yourself, please see the FAQ:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faq.html#civil
or redirect a follow-up to Psycho-Babble Administration. Thanks,
Bob
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | 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.