ask for a comprehensive copy of your medical file - you are entitled to it

as for researching a new pdoc.. start with the list given to you by your insurance, but also talk to other health professionals and anyone else you know who might be able to recommend one. Then... and i wish everyone did this with both pdocs and t's - interview them.

seriously... these are the people who will be trying to affect your brain and mind, don't pick one with less thought than you give to buying a ripe tomato. Make a list of the issues you feel are important, and design questions based on that.

it will strike some as odd, and some may get indignant but you wouldn't want a pdoc that can't have an exchange with you or treat you as if this is your health, which after all, it is.

when you book tell them you are booking the appointment to meet them and decide if it is a good match. Ask them about their experience in the areas you need to address. Ask about other things that might matter to you - ie some people prefer their caregivers to have specific values or spiritual beliefs, etc. You could come up with various scenarios and ask what their approach would be. i'm sure just reading through this site would give you ideas for things like that. i was misdiagnosed for example, and spent 11 yrs on psych meds for no good reason.

remember... you are hiring them, really. It's not child's play and you should always feel confident in them.

oh.. and one other thing, if you don't currently have a therapist, consider that angle. One thing i learned over the years is that pdocs tend to reach more for prescription solutions than other means. A therapist can help you assess whether some problems might be better managed through better coping skills, etc... and that itself may well reduce the number of medications.

best of luck!