I suspect most of us who have been on this mental-illness treadmill for a good while have run into at least one p-doc who doesn't seem to be a good fit for us. (Note that I'm the one who started the "shrink" joke thread.) I have "fired" a p-doc and even been "fired" by one myself. Sigh.

The key questions, I think, to ask yourself are: Do I trust this guy? Do I feel comfortable that he has my best interest at heart? At the bottom line, does he seem to be a competent p-doc who keeps up with the literature and who is trying to understand my uniqueness as a patient?

Sad to say, the way the mental-health world is set up, p-docs are basically medicine dispensers. Most of them might muddle through a fifteen-minute session with us and then decide what, if anything, to do about our drugs. They aren't generally of the mindset that they are "therapists." Therefore, I personally see a p-doc and a therapist (psychiatric social worker.) They work in the same office, so they can talk about my case and share their input with each other. I'm finding it to be an effective treatment approach.

Good luck, whatever you decide about retaining him as your mental-health doctor.