I have had good experiences with a pdoc. He was a pretty great person, in the office and outside of the office. I was and am greatful that I got him as a dr.
He had a similar background to mine, we were both street youths. He helped me with stuff beyond Bipolar too. He treated me with dignity and respect. He worked with me not above me. He paid for my childcare so I could do outpatient. He sent me to his wife's naturopath when my dr's could not after years find the cause of physical illness. He helped me secure a volunteer job with his friend. And the thing is, I was a very proud person, accepting his help was very hard for me. He introduced me to mindfulness. He talked to me about life stuff all the time, my appointments were not timed. He made time for you any time. He made a point to get to know you personally.
Someone helped him once..to get his education, and all they asked him in return was to help others when he was able to. He retired, but I am sure he helped many many people. He was caring, empathetic, and he could also relate to his patients, he had his own struggles.
And although I do not want the meds any longer, and I have some bad experiences, this Pdoc was not one of them. He was a pivotal person for me. I feel lucky that he was my first pdoc, and that I got to see him for many years. My story might be a bit different than others, the meds did not help me, and that is me. Someone in psychiatry did help save my life. He made sure I got lots of tools, therapy, he helped shape my perspective, these things have changed my life.