My story isn't anywhere near as sad and infuriating as yours, but I do know a little about what you're talking about. I HATE having to go to a doctor who doesn't know me. Last winter I broke my right big toe and had to go into the urgent care center to have it checked out. Unfortunately the doctor seemed to be more interested in my psych history because he read off all five of my psych meds---JUST the psych meds---from the list and said "You're on an awful lot of stuff here". Pissed me off. It had absolutely nothing to do with my busted toe.

Then I was at the hospital ER on Friday with severe right-sided belly pain, and of course the psych meds came up for discussion but thankfully they left it there and tended to my actual complaint. But they know me at this place---I worked there off and on for 5 years---and it didn't feel like such an invasion of my privacy. They also didn't ignore me or try to lay everything at the feet of my bipolar; in fact, I got the full-meal deal, complete with an IV contrast CT scan and Dilaudid for the pain. (Turns out I have cysts on both ovaries, which could be a problem since I'm well past menopause.)

That's why I'll wait for treatment sometimes until I can get to my own primary care doc or at least the health system I know. I'm sorry you were treated so poorly, OP. Nobody deserves that, and yet it happens all too often. But you can get a measure of revenge when they send out that survey form which asks you to describe your experience at the ER.....make sure you mark that thing, make some comments, and send it back! Patient satisfaction scores are all the rage nowadays, it's how hospitals are judged by the feds who hold the purse strings. Believe me, bad reviews bring the hammer down on institutions that don't measure up.