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DechanDawa
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Default May 12, 2020 at 07:15 AM
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by susannahsays View Post
Dechan Dawa, it's never ok for a therapist to advise a client to stop taking their medication, regardless of what the client tells them. That is beyond their scope of practice and unethical. They can suggest a client speak to the prescriber if they have concerns, but the therapist is not competent to address those concerns unless they happen to be a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner who is also providing therapy.

As for crisis hotlines, those will actually call the cops on you for a welfare check if you say the sorts of things OP said. I don't think that would be a very good solution. OP was also motivated, according to his own account, to say the things he did in hopes of provoking particular responses from his therapist. This is not at all unusual. I do the same thing, although not with threatening or insinuating I might kill myself. But the point I'm trying to make is that OP really wanted to communicate with his therapist, not some random stranger on a hotline.

My post wasn't about shaming OP or trying to make him feel bad. Nobody is perfect and I'm the last person to claim I'm some sort of model client. I'm pretty manipulative and a bit of a nightmare. It just didn't seem like OP was aware of how his actions likely came across. It's really unfortunate that he didn't anticipate the consequences of his behavior.

OP, I'm also concerned based on your last reply that you're taking what's happened and telling yourself that you're helpless to prevent the same thing from happening again. I think that's a cognitive distortion. It is certainly true that you cannot control what a future therapist or psychiatrist does. However, how they respond to you does not occur in a vacuum - your actions do have an impact. I am struck by the way you have phrased several of your actions because it is clear they were designed to provoke your therapist into specific responses. This is manipulative and people really don't like such transparent attempts to manipulate them. I'm not sitting on some high horse and judging you for it - as I've already mentioned, I can be very manipulative myself. It's something I struggle with when I feel threatened by someone. Judging by everything you've said, it sounds like you have a tendency towards emotional manipulation to get certain needs met. This is not unusual, although other people who do the same thing tend to have a lot of trouble in interpersonal relationships. I think this strategy/method of coping just backfired on you this time. But that doesn't mean you can't be more aware of how what you're saying will be received. For example, if you want to express thoughts about dying but you don't want the recipient to interpret what you're saying as suicidal intent, you now know it's important to spell that out.

Anyway, I'm rambling at this point. I hope you don't rule out seeking help in the future and I certainly hope you haven't just stopped your wellbutrin and anything else you're on because you've decided you never want to see anyone else in the mental health field ever again. In my experience, going off meds is rough and can cause a temporary increase in suicidal thoughts. Please take care.




1) I never said a therapist should advise a patient to stop taking their medication.

2) I referred to crisis hotlines as one part of a Suicide Prevention Plan...and yes, crisis hotline numbers are included in Suicide Prevention Plans. You cannot predict what would have happened if this person called a Crisis Hotline. In actuality, crisis counselors often do not have to call the police for intervention after speaking with a caller. They are not simply "random strangers" but skilled crisis counselors. In fact I think they are more skilled at handling a crisis situation than most therapists.


3) I never said anyone on the thread was trying to shame the OP.


4) You start addressing the OP personally halfway through the comment you started out by addressing me. It might be more clear if you post a separate comment to the OP.



5) I tried to keep my comments general based on my personal experiences and the experiences of others I know in my personal life and posters here on PC. I tried to point out weaknesses in the system.


You certainly have the right to say whatever you wish within reason and the forum guidelines, but I think calling out the OP on his behavior and assessing it as manipulative is a bit much as is labeling something as a cognitive distortion.


He can do whatever he wants regarding his medication. I myself stopped taking psych medications twice with absolutely no ill effects, so this is particular to the individual. However, I would not take it upon myself to advise the OP about medications whether it be to stop or not stop them. Anyway, he has a psychiatrist he can consult on these matters - which you would know if you read his narrative carefully. I don't think he needs you to tell him what he should or should not do regarding his medications or therapy - however, he never once gave indication that he was stopping his medication.

My apologies if I appeared to tell Stahrgeyzer what to do or not to do. My comments were meant mainly to point to weaknesses in the system.

I will refrain from further comments on this threat as I do not want to get stressed out over inane arguments.

Let's all try to support one another.

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Last edited by DechanDawa; May 12, 2020 at 08:00 AM..
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