[Resident Bipolar]

All my past psychiatrists over the 5 years I've been known to the services have always just thrown medication at me. "I'm depressed" - medication. "I don't feel close to my family" - here have some medication. "I'm really lonely and have nothing to do" - medcation should solve that for you. "It's been half an hour now, so off you pop".

Today when I went for a medication review with a new psychiatrist I was worried I was just going to be in there for a short while, he/she was going to put me on some new medication with some undesirable side effects, then usher me out. I was totally wrong!

She introduced herself nicely, shook my hand, told me to take a seat and began discussing everything with me. As I explained the increased suicidal thoughts and self harming behaviors, she listened. Others have interrupted me and just looked down at her paper. She, however, took notes only occasionally - maintaining eye contact for a lot of the time. Did she prescribed me medication? Well yes she increased my dose of Celexa, but aside from that, she also discussed with me techniques to stop my panic attacks without the help of medication. She told me a trick to try and adjust recurring nightmares (before I go sleep, imagine the outcome of such a dream and how I'd like the dream to end, and repeat every night, to alter that recurring nightmare into something better).

We talked about mindfulness and other things I can do. She demonstrated the things I could do to help myself right in front of me, and was keen to make another appointment. She didn't even rush and I got a full hour.

Best psychiatrist I've encountered!
RB

[faerie_moon_x]

wow! That's great news! I'm really happy for you.

[venusss]

That's great to hear.

(I knew the nightmare trick, but that you should do it when woken up from bad dream).

[jmv1962]

That is SO great to hear. A good practitioner is powerful ally and partner. Good for you, too for sticking it out through the bad and mediocre experiences you've had.

jmv

[Cocosurviving]

Congrats to you! It can be hard finding good providers.

[hamster-bamster]

I know what you mean comparing her eye contact with the lack of eye contact from prior p-docs who looked down at their paperwork.

Congrats!!

[ibex]

That is so good to hear. I am glad things are going to smooth out. I too am new to learning Mindfulness. I have heard alot of great things about it.

I hope you find peace in it. stick to it.

[spoiltmom]

That is great news!

[Resident Bipolar]

Originally Posted by dark_heart_x

wow! That's great news! I'm really happy for you.

Thank you! Yeah I'm so relieved, finally got a psychiatrist I can feel comfortable around and get more from than just medication prescriptions

Originally Posted by VenusHalley

That's great to hear.

(I knew the nightmare trick, but that you should do it when woken up from bad dream).

Oh I might have took it in wrong. She'd given me a lot of things to try in the space of an hour so I began finding it a bit difficult to take it all in, I think she was the manic one, not me

Originally Posted by jmv1962

That is SO great to hear. A good practitioner is powerful ally and partner. Good for you, too for sticking it out through the bad and mediocre experiences you've had.

jmv

Yeah it's brilliant and a big relief. I haven't seen a psychiatrist for about 5 months because of the transition from the child mental health team to the adult mental health team, so I was really anxious and we had a lot to discuss. At first I thought "Hmm. I think she's in a mood with me for some reason" but in the end I relaxed a lot more and discovered she's probably the best psychiatrist I've encountered. My therapist and social worker should be like her too! :P

Originally Posted by hamster-bamster

I know what you mean comparing her eye contact with the lack of eye contact from prior p-docs who looked down at their paperwork.

Congrats!!

I knew I wasn't the only one. For me it just felt, without eye contact, I wasn't really being connected with. I know it's a professional situation but I think it's always important to have that connection with a therapist/psychiatrist/whoever to be able to get my emotions across without feeling as though I'm discussing my life story to a stranger.

It also made me feel as though I should stop talking. I'd watch them writing notes and wonder whether they'd taken in all that I'd said. Was I rushing them? Should I slow down? Has it all gone in? Do I need to say it again? Eye contact with this psychiatrist seemed to alleviate that stress.

Originally Posted by Cocosurviving

Congrats to you! It can be hard finding good providers.

Thank you (:

Originally Posted by perfectlyflawed

That is so good to hear. I am glad things are going to smooth out. I too am new to learning Mindfulness. I have heard alot of great things about it.

I hope you find peace in it. stick to it.

I did a lot of mindfulness in hospital but the problem was it was the first thing in the day - after waking up at around 8am, having half an hour to get showered and ready and then beginning mindfulness at 8:30am. Having just woken up and been given my meds (which at the time were high and caused terrible somnolence and lethargy), I found relaxing whilst doing Mindfulness not only prevented me from taking it all in but also led to me falling asleep during it.

All the other patients had most likely found it funny to see me snoring away on the sofa. However mindfulness every day first thing in the morning sort of ruined the experience and during that time I couldn't wait to finish it and find somewhere in the hospital quiet so I could just go sleep.

Mindfulness is brilliant, I'm just glad I have a psychiatrist that also finds it helpful, instead of one that just sees me to prescribe medication and perform the same generic routine of assessment, review and changes.

RB.

[Resident Bipolar]

Already used the breathing exercises about 4 times today! They actually work!
RB

[Travelinglady]

Wonderful!