[THE16THDOCTOR]

I live with bipolar I disorder and anxiety/panic disorder. I work in the mental health field as a social worker and counselor, my illnesses are not disclosed.
So I'm in the office yesterday and a client calls who is having an intense panic attack. This person wants to go to the er as they were out of Ativan. Now he took too much Ativan earlier in the week bc the panic increased, which was their fault. But then my supervisor proceeded to lecture this person on Ativan and all benzos, telling this person they should never be prescribed this ever and they need to just deal with the panic using breathing coping skills. This is a clinician. As someone who takes Klonipin as needed and uses coping skills in addition so I don't always need it, I was infuriated that a professional had the nerve to tell someone with panic disorder in a state of panic that they need to "deal with it." When she hung up the phone she went on a mini rant abt how unnecessary anti anxiety medications are bc you just need to learn skills to cope. This is an illness were talking abt. These medications are designed to alleviate the intense pain caused from it and I have to listen to someone say to get over it in a clinicians role? I was ****ing pissed. Maybe I'm overreacting.

[wiretwister]

a little different but in the same vein, tonight my wife said you will be and feel better when you tell yourself to do so...so I guess my depression will just be magically wished away....

[~Christina]

You had/have a right to be pissed, I would have been. Was very ignorant for her to act that way. Shame on her.

[BlackSheep79]

You are not overreacting. It drives me nuts when people that have a career in the mental health field make stupid comments like that. Why did you go into the field if you feel like that? You're not helping, you are making it worse, maybe even causing that person to end there life by one stupid comment. I went to a pdoc a couple of years ago for a second opinion. Within two minutes she looked at me and said your not dressed like your manic. I didn't even know what to say. I can't say it on here, but I went home that night and almost did something because of that comment.

[unicornlady]

Definitely not overreacting!

I can see where it comes from, because people who have not had a panic attack/severe anxiety can't fathom how bad it really is. I know before I had any panic attacks I just thought people were being overly sensitive drama queens. But I know better now. Klonopin made it possible for me to leave my house. Maybe you can find a way for this supervisor to connect to a story or casually shared video? They may be ignorant of the internal severity...

But seriously, that makes me super pissed too. If you're going into a line of work like that, you shouldn't be a pig and undermine those kinds of experiences. It's like the classic line for depressed people, "why don't you just get out of bed?" Ha.

[BipolaRNurse]

I would have been pissed too. I know how people in the health professions tend to become jaded, but that's no excuse for this clinician's behavior. She sounds burned out and lacks compassion.

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by wiretwister

a little different but in the same vein, tonight my wife said you will be and feel better when you tell yourself to do so...so I guess my depression will just be magically wished away....

if your depression does not improve, tell the wife that this is because she has not been wishing it away strongly enough.

[THE16THDOCTOR]

Thanks for your relies. It makes me so angry that someone who is in this field, as a Supervisor no less, to help could be so ignorant and insensitive to someone's symptoms. The individual wanted to go to the hospital bc it was so bad and was told not to and was made to feel like this person was simply overreacting. What if they hurt themselves or worse after they were told not to go to the hospital and just deal w it? Everything is well with the situation luckily. I voiced my opinion as professionally as I could at the next staff meeting but was blown off. Said they were fine now and Told me shouldn't even be on Ativan they can cope with anxiety and panic without it (mind you this is not a dr speaking so I find it incredibly aggravating to hear). I really wanted to say to this supervisor how the **** would you know when you haven't seen this person face to face in months and you're just dealing w this on the phone bc they were in crisis one time? It's over and done with now, the person is well and healthy getting the treatment they need

[Crazy Hitch]

What a load of bollox that person said.

There are times when we need medication to get through.

I've been on benzos for over a year.

Admittedly the amount of time I've been on it isn't good. But my old pdoc kept handing them out like candy.

I know my new pdoc will eventually start weaning me off them. When the time is right.

I have never ever taken more than that which has been prescribed to me.

But I will never forget the one Sunday when I had run out. Wasn't seeing pdoc til that week. Went in to see a regular doc who s hat all over me, I got such a lecture on how I shouldn't be on this medication yadda yadda yadda.

I left there feeling like an absolute criminal.

Or a junkie on the side of the street.

Good lord. This sounds like the type of advice I have gotten from the Acute Care Team in my health district. I have called them when I was suicidal, they said use your coping techniques, called in a mixed state use your coping techniques etc No one even listened to me to say I have used them for weeks and they arent working.
Last week I got jack of it turned up at ED told the person from the acute care teaam that if someone tells me one more time to try my coping techniques iwas going to shove them up their ***. I finally got a med reviewwhich I should have had a month before. I was surprised that they took the time to read my T and GP letters. They even said to take an extra valium.
I wish these persons could experience a mixed state or severe anxiety for 5 days and then imagine having it for a whole month non-stop.

[wing]

I've discovered after working as a nurse on a locked unit that there are alot of jaded and ignorant health care workers who make judgements about patients all the time. They need to find another job.

[sidney1771]

Her comments seemed over the top, but I can see the need for concern over a patient having the medication Ativan and using it in the manner it was. Before jumping to one side or another here, I would like to know what this patient's history was and her history with him. On the surface it seems rude. I don't know the whole story. Maybe this has happened before and he needs to learn how to deal. Maybe he was warned when given the medication to not abuse it and if he did that he was on his own.

As a patient who receives pretty powerful medications and can kill myself several times over with what I have, I know that I MUST act responsibly in order to earn the right to keep medications at my house to treat my conditions.

This person's comments are not nice. But since when are co-workers banned from venting to each other. You had the opportunity to defend this guy, not as a person with mental illness, but just as a person. Instead you take the same action that she did...vent to a group of "co-workers" about a person that doesn't get the situation.

I don't know the entire story or background for either of these people, so I find it incredibly unfair to pass judgement.

[wing]

Originally Posted by sidney1771

Her comments seemed over the top, but I can see the need for concern over a patient having the medication Ativan and using it in the manner it was. Before jumping to one side or another here, I would like to know what this patient's history was and her history with him. On the surface it seems rude. I don't know the whole story. Maybe this has happened before and he needs to learn how to deal. Maybe he was warned when given the medication to not abuse it and if he did that he was on his own.

As a patient who receives pretty powerful medications and can kill myself several times over with what I have, I know that I MUST act responsibly in order to earn the right to keep medications at my house to treat my conditions.

This person's comments are not nice. But since when are co-workers banned from venting to each other. You had the opportunity to defend this guy, not as a person with mental illness, but just as a person. Instead you take the same action that she did...vent to a group of "co-workers" about a person that doesn't get the situation.

I don't know the entire story or background for either of these people, so I find it incredibly unfair to pass judgement.

Where the heck are you coming from?
It sounds to me like you are being incredibly judgmental about a post that is legitimate, since other posts have been supportive of this situation. You admit yourself you don't know the whole story. Seems like Doctor was awfully clear about the situation to me.

As for venting and trying to bring this behavior to light in a staff meeting: Staff meetings are called so that people who work together can learn from each other. Maybe this isn't the first time the situation has come up and at the very least, those present may have looked at their own behavior and realized they may be minimizing a patient's problem at one time or another. The way Doctor handled it was diplomatic and appropriate.

[sidney1771]

Being supportive doesn't always entail hugs and kisses. Being supportive also means taking an opposing side once in a while and pointing out other considerations. Just as we have bad days and want other people to cut us some slack and understand, so do other people who don't have mental illnesses. Who knows, maybe this clinician also has an undisclosed mental illness.

There always seems to be more to the story then what is presented. I know that when I relay situations to people, embellishments are typically used and my personal viewpoints embedded into the threads. It becomes skewed, especially if I'm passionate about it. I find it reasonable to raise questions for thought.

[wing]

Originally Posted by sidney1771

Being supportive doesn't always entail hugs and kisses. Being supportive also means taking an opposing side once in a while and pointing out other considerations. Just as we have bad days and want other people to cut us some slack and understand, so do other people who don't have mental illnesses. Who knows, maybe this clinician also has an undisclosed mental illness.

There always seems to be more to the story then what is presented. I know that when I relay situations to people, embellishments are typically used and my personal viewpoints embedded into the threads. It becomes skewed, especially if I'm passionate about it. I find it reasonable to raise questions for thought.

I do agree with you on some points raised in your posts. What triggered me is the last sentence using the word "judgmental". Use of benzos is a hot topic and raises a lot of hackles. Their use is appropriate is many cases, and perhaps some things you said about the client's situation may be true. Just seems to me that the issue was not the client, but the behavior of the clinician. Doctor was expressing feelings about the situation, and those feelings were the focus of the post. I didn't think it was necessary to write the last sentence.

The threads I start are usually full of points I may overlook due to passion about the subject. But the replies are supposed to be supportive. I have been gently rebuked many times. Often there are points raised that I didn't consider and were helpful to me. I have only once in the many years I has been on the forum received an usually abusive reply. I don't think your post was abusive at all, but I don't think the use of the word "judgmental" belongs in a reply when a person is looking for support.

Peace, please and thank you.

[unicornlady]

Hey, I haven't looked at this thread in a while - I just wanted to say kudos to 16thDoctor for raising the concern professionally, even though the staff weren't ready to hear it (ugh!!!)

I'm so glad the person is well, healthy, and getting the treatment they need.