[elevatedsoul]

so i go to a community services clinic to see pdoc/case manager...
i have been going there for some years now, i have horrible time perception so im not sure how long i have been going but i know atleast 3 years...

my pdoc diagnosed me pretty quickly, i did an evaluation with a therapist and apparently the results came back as bipolar

since the first meeting the pdoc hasn't asked me any questions, he just talks to my case manager for a few minutes then calls me in the room to tell me what he's going to do...
if i dont complain or talk to my case manager then nothing gets said...
i just moved to a new county and had to switch clinics, i got a new case manager that i have only met 2 times but i still have the same pdoc...
i like the new case manager but i feel like a broken record repeating the same thing over and over, i've tried really hard doing what im supposed to do to get a propper diagnosis...

so the only power i have is to stop taking the medications that i dont like on my own, and i have stopped just about all of the meds he had me on besides the seroquel...
i think this made him a bit upset and probably has me listed with some form of compliance issue....

i have a hard time believing that i am bipolar, and i dont believe i have an accurate diagnosis because of this pdoc not asking me about whats going on...
i think that i need to change pdocs for a few reasons, i only get to see my current pdoc once every 6-7 months... and that is not soon enough for me, i need more attention to my problems so that we can diagnose me properly and treat it accurately

its hard enough for me to talk about my problems, my thoughts and focus are so scattered

i've never changed doctors before but my GP refered me to a psychiatrist that i haven't met yet....
i have to call them and see if they will accept my insurance, and see if i can schedule an appointment/get treatment from him
i really pray that he accepts my insurance because he sounds like a really good pdoc....

i need to be re-evaluated, i dont trust my pdoc that im with now because he doesnt even ask me how i am, i am taking medicine that is hurting me more than helping me, i feel like i am misdiagnosed Bipolar I and want to get to the bottom of what is going on... which i haven't made any progress in a long time... im tired all of the time, no motivation and trying to keep myself from becoming depressed...

i am having a lot of trouble concentrating so im sorry that this post is all over the place...
i think its time to change my pdoc...

have any of you had similar experience? what should i do

[CopperStar]

I would never stick with a pdoc who didn't even bother to ask me how I'm doing or listen to my self-reporting about how things are going. I mean how irresponsible, he is basically just shooting blindly in the dark if he doesn't even get any feedback from the patient.

Outside of anxiety meds over the years from my primary physician, I've had two pdocs that I can remember. The first one was extremely aloof and condescending. I only saw him that one time, never went back and refused the prescription that he gave me. My current pdoc is actually pretty great, she listens and is respectful and lets me have a decent say in my treatment.

Psychiatric medications affect our brains/minds, so there is a massive deal of trust involved when it comes to taking these pills prescribed by pdocs. If a pdoc is not worthy of such trust, then it is best to move on if possible.

[gina_re]

I understand your frustration, I'm thinking of switching to a new pdoc too. I'm in there all of five minutes before the visit is over. I feel like he isn't really listening to me and my frustrations with my current medications or why I feel the way I do. But it's hard finding a good pdoc, and the thought of going over my entire history again is exhausting.
If you don't think you have bipolar disorder, what do you think is your current diagnosis?

[elevatedsoul]

i think a great deal of it is the ADHD ... Generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, PTSD, panic disorder and a bit of ocd

but i've literally never had the chance to try to explain to him what im feeling so we could work together on a treatment plan... he just tries to push me into therapy instead of talking to me himself

[gina_re]

You know yourself better than the doctor thinks he does. I would try finding another one. After all, you're the one paying him (well through some type of insurance anyway), so you deserve to get what you pay for.
I'm trying to give this recent med adjustment another two weeks before my distrust for him goes completely out the window and I'm on the hunt for a new doc..

[elevatedsoul]

i hope you have better luck with meds soon @gina_re

thanks for the replies, my next scheduled appointment with the pdoc is in november so im hoping to get in touch with a new pdoc before then

i feel like i dont have bipolar (or atleast bipolar I) because i cant really say that i've ever been manic, maybe i just have 0 insight into mania... but i think i would remember a manic episode, unless smoking weed for so long kept me balanced?

[CopperStar]

Originally Posted by elevatedsoul

i think a great deal of it is the ADHD ... Generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, PTSD, panic disorder and a bit of ocd

Sounds like a lot of anxiety. Anxiety is a common part of BP, but there is definitely a lot more to BP than various forms of anxiety.

My BP1 diagnosis, or possibly schizoaffective, still up in the air, is pretty crystal clear, in terms of mood and psychosis issues. I had an episode where I thought I was a shaman and a master mycologist and broke federal law seeking a connection to the spirit realm. I've been homeless while believing that I was destined by higher powers to save all of the homeless people. I've had paranoid breaks at work and saw people's faces becoming demonic. I once worked in an office and my cubicle became littered with notes covered in incoherent magical-thinking math, it was like some Beautiful Mind **** without me being a genius. There is plenty to back up by diagnosis. But if I all ever had was anxiety problems of various types, I would also be highly skeptical of a BP1 diagnosis.

[Disorder7]

I agree, it sounds like you don't see your pdoc enough. Mine keeps me on a much shorter chain.

I understand you don't think you're bipolar. Please keep in mind that seroquel is also given for anxiety and ptsd, so if it turns out you're not bipolar, you haven't really harmed yourself.

Best of luck to you.

[gina_re]

Sometimes it takes a while to really notice the symptoms. Anxiety is something you know is there, there's no doubt about it. Personally I never really saw any hypomanic phase, but they would be pointed out to me, or I realized it way after the fact. This past episode as the first time I ever noticed what was happening, when it was happening. I don't know you well enough to say yes or no about your diagnosis, but maybe a new pdoc can give a different perspective or explain why a bipolar diagnosis was given.

Good luck to you as well elevated soul!

[elevatedsoul]

i was researching the doctor that i want to go see, it turns out he's a psychologist... but atleast maybe he will be better prepared to give me a more accurate diagnosis?
if i get a new dx from him can my GP rx meds?

[BeyondtheRainbow]

He should be able to diagnose (although mine does everything in concert with my psychiatrist).

I don't know if your GP would feel comfortable doing your meds. You are on a lot of them and that may be more than the GP feels able to handle. But it depends on the GP. I will say that I'm on fewer meds than you and I trust my GP greatly and he's handled psych meds for me before when my pdoc was out for surgery and I still wouldn't want him to mess with my APs or the overall balance of meds I'm on right now while I'm on a ton and things are shaky; it's just not his specialty and I think he'd be the first to say that. But your GP may be different.

[*Laurie*]

The mental health treatment system seems appalling to me these days. I haven't had a really good, effective p-doc for many years. The system I'm in now - I saw my p-doc once, months ago; now she does telephone appointments every 6 - 8 weeks. Telephone appointments. So stupid! I could be sitting on the telephone with an aluminum foil hat and green pipe cleaners sticking out of my ears, telling her everything is okay

But, if you're feeling your care is really being neglected, I say try another p-doc. You might get a better one, and probably won't get a worse one.