Would you if you could read your file at your therapist/pdoc?

I would like to because sometimes I feel they don't share all their opinions and findings with me.

Have you asked for it? My therapist and pdoc tell me everything in it.

When I doubted my BP diagnosis, my pdoc went through my entire file with me. He literally shared the whole thing because he asked the front desk to "print out whatever we have".

My old therapist also regularly shared her notes and pdoc notes with me. My pdoc's notes said that sometimes I'm not med compliant. lol. The notes also said that sometimes I don't tell them when I'm hypo/manic. So, I'm led to believe I'm given everything in my file. lol.

Then there are progress notes, which are boring

Originally Posted by bluebicycle

Have you asked for it? My therapist and pdoc tell me everything in it.

When I doubted my BP diagnosis, my pdoc went through my entire file with me. He literally shared the whole thing because he asked the front desk to "print out whatever we have".

My old therapist also regularly shared her notes and pdoc notes with me. My pdoc's notes said that sometimes I'm not med compliant. lol. The notes also said that sometimes I don't tell them when I'm hypo/manic. So, I'm led to believe I'm given everything in my file. lol.

Then there are progress notes

I will definitely ask for a printout next time lol. My pdoc is very conservative and sometimes weird regarding the file.

[JustJace2u]

Be forewarned...they may charge you for making copies. I work in the medical records dept at a major hospital, we don't charge patients for their own personal copy, but we do charge for example if the records are going to an attorney. However, you do have a right under HIPAA to at least view your records while on site at the facility, that they cannot deny you.

My medical records were collected by my lawyer when i appealed my disability benefits denial. After the case was settled, he gave them to me. There were about 1000 pages. I was disappointed by how dull and full of errors they were. Also, my first psychiatrist conveniently 'lost' the first part of my file covering about two years, probably because he saw me off-campus for this weird, hippie therapy and that's against medical ethics.

But there was this one assessment that was disarming. It was by a psychiatrist i dismissed at the time because he seemed meek. But boy, could that guy write! He said i was smart and that this was my 'big advantage' but it was also a disadvantage because i may 'outsmart any therapeutic endeavor.' So sort of a back-handed compliment. And it's true. If i don't like therapy i'll find some reason to reject it.

He was also the only one to commit himself to a diagnosis. He said i had traits of personality disorder, notably borderline and narcissistic, in a setting of considerable mood disturbance. I think that guy had a lot of insight and i've accepted his diagnosis. It shed a light on a lot of my behaviour.

[Wild Coyote]

Some doctors withhold info if they think the info might further upset the client. I, personally, feel they should be 100% honest if a client asks.

If a client is diagnosed with a condition, not only should the client know the condition(s), but also should be fully informed of all treatment options. Many therapists treat with their own modality, whatever s/he is trained in, without truly informed consent as to what they are treating, which modality is being used, which modality has the highest success rate, etc.

I believe everyone deserves fully informed consent when it comes to diagnoses and to treatment.


WC

[Wild Coyote]

I am aware of situations where clients and their support systems have been truly struggling and therapists/pdocs have purposely withheld diagnoses for prolonged periods, leaving both client(s) and support system(s) in the dark.
I believe this is often destructive, overly stressing/frustrating both the client and his/her support systems.
Just my own humble opinion.


WC

[Victoria'smom]

I don't remember session to session. No I don't want to know what they truly think of me. I'm not med complaint. Given the reaction of my former T it says how sick I normally am, like hospital level. I'd rather leave their notes to them and just think of myself positively.

Originally Posted by JustJace2u

Be forewarned...they may charge you for making copies. I work in the medical records dept at a major hospital, we don't charge patients for their own personal copy, but we do charge for example if the records are going to an attorney. However, you do have a right under HIPAA to at least view your records while on site at the facility, that they cannot deny you.

I couldn't afford the copies on all mine. I'm fine with not seeing them. I trust them.

[annielovesbacon]

I am very curious as to what my files say... but a big problem I have is obsessing with how others perceive me. It's very weird, like I am very self confident and I don't care what others think of me, but I want to know how I am perceived.
Anyway, I think it would be detrimental to my treatment if I knew how my T perceived me. It's important to me that I can go to therapy and be myself when talking to my T and if I read my files, it would affect how I talked to her because I would be thinking about what she would write later.