Are you treated poorly by Dr.s because of bipolar?

Ripose · Feb 11, 2017 at 03:25 PM

My last doctor hated to see me because she felt all my ailments were psychosomatic. Not once would she suggest that some of my problems were caused by medication side effects. When I complained about actual physical ailments she actually laughed at me and said it was all in my head. Every time she referred me to another doctor she would also make sure they knew I was bipolar, so the new doctor was already set to not believe anything I said before I even met him/her. some of them even treated me like a child.

How about you?

Moose72 · Feb 11, 2017 at 03:50 PM

No, but they don't believe the extent of the medication side effects I have had from bipolar. What with the fatty liver issues I have now, they'd better believe it!

BeyondtheRainbow · Feb 11, 2017 at 03:53 PM

I happened to get a doctor straight out of medical school and pretty much sat him down and told him that I am well-educated about my illness, what I needed in a primary care doctor and asked if he felt he could handle my care. (This was after a horrible doctor I reported to the medical board). He agreed and we spent some time feeling things out. 11 years later we have a great relationship where he trusts me and I trust him and it all works out very well. I often wonder if it would have worked the same if he'd had even a year of experience when I met him. (It also helps that we have a lot in common and probably would be friends in another situation).

*Laurie* · Feb 11, 2017 at 04:06 PM

In general, no. In fact for the most part most doctors seem sympathetic to my mental illness.

Nammu · Feb 11, 2017 at 04:28 PM

I've had docs like that in the past. Right now I'm lucky to have a smart doc that treats me as he does any of his patients.

Unrigged64072835 · Feb 11, 2017 at 04:47 PM

No. My doc is level with me on my physical issues. She works in tandem with my pdoc so that meds don't interact, etc. She also knows that I've been doing better on Latuda and she'll work out the physical side effects than say get off of it.

Now Borderline, on the other hand, I get a lot of crap about whenever I go the ER.

HALLIEBETH87 · Feb 11, 2017 at 04:54 PM

No doctors have treated me different because of my mental illness. I have became very
Open about it now and quite frankly I don't care about their perception either.

MtnTime2896 · Feb 11, 2017 at 05:21 PM

Doctors? Well, my official diagnoses is too new to really know how doctors will treat me. Mine really didn't care. All he cared about was my blood work when I went in last time.

My last ER experience, haha. That's a different story. I was a nuisance to their care, apparently. Like, why would I actually need their help, right? I was only in a mixed episode and about take myself off the map. That's not an actual emergency. Until they put me in the psychiatric holding area, the people I dealt with (outside of the on-call medical doctor), the way I was treated made me ashamed for needing help. I wasn't bleeding, so I shouldn't have taken up their time.

BipolaRNurse · Feb 11, 2017 at 05:24 PM

I have had that unlovely situation happen a couple of times. Once I was registering for a thyroid test (my pdoc was curious to see if an imbalance was causing my symptoms) and he'd put "bipolar disorder" as the reason for the testing. The gal who was inputting the orders in the computer was friendly to start with, but the instant she saw my diagnosis she suddenly went silent and didn't speak again until she was done, and then she was curt and obviously wanted me out of her office ASAP. What did she think I was going to do---get violent and throw things at her? Give me a break!

Another time I went to urgent care to have a broken toe looked at. Instead, the doctor wanted to go over my psych history and medications rather than talk about the toe. I was lucky to have it X-rayed. I also got "the look" when he asked me what kind of painkiller I wanted and I said Percocet. Well, Vicodin doesn't help and it makes me stupid on top of that...only Percocet works. But it's hard to explain that when the doc already had an impression of me as a flake and maybe a drug-seeker too.

LadyShadow · Feb 11, 2017 at 05:26 PM

My doctor now hardly listens to what I say. He is over critical and a real pain in the ***. At least when I tell him I don't want to be drugged up he listens. No one is perfect, but out of all the docs I have had he is the second to worst one. So not so bad.

Fuzzybear · Feb 11, 2017 at 06:20 PM

I've had doctors I was tempted to eat

except they were too rotten

Sad Mermaid · Feb 11, 2017 at 06:42 PM

I hope that my extremely positive experiences with the doctors and physician assistants mean improvements for others in the near future, since I live in Silicon Valley and we generally get good things ahead of other states.

Feb 11, 2017 at 06:49 PM

I am so sorry to hear this has happened to you and others. It's happened to me too over the years and is disgusting! I'm glad to hear it's not a total epidemic and that some people here have not experienced it but I have and it's done me a great deal of harm. I have physical issues and it was assumed by a few doctors that it was all psychosomatic which I went along with and conceded they were right when they weren't. It's caused me a lot of mental anguish, confusion, self hatred and doubt and it's not fair. My heart goes out to you, me and all the others who have suffered unfairly at the hands of those who assume and make unwarranted, erroneous, unfounded diagnosis. Doctors go to school so they can make educated guesses in a lot of cases and it's clear to me they don't leave their bias up their azz where it belongs sometimes. (((Hugs)))

I've had potentially and nearly DEADLY side effects and they don't care at all. This is serious and unacceptable for you, for me....for anyone experiencing it.

pirilin · Feb 11, 2017 at 07:02 PM

I've only had two doctors. One for five years. I know his whole life. He thinks he knows mine.
The other is a lady here in this dead town that we've moved to.
The previous doctor wanted me in Adderall Adderall and Adderall.
This one does not prescribe it.TG. It doesn't agree with me.
Both did more Rxs than talking to me. I could have talk to the wall if I had problems.
In fact they bring their problems to me. I'm their shrink.

Feb 11, 2017 at 09:15 PM

My mental health issues have pretty much been a non-issue with my other medical doctors. They didn't really have any input in my treatment and I didn't really talk to them about it. They were aware of my diagnosis because of the meds I was on, but they honestly never said a thing about it.

raspberrytorte · Feb 11, 2017 at 11:02 PM

When I was on geodon it was giving me heart problems, so I went in and saw my primary doctor. She ended up telling me my symptoms were all just anxiety related and not because of the geodon. I knew my problem was not from anxiety. I took myself off geodon and the heart pounding, fluttering in chest, unable to breathe in the afternoon all went away. I know what my anxiety feels like!

Feb 12, 2017 at 09:53 AM

I am treated poorly by drs, not really because of MI, but because i'm in the UK

you know, the country with the best mental health care system in the world where everyone needs to move too (lol)

seriously if you've not guessed it sucks the mental health care here

sucks

Feb 12, 2017 at 10:27 AM

My doctors dont seem to care about me being bipolar and are more physical centered.....but they will attribute physical problems to the psych drugs in general like an abnormally low bone density from a bone a scan. They put me on a daily calcium/vit d supplement to take along with my psych meds. But as far as thinking that it's all in my head....I don't see it because I don't get the brush off.

Because of insurance problems like lack of mental health coverage....my doctor is filling my prescriptions but doesn't like it.

Once a Little presented at a dr appointment and kept telling him that we were a multiple and talked about doggies....it made him very nervous until one of the guys spoke up to ask about acid reflux meds...the doctor started to grin but we got down to business. It was funny how all that went.

But anyways....I'd find a new set of doctors if possible away from them yoyo's. Good luck honny!

Innerzone · Feb 12, 2017 at 03:08 PM

Hasn't really been a problem. Great PHP, very real. Seriously, she's a delight.

My med list is right there whenever I've seen anyone. Only recently has a AP been added to it, but I don't really anticipate problems with that.

I also personally strive to not give them reason to believe in "problematic" stereotypes and am low maintainence --emotionally, for them, that is. I aim to shatter preconceptions of all sorts. (I'd probably go so far as to cancel if needed to preserve this. Maybe that is wrong, but fighting the stigma means a lot, and I don't want to make future trouble for myself if it can be helped.)

There was (arrogant) weirdness one time with a referral doctor, but I don't think it was MI related, so much as he was just being a bit of an asz. (Haha, wouldn't it be great if we had a "donkey" emoticon?

)

(I did have an outburst one time switching dentists -- they were being jerks about transferring my records -- but that was about 10 years and many hundreds of miles ago. So that's safely in the vault.

)

Ripose · Feb 13, 2017 at 12:56 AM

Quote:

When I moved to a new area I do not bring any psych history with me and found as a result I received far better medical care. People with a diagnoses die an average of 25 years ealier than non-labeled people I believe there are 2 reasons for this, first the meds themselves have organ damaging side effects, and secondly, if you present for any physical complaint and have a psych history the assumption will be made your physical complaint means you aren’t taking enough psych drugs. Becoming completely illegitimate serious illness get ignored until they are fatal.

- Katie on MIA

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Laurie Account Suspended Member Since Jan 2015 Location: California Uber Alles Posts: 9,150 (SuperPoster!) 9 5,382 hugs given	Feb 11, 2017 at 04:06 PM #4 In general, no. In fact for the most part most doctors seem sympathetic to my mental illness.
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Nammu Crone Member Since May 2010 Location: Some where between my inner mind and the solar system. Posts: 72,150 (SuperPoster!) 14 54.2k hugs given	Feb 11, 2017 at 04:28 PM #5 I've had docs like that in the past. Right now I'm lucky to have a smart doc that treats me as he does any of his patients. __________________ *Nammu* …Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. …... Desiderata Max Ehrmann
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Unrigged64072835 Legendary Member Since Oct 2010 Location: Under the noise floor Posts: 18,579 (SuperPoster!) 13 11.8k hugs given	Feb 11, 2017 at 04:47 PM #6 No. My doc is level with me on my physical issues. She works in tandem with my pdoc so that meds don't interact, etc. She also knows that I've been doing better on Latuda and she'll work out the physical side effects than say get off of it. Now Borderline, on the other hand, I get a lot of crap about whenever I go the ER.
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HALLIEBETH87 Legendary Member Since Oct 2004 Location: usa Posts: 11,236 19 2,746 hugs given	Feb 11, 2017 at 04:54 PM #7 No doctors have treated me different because of my mental illness. I have became very Open about it now and quite frankly I don't care about their perception either. __________________ Bipolar 1 w/psychotic features or schizoaffective bipolar type PTSD generalized anxiety OCD celexa, prazosin, Lybalvi and prn zyprexa and klonopin
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Fuzzybear Wisest Elder Ever Member Since Nov 2002 Location: Cave. Posts: 96,411 (SuperPoster!) 21 81.4k hugs given	Feb 11, 2017 at 06:20 PM #11 I've had doctors I was tempted to eat except they were too rotten __________________
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Sad Mermaid Veteran Member Member Since May 2016 Location: Sunnyvale Posts: 548 8 310 hugs given	Feb 11, 2017 at 06:42 PM #12 I hope that my extremely positive experiences with the doctors and physician assistants mean improvements for others in the near future, since I live in Silicon Valley and we generally get good things ahead of other states. __________________ Dx: Bipolar I w/Psychotic Features Rx: Seroquel ER 550 mg, Depakote ER 1000 mg, Melatonin 6 mg, Atarax 50 mg.
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Anonymous50005 Guest Posts: n/a	Feb 11, 2017 at 09:15 PM #15 My mental health issues have pretty much been a non-issue with my other medical doctors. They didn't really have any input in my treatment and I didn't really talk to them about it. They were aware of my diagnosis because of the meds I was on, but they honestly never said a thing about it.
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Anonymous32451 Guest Posts: n/a	Feb 12, 2017 at 09:53 AM #17 I am treated poorly by drs, not really because of MI, but because i'm in the UK you know, the country with the best mental health care system in the world where everyone needs to move too (lol) seriously if you've not guessed it sucks the mental health care here sucks
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