[Moose72]

Therapist friend texted me. Has a client who doesn't/won't take meds. She just had a break down and was hospitalized. Took mes in hospital. I'd suggested DBT but friend doesn't know DBT. He wants something HE can do as a therapist. Thanks!

As someone who goes on and off meds all the time, I can tell you that my main problem is denial, typically denial of diagnosis or denial that I need meds. However, sometimes I just don't like side effects, so I'll go off my meds for that too.

Probably the best thing to do is ask her why she did it. You don't have to be mean and say, "ARE YOU STUPID? WHY DID YOU DO IT?", but maybe something gentler instead, like "what's going on with meds? Want to talk about it?" That's what my therapist does and I tell her exactly why.

First step is to identify the problem; second step is to find a solution. Otherwise, how can you find a solution to something you don't even know about?

But idk if I've found a solution to my medication problems. I'm still working on it with my therapist ever since I admitted it to her in January 2017. 10 months. So don't expect a sudden change

[~Christina]

Your T friend doesnt know about DBT ???? Wth ?

I guess if I was a T I would start working on her learning coping skills.

[Moose72]

He knows about DBT but doesn't know enough to practice it it seems.

[Moose72]

Originally Posted by ~Christina

Your T friend doesnt know about DBT ???? Wth ?

I guess if I was a T I would start working on her learning coping skills.

Which is DBT !

[~Christina]

Originally Posted by Moose72

Which is DBT !

Yes but since he doesnt know/understand DBT then changing up what he wants to call it seems logical .. I would have to change T's if they were clueless about a HUGE type of T that has helps damn near everyone.

[emgreen]

Why would a therapist be consulting you if you're not a therapist yourself? I'd have serious privacy concerns (HIPPA) unless there's more to the story I don't understand. I certainly wouldn't want my therapist taking to non-professionals about my case.

[NatsukiKuga]

dude you're coming awfully close to HIPPAA barriers right now.

I'm marking this post as BS from the pretense that a tdoc initiated it. A real tdoc would have professional support and would need nothing from a BBS of folks resolving their issues offline

[scatterbrained04]

So, I'll give you my two cents as a practice manager.

While it is not a HIPAA violation because nobody's identity has been given, I DO think that your T friend really should be asking for advice from a colleague. Doctors do this often. While it's true you and us here have experience as a patient, most of us do not have training in mental health. My advice would be to tell your T friend to consult a colleague.

[NatsukiKuga]

Thank you for your clarification regarding HIPPAA. Personally, I feel so delicate about my own private health information being shared via unauthorized forums that I'm awfully sensitive.

[Victoria'smom]

I go off and on meds. I don't like swallowing pills. That simple. My clinic worked with me to get me on desolvable meds. Can she agree to injectables for three months to see if it helps? I constantly still want to go off meds but I'm to afraid insurance will deny me if I'm not taking it properly.

Meds are BS. I'm not stable, I'm too quiet, I feel more comfortable with who I am off meds even with mood swings and psychosis. It took therapists and drs. 3 years to get me to even try an antipsychotic with many, many, many, conversations, Here on PC, with my pdoc and almost every T appointment. T. What made me take an AP? I ruined a cross country trip with my parents because I was scared they were working with my husband to take away my rights to my son. If I didn’t have PC I would have confronted my parents and my psychosis would have been revealed.

The thing that my first pdoc (I listened to) asked me to give him a year. If I wasn’t doing better than I could say **** it and not take anything, but I had to take it like he said because if not that’s still drug abuse. I said fine and did my best to be compliant a year isn’t really that long. He let me pick which mood stablizer I wanted to try. He got me on a lamictal, Viibryd. He finally got me to take a script for seroquel PRN to take when I needed to calm down. He knew I wouldn’t take it full time. EVEN with my own child was on an AP. The best question I asked him was “If you had to take meds what would you take?” “Would you take this?” One of the big, conversations we had at the end of working together was about quality of life. He didn’t want me living in fear my whole life. I honestly don’t think I’d be on an AP now without that conversation. My eating disorder told me not to take the meds they’ll make me fat. I didn’t know to tell anyone. The AP took “ANA” away so I was more okay with the weight gain.

Meds are scary. Not just because of the side effects but the voices of others saying not to listen, your fine, all the things that society says. How meds make you feel worthless and broken each and every time I take them. Sure others take diabetes meds but I never liked that comparison. I would refuse meds for diabetes. I compare it to having a seizure every manic episode. That’s just as scary to others as a manic episode. Now all my psych team I try to give them a year.

[Sunflower123]

It really seems like your therapist friend would be familiar with DBT or some other type of coping skill and/or have some type of peer support to turn to. I don't think it's a HIPPA violation, it just seems strange.