My pdoc seems to be having a manic episode

Well it has been three weeks so it is time for me to go see my pdoc. I am kind of leery about it and have been thinking about cancelling, which I have only done once in the decade I have been seeing him and he has never cancelled on me without rearranging another appointment at the same time.

I am not sure what I will do if I think he is still manic, like he said he was last time, and if we spend the session talking about his feelings.

If he indicates he thinks he is still manic I might ask him about the ethics of seeing patients when is mood is so abnormal.

I think you've found the right answer in your final paragraph. Also, you might tell him you were considering cancelling because of it, assuming you go. I would see that as doing him a favor. If he is still manic and he doesn't appreciate such feedback, I'd look elsewhere and report him. It is sad, but his profession really requires he be stable (or mostly) when seeing patients.

I'm so curious to know if he will remember what he said to you last time. Definitely keep us posted

He acted more like his usual self and I didn't get the impression he remembered much of what he said last time so we both acted like it never happened. I didn't have the energy to bring it up and didn't see what good it would do.

Well my pdoc was back to his usual, weird self. By weird, I mean how many psychiatrists never ask their patients any questions? In all the years I've seen him I can count in the single digits the number of questions he has ever asked me. I mean it is abnormal even for a normal human relationship, never mind a psychiatrist who is supposed to be looking after the welfare of his patients.

He had some physical agitation and that makes me think he is still having symptoms but covering it up better than last time.

We talked about Notre Dame and I asked him questions about his son who works in Silicon Valley and told him about my son's new position. It was really work to figure out how to pass the 45 minutes of talking. I felt like it was a huge effort but i still see him every three weeks. I am sleeping well and not having symptoms so that is good but right now I am finding him kind of useless. He also didn't say anything about his behavior last time and I didn't have the energy to bring it up and then deal with the fallout.

I don’t think I could handle it if my pdoc was manic. When I was an inpatient one of my fellow patients was a pdoc, bipolar and manic. She was indiscreet and constantly talking and laughing about her patients. I would’ve hated to have been her patient.
It made it really clear why my pdoc refused to clear me to work in my healthcare profession. I’m glad I am remembered as professional and discreet.

Thanks for sharing, Pookyl. Encountering such a person as your pdoc in his or her office would be even more scary and disheartening. The good part was he wasn't divulging confidential information about other patients but about his own manic state of mind.

I think he is taking very high doses of medication. He was rocking back and forth in a mechanical way at times yesterday. He did listen carefully when I told him about how my son ended up with a new job, and there is some validation that comes from that. It is just weird how few questions he asks and how hard it is to fill up 45 minutes of time.