On a scale of 1 to 10, what would you rate your current psychiatrist, where 10 is amazing and 1 is horrible? (Consider knowledge of BP, meds, etc.)

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I would say mine is an 8. He is very knowledgeable about meds and seems to know what he's doing. He has a fun personality, too. He would be a 10 if he was easier to get in contact with. I have to go through his nurse every time I want or need something, and well... I consider her to be rather inept and lazy. I know that not everybody can talk to their pdocs outside of an appt, but my pdoc is in the same office as my previous pdoc and I was able to talk to that guy in person when needed. Same with my previous therapists and current therapists. This new nurse lady makes gaffes all the time.

Mine is an absolute 10 to me. I adore him and he's marvelous in every single way. Perhaps some could see him as a bit stiff and wet blanket on occasion, but I know him well having seen him for 12 + years. It's just him, but his inner self is an absolute Teddy bear. He's very caring. He's worked very hard these years to keep me out of the hospital.

3.

sometimes it's like trying to talk to a tortoise, and I'm sure a tortoise would be better suited to the job sometimes

Originally Posted by BirdDancer

Mine is an absolute 10 to me. I adore him and he's marvelous in every single way. Perhaps some could see him as a bit stiff and wet blanket on occasion, but I know him well having seen him for 12 + years. It's just him, but his inner self is an absolute Teddy bear. He's very caring. He's worked very hard these years to keep me out of the hospital.

That's great to hear!

Sometimes you need a stiff doctor who will do what s/he feels is best for you, and who isn't afraid to say no to you. A doctor who is a pushover is not a good doctor IMO.

My previous pdoc didn't care what he prescribed. He'd give me anything.

Getting whatever I wanted seemed great at first, but then I wondered if he actually cared about me or if he cared more about my wallet... I'm fairly certain if I asked him for a narcotic, he probably would have given it to me no questions asked. Now that's scary!

Originally Posted by raging vortex

3.

sometimes it's like trying to talk to a tortoise, and I'm sure a tortoise would be better suited to the job sometimes

Sorry to hear that.

I know that getting a new doctor is hard in the U.K. with all the waiting lists etc. involved. Same with Canada and even in the U.S. with Medicaid -- well, unless you go private, of course. But private is expensive!

[Wander]

My current pdoc is an 8. Before that I had seven 0-5’s. So glad I was referred to my current one 2.5 years ago. He understands the current science, genuinely cares, bulk-bills me (no out of pocket), is willing to seek a second opinion if he feels stuck in my treatment. Also, if I’m in crisis he will see me the same or next day and try to keep me out of hospital.

-2 is due to him being very late for appointments, mainly in hospital. It really stresses me out.

[fern46]

I see two doctors at the same practice. The male is an 8 and the female is a 6. They are both trying their best to give me answers as to how my brain got so out of control, but it is still unknown. The male seems to genuinely care and he listens to me. The female rushes me and her bedside manner is poor. They both agree to not overmedicate me, so I am good with staying there for now.

[Polibeth]

Mine is knowledgeable and personable. He is a 9 for me. I would rate him a 10 but I don't believe anyone is perfect

[Nammu]

0 as there are none available in this area. My PHP does my psych meds, so far it's worked but if I have an episode what's he gonna do? So far all he's had to do is keep them the same.

Originally Posted by bluebicycle

That's great to hear!

Sometimes you need a stiff doctor who will do what s/he feels is best for you, and who isn't afraid to say no to you. A doctor who is a pushover is not a good doctor IMO.

My previous pdoc didn't care what he prescribed. He'd give me anything.

Getting whatever I wanted seemed great at first, but then I wondered if he actually cared about me or if he cared more about my wallet... I'm fairly certain if I asked him for a narcotic, he probably would have given it to me no questions asked. Now that's scary!

What you wrote is so true for me. I need a little bit of a counter balance sometimes, in some ways. My psychiatrist is that. I really respect people who say no to me, as long as they have good reasons.

[Jedi67]

I have had pretty iffy luck with PDocs these last few years. The practice I go to has a dramatic turn around of PDocs. I am considering leaving and going to another Mental Health System for my therapy and meds. I have had in the last 11 years no fewer than 7 PDocs because they all move away or leave to other practices. My current PDoc, who is an older gentleman, can be very methodical, stiff and old school, but is still very caring and has my best interest at heart. He is, I believe, the one only PDoc that has been there over 10 years and if he decides to move, retire or leave, then I am done with that MH facility. I'd rate him a 7 for sure (or maybe an 8 now since he finally prescribed me a benzo lol). He also goes over, with precision, all of my meds with me including benefits and side effects, as well as always staying in touch with my T to see how my CBT therapy is going. He's ok in my book.

[Victoria'smom]

In availability is an issue. Every three months is not enough for me. I refuse to call when in need so I need more frequent appointments especially with no T. When there she's awesome, doesn't over medicate me, and cares.

[Sunflower123]

My old pdoc which I had to leave in April over insurance issues was a 10. I was with him for 17+ years and he saved my life many times. I loved that man. The jury is still out on my new NP. At least my old pdoc supervises her so I haven’t completely lost him. He was involved in this last decision to put me on Vraylar.

I voted (4) based on my last psychiatrist since I've only had one appointment with my current pdoc. The office sucked and a lot of times he wouldn't show up to appointments, but when I did see him, he was pretty good.

[~Christina]

Mine is most certainly a 10

He is not a Med Nazi, he’s always open to discussing meds I bring up and we always agree together to try X

A few times when I was just incapable of being part of decision making he did the right thing at the time, often later there were side effects that changes had to be made.

He covers 3 clinics. He’s always open about making changes if need be by phone , which I really appreciate. His nurse Jane is fabulous I’ll explain what’s going on and I’ll hear back from her usually next day. He’s very prompt in taking care of things.

I fear the day when Dr Graves retires.

Originally Posted by Jennifer 1967

My old pdoc which I had to leave in April over insurance issues was a 10. I was with him for 17+ years and he saved my life many times. I loved that man. The jury is still out on my new NP. At least my old pdoc supervises her so I haven’t completely lost him. He was involved in this last decision to put me on Vraylar.

That is great that you still have the benefit of your old psychiatrist's input. That is lucky. My psychiatrist is getting up there in age. I think he's in his early 70s. Once he told me that he never plans to retire. That made me so happy! However, someday he'll have no choice. Or, it's possible my husband and I will move far away. It would be great if my psychiatrist would/could correspond with a new one to some degree, at least initially. I know that my psychiatrist had always been in touch with hospital psychiatrists during my past hospitalizations and IOPs. Those were quite a while ago, though.

I can imagine that it is rough when people feel they are starting almost from scratch with a psychiatrist, especially when a new psychiatrist demands that there be major medications changes that you may not feel comfortable with.

[Blue_Bird]

Mine is definitely a 10

[Blueberrybook]

I give mine an 8. My last was a definite 10. I'm so sad she retired. I miss her a lot. But I have found in the grand scheme of things, the standard for pdocs here is lower than low. My 8 is probably a 10 or higher compared to most pdocs I could have landed. I'd vote him a 10, but since I actually did have the experience of a 10 pdoc, he gets an 8.

[gayleggg]

My last one only rates a 4. I quit seeing him in January.

I see my new one on the 12th. I'm hoping she is better.

[*Beth*]

She's a 9. The only problem I sometimes have with her (I've been her patient for 3 years) is that sometimes she's moody and denies that she previously said something I am absolutely positive that she said. Besides that, she's excellent.

[BipolaRNurse]

I rate my current one an 8. My first, Dr. Awesomesauce, was a 10 and there's no replacing him. But Dr. Goodenough is certainly more than good enough for me, and I have to admit he knows bipolar better than Dr. A. He is patient and kind, and while I know absolutely nothing about him outside of a professional setting, I like him as a person as well as a doctor. He was the one who figured out I had thyroid problems which were contributing to my depression last winter, and the one who encouraged me while I was grieving the loss of my husband. So maybe I should rate him as a 9 instead, but I already voted. Thanks for this thread!

[cashart10]

Absolutely a 10! My pdoc goes out of her way for me consistently and undeniably has my best interests at hand. She always has a more safe than sorry attitude and is even more cautious about my treatment/stress levels than I am. She does not over prescribe but is not afraid to try new treatments. Someone in her office is always on call and I have her cell phone for absolute emergencies. I couldn’t be more happy with her.

[clownvalhalla]

I'd also consider mine an 8! He's very knowledgeable and is able to answer my questions easily and quite easygoing, but he's a little fast-paced and impersonal for my liking. He gets the job done well though.