[UglyDucky]

I was dx'd with multiple personality in the early 1980s. The short of it is that it was an iatrogenic dx - but most of the diagnoses I received were wrong. The T who dx'd me w/multiple personality moved and I was transferred to another T for a year. From that point, my therapy pretty much ended, until now. The catch, here, is that the T who misdiagnosed me, the following T, and my current T worked at the same world-renowned psychiatric clinic, though they didn't necessarily know one another.

My current T probably realizes that I dissociate, though I've not formally made that statement - just tell him I shut down. There are no other personalities. I suffer from abandonment issues, repressed memories, dissociation and depression. Last week, however, my T asked me how to spell the therapist's name I saw in the 80s (the last T; current T doesn't know about the T who misdiagnosed me).

I'm six months in with my current T and won't tell him about the misdiagnosis now. I think the reason I didn't tell him before was that I didn't want to revisit all of the wasted therapy I went through as a result of the misdiagnosis; iatrogenic dx would be difficult to prove this late, anyway, I would think. So, now I'm stressed that current T will contact last T I saw in the 80s for records (can he do that without my permission?). That, or contact the clinic all of my Ts worked at for records, but all current T would ask for is Dr. N's records. (Do psychiatric clinics keep records this long....? If so, how much of the record? And don't they need my permission to let him see my records?)

I'm not trying to deceive my current T or lie to him. We're close and work well together. A misdiagnosis - iatrogenic or not - is a terrible burden for patients and difficult to get away from. Does anyone have any suggestions about what I should do if my current T gets info about my multiple personality dx? I don't want to lose this T, but I won't waste time trying to convince him of the misdiagnosis.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by UglyDucky

I was dx'd with multiple personality in the early 1980s. The short of it is that it was an iatrogenic dx - but most of the diagnoses I received were wrong. The T who dx'd me w/multiple personality moved and I was transferred to another T for a year. From that point, my therapy pretty much ended, until now. The catch, here, is that the T who misdiagnosed me, the following T, and my current T worked at the same world-renowned psychiatric clinic, though they didn't necessarily know one another.

My current T probably realizes that I dissociate, though I've not formally made that statement - just tell him I shut down. There are no other personalities. I suffer from abandonment issues, repressed memories, dissociation and depression. Last week, however, my T asked me how to spell the therapist's name I saw in the 80s (the last T; current T doesn't know about the T who misdiagnosed me).

I'm six months in with my current T and won't tell him about the misdiagnosis now. I think the reason I didn't tell him before was that I didn't want to revisit all of the wasted therapy I went through as a result of the misdiagnosis; iatrogenic dx would be difficult to prove this late, anyway, I would think. So, now I'm stressed that current T will contact last T I saw in the 80s for records (can he do that without my permission?). That, or contact the clinic all of my Ts worked at for records, but all current T would ask for is Dr. N's records. (Do psychiatric clinics keep records this long....? If so, how much of the record? And don't they need my permission to let him see my records?)

I'm not trying to deceive my current T or lie to him. We're close and work well together. A misdiagnosis - iatrogenic or not - is a terrible burden for patients and difficult to get away from. Does anyone have any suggestions about what I should do if my current T gets info about my multiple personality dx? I don't want to lose this T, but I won't waste time trying to convince him of the misdiagnosis.

be honest. let them know a treatment provider diagnosed you back in the 1980's and that you feel that was a misdiagnosis and ask for a complete psychiatric testing procedure for mental disorders to find out what your actual diagnosis's are according to the present standards for mental disorders.

if you are here in the USA a treatment provider can not diagnose you with DID (it hasnt been called Multiple Personality Disorder since 1994 here in america) with out actual diagnostic evaluations that include many new tests that were developed based on the new standards put in place in 2013 here.

many people that were diagnosed prior to 2103 are now finding out that their diagnosis according to the present standards may not be DID, some receive other dissociative disorder labels others receive other mental disorders where general dissociative symptoms are now included in those mental disorders, so know that you are not alone in this.

[Ocean Swimmer]

Ask someone else at the clinic your rights and the status of your records.

[finding_my_way]

any place you go to, mental health or medical, should keep your records long term. i got as much as i could from my birth up until 2008 or so but had to contact each health authority, clinic, etc. i did not get all of them though. some make you pay for them, like my current psychiatrist.

you would have to request them or your therapist could. if they work in the same place you had treatment, they might be able to get them without a written consent to release the records. if not, you might need to provide your current therapist with a written consent to obtain them. i forget how that works.

i had an opposite experience where i saw a world renowned trauma therapist for maybe an hour who said i had NO trauma diagnosis. it was such a joke. i have been with my current psychiatrist now for 12 years and over that time have shared with her my symptoms/experiences and clearly have dissociative disorders related specifically to trauma. so, it is hard when people do not agree on what is going on. but for me, i did not have her tell me anything, i volunteered all of the information.

what a person is diagnosed with also depends on what the person diagnosing them sees. many people interpret symptoms in different ways. when i had a second opinion a few years ago and described my symptoms, the psychiatrist just said that i had traits of a lot of things but nothing 100% whereas some others would probably be quick to say i had a type of schizophrenia or something.

i think it also depends on what you feel is true for you diagnosis wise. it's important to be honest with your therapist. also remember that not all believe in DID, so that could be on your side if you really don't have it or aren't on the spectrum. a person who is well educated on trauma and dissociative disorders will be able to distinguish dissociative disorders/symptoms from other things. so, if a person isn't a specialist in those areas, it would be hard to get an accurate diagnosis..although on the same hand, some are too quick to diagnose too.

but bottom line is you need to be honest with your therapist so they can know what your past diagnoses were. you don't have to rehash your past therapy, just voice your concerns about it and be clear that you don't agree with the diagnosis you were given and want to make sure that you are being adequately and appropriately treated for what your struggles are.

i have had to flat out ask my psychiatrist what she thinks i have diagnosis wise, and that was hard to do. but it was important for me to know that we are on the same page or else it could just be wasted time for us both.

Me myself, I wouldn't worry about it. To me, that was all wrong and I'd tell my T so. A good professional will listen to the patient instead of labeling them and proceeding on with the treatment irregardless of the patient's claim. If this T does that, then she's not worth the ink her degree is signed with and I'd fire her.

I think if the file is in the same clinic, it's universal to all clinicians. Only if it leaves a building/business does one have to sign a release....the way it seems.

[UglyDucky]

Originally Posted by AlwaysChanging2

Me myself, I wouldn't worry about it. To me, that was all wrong and I'd tell my T so. A good professional will listen to the patient instead of labeling them and proceeding on with the treatment irregardless of the patient's claim. If this T does that, then she's not worth the ink her degree is signed with and I'd fire her.

I think if the file is in the same clinic, it's universal to all clinicians. Only if it leaves a building/business does one have to sign a release....the way it seems.

Thanks AC2...none of the Ts are at that clinic any longer. The clinic moved to Houston years ago and the T I see now is here in my city. The T I saw for a year is in Phoenix, so no one is associated with that clinic. I hope you're right that they would have to have my permission; that would give me a chance to talk to my current T about the situation before getting surprising info!

[UglyDucky]

Originally Posted by finding_my_way

any place you go to, mental health or medical, should keep your records long term. i got as much as i could from my birth up until 2008 or so but had to contact each health authority, clinic, etc. i did not get all of them though. some make you pay for them, like my current psychiatrist.

you would have to request them or your therapist could. if they work in the same place you had treatment, they might be able to get them without a written consent to release the records. if not, you might need to provide your current therapist with a written consent to obtain them. i forget how that works.

i had an opposite experience where i saw a world renowned trauma therapist for maybe an hour who said i had NO trauma diagnosis. it was such a joke. i have been with my current psychiatrist now for 12 years and over that time have shared with her my symptoms/experiences and clearly have dissociative disorders related specifically to trauma. so, it is hard when people do not agree on what is going on. but for me, i did not have her tell me anything, i volunteered all of the information.

what a person is diagnosed with also depends on what the person diagnosing them sees. many people interpret symptoms in different ways. when i had a second opinion a few years ago and described my symptoms, the psychiatrist just said that i had traits of a lot of things but nothing 100% whereas some others would probably be quick to say i had a type of schizophrenia or something.

i think it also depends on what you feel is true for you diagnosis wise. it's important to be honest with your therapist. also remember that not all believe in DID, so that could be on your side if you really don't have it or aren't on the spectrum. a person who is well educated on trauma and dissociative disorders will be able to distinguish dissociative disorders/symptoms from other things. so, if a person isn't a specialist in those areas, it would be hard to get an accurate diagnosis..although on the same hand, some are too quick to diagnose too.

but bottom line is you need to be honest with your therapist so they can know what your past diagnoses were. you don't have to rehash your past therapy, just voice your concerns about it and be clear that you don't agree with the diagnosis you were given and want to make sure that you are being adequately and appropriately treated for what your struggles are.

i have had to flat out ask my psychiatrist what she thinks i have diagnosis wise, and that was hard to do. but it was important for me to know that we are on the same page or else it could just be wasted time for us both.

Thanks, FMW. I never intended to lie to my current T. My therapist would probably give me the dx he thinks I have now, but I don't intend to ask any time soon. There is some literature that indicates having one's dx can serve as a self-fulfilling prophecy (not that I totally agree with that). I'm good with where we are right now. After a year or longer, I think Ts should have a good idea of what a person's issues are and can give a fairly accurate dx. Everyone is different in their therapy and I respect that. I just don't want a misdiagnosis to end a good therapeutic relationship; this T and I have done more work than I ever got done in two years at the clinic in the 80s. Wish I'd known more about therapy and therapists then!

[finding_my_way]

oh ok. maybe i misunderstood. thought you were worried they would get your records and see it as a diagnosis before you were able to talk to them about it or something. if you told them about it before they got past records, it would give you a chance to start that conversation and clear the air though.

but if they aren't going to get your past records, which i don't know why they would need them at this point, then it might be a conversation you need to have just to set things right for your own peace of mind if it was a big deal to you.

[UglyDucky]

Originally Posted by Ocean Swimmer

Ask someone else at the clinic your rights and the status of your records.

None of the Ts I've seen are at that clinic any longer. I tried to call the clinic today to talk to the privacy officer, but no one returned my call. I'm guessing my T would have to get my permission, but the nagging catch in the back of my mind is that all of my Ts trained at this clinic; I don't know if the clinic has some kind of policy that former trainees can access records without the patient's permission...oh, surely not!! Just knowing how my T works, I don't think he wants to know too much information about his clients/patients except what the client tells him, at least in the beginning - he seems to want to make his own assessment from talking to/watching his client first.

Thanks for the suggestion...wish I'd gotten a return call.

[Shaly78]

I was comparing and contrasting two websites about the word 'iatrogenic' dx on psych forums.com....Different user name though. Anyway, if you go there just know I tend to take the side of licensed clinical social worker on website two. Anyway, from my understanding the word 'iatrogenic' means caused from examination or from treatment. What I want to ask you, UglyDuck, you got diagnosed incorrectly with multiple personality disorder? This is intriguing that you was misdiagnosed in the 80s and never noticed why you got diagnoses with that......Wow, at the same time I'm sorry this happened to you. ..Well, I would just focus on managing dissocation, depression...Dissociation isn't a dx just a symptom, repressed memories isn't a diagnoses either just terminology. .....Why have them look back at records that according to you are incorrect or misdiagnoses? UglyDuck, treatment doesn't cause multiple personality disorder. Get to your trauma so that that word isn't thrown around. Insiders will make there present know barrier will come down repression down stop and the only thing you know that you was doing different is talking about it. I wondered the same thing too, but I mostly certain didn't blame the therapist .....Now, what I did blame my therapist for was the closeness therapy abuse (research) that was used in my case outside of session to associate memories or bring forth alters in my system. That part is illegal, was unknown, that is how they do things, when I came into full knowledge of what was happening removed myself from it...Except in times, as of 2016, where they persist get in my business, then I might knowly, willing lash out at the culprits with alters no amnesia, yea cause this has gone way too far!

UglyDuck, I would say ask your therapist to not look at the past they are on a need to know basis you only want to speak about your now.

[kecanoe]

Originally Posted by UglyDucky

None of the Ts I've seen are at that clinic any longer. I tried to call the clinic today to talk to the privacy officer, but no one returned my call. I'm guessing my T would have to get my permission, but the nagging catch in the back of my mind is that all of my Ts trained at this clinic; I don't know if the clinic has some kind of policy that former trainees can access records without the patient's permission...oh, surely not!! Just knowing how my T works, I don't think he wants to know too much information about his clients/patients except what the client tells him, at least in the beginning - he seems to want to make his own assessment from talking to/watching his client first.

Thanks for the suggestion...wish I'd gotten a return call.

I see two ts in the same practice and I had to sign a release for them to share info about me. So I think you are good there.