Is this acceptable?

Went to my GP today, apparently I had to see him because I had the crisis team involved not long ago. I went and explained why I was there but I also told him that I didn't think the diagnosis of bipolar was correct. I explained that the psychiatrist who made this diagnosis didn't even tell me to my face, he wrote it in his report and I haven't been offered any specific treatment as such or any explanation. I saw him the once and that was it.
I told my GP that I thought the therapist I saw a couple of years ago was more on the right track with her suggestion of DID. I said I felt I could relate more to this, than bipolar. I then asked him who do I see to ask for a second opinion to which he replied I shouldn't get hung up on a diagnosis.
In my opinion, I think it's better to know what I'm dealing with, so I have a clearer idea of what can help and a better understanding of how I work too.
So I thought I'd ask here if what my GP said is acceptable or if you think I should push for more than simply leaving it.

a diagnosis plays a large role in treatment options. DID however is rather statistically uncommon, which may be why your GP seems to be going along with the current treatment regimen/diagnosis. I think it's up to you if you want a second opinion. There is no harm in seeking a confirmation of the diagnosis, but I would not suggest seeking out a particular diagnosis.
How is treatment going now? Do you feel like you are improving? Are there symptoms that need to be addressed? Do you have trust in the rest of your treatment team? If there are still things bothering you that you feel need addressing, it may be worth bringing up to them.
Talking to your insurance company might be a good way to get a referral for a second opinion if your GP is not willing to give you a name. Be up front about the fact that you are looking for another opinion when you do see the person. A dialogue about why you think your current diagnosis is incorrect may be a valuable one to have (both with your current treaters and the second opinion).
Sometimes the diagnoses we are given do not feel "right" but may still be valid based on what is being presented at the time...

I don't think this is acceptable, why are you not being told your diagnosis? This happened to me and I was under the false impression that I had Schizophrenia for ELEVEN YEARS. Maybe you could be more direct than I was to avoid what I went through. Good luck my friend.

Hi Neptune, I think diagnosis is important and I know a lot of people disagree because the labeling aspect which I can understand. I have to say the thought of a psychatrist making a diagnosis such as bipolar based on one appointment would make me uncomfortable especially if there was no explanation. Do you think you could speak to your GP about getting a proper referral again. I also thought in the UK it was standard practice for bipolar patients to be treated (at least originally) in secondary care e.g. CMHT.

I would definitely ask about the referral even if all you get is a bit more clarity and explanation, I'm sure that would help.

You should not be asking GP these questions. GP's would have some understanding of bipolar and close to zero understanding of DID. So a GP would not be a good resource for a referral, even if the GP had not said things that you did not like hearing.

Whether the title of the dx matters can be discussed until the cows come home - on a practical level, the GP is just simply not a good source of referral for you.

Neptune, sorry, I did not notice that you are in the UK. So you MUST have GP's referral, I take it?

if the crisis team were involved a while ago, did they not pass you on to the recovery team or some other team? it is strange if they did not.
getting to know things through reports is extremely common as are incorrect reports, this however does not make it right, you should always ensure a follow up appointment with anyone who is assessing you so you have the opportunity to question the report findings.
as to asking your doctor about a second opinion, now the former PCT funding purse strings have passed to GPs it is their responsibility to request a second opinion so you were right to go to him if you do not have a designated care co-ordinator or social worker. that said GPs do not like being questioned about M/H dxs as most have very little knowledge in this area. the best thing i found was to do my own research, gather as much info as you can to support your suspicion, then present it to your first line care (GP, SW C/C-O) If you are not taken seriously or nothing happens, take it higher to their bosses/ practice manager, if still nothing happens take it to the corperate complaints manager of your local council..that usually gets results!
PALS is another good service, but i am not sure it will hepl you unless the dx was made by someone at a hospital.
also you should get a copy of any reports written about you as all medical professionals have to cc you into any letters/reports they send to another medical professional about you. if you don't get one then you are well within your right to request it.

Do you mean is what your GP said ...Appropriate? only you can say whether something someone says to you is acceptable.

using the word appropriate yes is was. many treatment providers prefer not to lop on a bunch of labels. they instead focus on ...Symptoms/problem areas..

see a diagnosis is just puts a huge word on a combination of symptoms. it does nothing for solving your problems/symptoms..

what fixes problems and symptoms are things like..

knowing what your problem areas/issues are
knowing what your symptoms are..
and then treating those symptoms...

example

a person can be sneezing, coughing, sore throat...

the doctors can give it a name ...a cold.. and send you home

or they can take each symptom and prescribe a treatment...

symptom.........................treatment

sneezing.......................decongestant, tissues, antihistamines
coughing......................cough suppressant
sore throat...................throat lossenges

treating mental disorders is the same thing. treatment providers taake each symptom and apply treatments to those symptoms...

what do they do with the diagnostic name/ label....write it on insurance forms, write it in the files, type it on to the computer files. thats about all the good a diagnostic label is for...

with or without a diagnostic name symptoms can be treated, problems can be solved. if you look around here on psych central you will see there are hundreds of people that do not have a diagnosis name/label and are still working on their symptoms/problems/issues with their treatment providers.

Some are even way ahead, healing at amazing rates because their treatment providers are more focused on them and their problems/symptoms and solving them instead of focusing on slapping diagnostic label on them.

my suggestion give your treatment providers way a try. you might be amazed at how far you can progress with out your treatment providers being gung ho on diagnostic labels instead of focusing on helping you solve your problems/symptoms.

Amanda louise, in the UK it is all about the dx label not the symptoms/problem areas. you can only recieve specific treatment if your dx is one on their tick list, trust me i know all too well the difficulties of trying to get and the frustrations of being refused treatment which everyone acknowledges will benefit me simply because my dx is not one they on their list!
people here are treated by dx not symptoms. unless one of the likely symptoms for your dx label is depression you do not get treated for depressive symptoms. i was sent on an anxiety course because one of the recorded symptoms for someone with my dx is anxiety, i never had anxiety but because it is a classic symptom in most i had to go every week for two months and sit in a group listening to people who were on a completely different level than myself! waste of my time and waste of tax payers money, but hey it ticked a box on my treatment chart!

thanks for the info, I wasnt paying attention to the posters location, I was posting from the USA side of things.

The crisis team have been out on a couple of occasions recently, they refer me on supposedly, to more appropriate people, then I never hear anything. My GP today said that they are notorious for doing this, saying they'll refer you on and then not doing so. Since I've heard nothing from anyone, I assume this is what's happened. He's referred me for CBT and says that Diazepam will do for now. I see one psychiatrist once and he writes that I have bipolar, no explanation given whatsoever, no treatment/care plan done. I was offered antipsychotics which I refused to take, because I have no explanation and feel what if its a mistake (wouldn't be the first time notes have been mixed up with someone else's) then I'm taking these drugs for what. Not knowing if they'll help or hinder me. I'm not prepared to take something unless they've properly discussed with me why I've been given this. Anyone else I have seen after, I have explained that on paper apparently I have bipolar, they have then disagreed with me, offered no other explanation, said all my issue is is anxiety which is a load of crap, then tried to palm me off with antipsychotics again. I do suffer with anxiety, yes, and it is a huge problem. But, I also have other symptoms that I see are also a huge problem. I don't really care about being labelled, as long as I know what's what and can feel safe that whatever treatment is offered, if any, is the right treatment. I've researched into both bipolar and DID, while some things about bipolar I think yes, that sounds familiar, it still doesn't add up in my head. When I read about the other, that actually makes more sense I think. Yet the only person who really listened to me and tried to explain anything was a therapist I saw for months, who saw some big differences in me and recognised many of my symptoms, couldn't diagnose and therefore provide a plan of action because it wasn't her job to do that. My problem is, it's not just GPs that seem to avoid any questions I have, it's everyone I speak to.
I think partly I need to know what's wrong because I can be clear on what I need to do and for me that provides security, knowing that this or that treatment is what's recommended rather than going in blind. They just seem to throw this or that pill at me, expect me to bend over but I won't, because it doesn't feel safe. There's no one explaining to me why they're giving me that, why they think it'll help, it's just take this and shut up.
I think my GP has some idea of what I'm talking about, but I don't really see taking Diazepam and just leaving it there a good idea. I get moaned at by other GPs in the surgery that I shouldn't be taking them, some even try to stop my prescriptions or attempt to give me fewer without discussing it with me first. I don't really think a pill that is supposed to be for short term use, is very helpful, especially as now I have been using it on and off for three years. Apparently you're not meant to take it more than a month. This isn't getting to the bottom of my problems, it's just temporarily making me not give a **** about them, then when the effects wear off, I may not be in a panic any more, but I still have the rest of my symptoms to deal with, but more consciously. This I don't find helpful. Helpful to stop a panic attack yes, but not helpful in any other respect. I was also under the impression (perhaps I'm incorrect, I don't know) that with a diagnosis, you have a more tailored treatment plan which may stand a chance of working, rather than throwing any old pill in my direction.

Hi,
What the GP said was out of line. Patients have a right to ask questions and have diagnoses thoroughly explained. I would encourage you to get a second opinion and also ask what method they use to evaluate patients. My diagnoses was done after a few sessions. My therapist and psychiatrist reviewed previous records as well.

Stay strong

In the UK, I think GPs lack of knowledge can be a big problem.

I've always found my GP to be very helpful, although my friend's GP isn't. I've suggested she register elsewhere it's that bad. Maybe you should see if anyone you know has a good and understanding GP and try and register there. They might be a bit more informative and helpful.

Also the NHS website has some useful info, including details on how your treatments meant to be dealt with if you look at the map of medicine bit

Search online for map of medicine bipolar nhs... Hope that helps

[They just seem to throw this or that pill at me, expect me to bend over but I won't, because it doesn't feel safe. There's no one explaining to me why they're giving me that, why they think it'll help, it's just take this and shut up.] ...unfortunately and wrongly this seems to happen a great deal of the time country wide.

have you thought of writing a letter to your GP explaining the reasons why you feel you have the wrong DX, writing it down in your own time in a relaxed place will mean you get everything down that you want him to hear, also if you hand it to him at the begining of your appointment he can do nothing but acknowledge it, i found this really beneficial as not only does it give him all the details at once but it helps to shape the conversation after he reads it!

try requesting he refer you to the Community Mental Health Team, they are the ones who do care plans, but i think only severe and enduring cases get referred now the GPs hold all the purse strings.

[They refer me on supposedly, to more appropriate people, then I never hear anything. My GP today said that they are notorious for doing this,] ...you doctor has a duty to follow this up, he should have received a letter from the crisis team stating how you were, what they did, what they are doing next and what you doctor should be doing. it is then up to your GP to ensure this all happens. if you have not heard from the team they stated they were referring you to i would get on to your GP for him to find out ..A... why the referal has not come through and ...B.... how much longer it will be before you hear from the referred to team. if your GP is not willing to do this report him, phone the crisis team and ask these questions yourself then phone the referred to team and ask them too! unfortunately he who shouts the loudest gets heard in these situations!!

Canihavesomewine you are extremely lucky to have found a very rare species of GP, most are really not good with mental health issues, even the top ones in my area are clueless i know because i have been assisting them from a S/U side to increase their awareness before the purse strings were handed from PCT to GP's!

Another option is taking someone you trust with you as an advocate, sometimes these appointments it can be hard to put your point across and say what you need, having someone else there that you trust to back you up can help. I went with a friend before when her GP wasn't helping.

I know, it is lucky. When I originally went to them I wasn't taken seriously and don't get me started on CAMHS. But once I got older they stopped treating it as if I was just a moody teenager, which I know is better than most.

Although as I said I think that if anyone is having problems with their GP it is a good idea to ask around friends, family etc and see if there's one that can be more helpful...

Thank you
The surgery I am at are diabolical. One GP I saw (you rarely get an appointment with the one you want to see) a few years ago was horrendous. I went because anxiety had just gone through the roof and I had such awful thoughts I couldn't cope and was seriously having a breakdown. I sat there in tears trying to say what was wrong and he just sat there and said "so, what do you want me to do about it then" in a really sarcastic tone of voice. I cannot stand him at all and avoid him at all costs now! The GP I usually see for my prescriptions (because he's the only one that'll give me Diazepam as he knows how bad my panic attacks are and the others just try to give me sleeping pills) is a nice guy don't get me wrong, but I felt uncomfortable at his suggestion that I just disregard any diagnosis ever made in the past or future because to me, I think it's the first step in understanding how best to deal with things. He said that the problem with psychiatrists is that they change their minds all the time, which I've seen myself with the few I've spoken to so I get where he's coming from on that, but it would be nice if perhaps I could see someone longer term so they're not just judging me after an hour because I think it takes a little longer than sixty minutes to diagnose someone! I have a long long history of problems that I couldn't possibly cover in one hour. It's a great idea to write it down first, didn't think about that. I've actually written 40,000+ words on what my life has been like so far, nowhere near finishing at all yet, but a large part of it is mental health and also the things I've gone through that perhaps have contributed to it. Maybe I should print that out and hand it to him lol
I admit part of the problem is until now I've felt too embarrassed and ashamed to admit a lot of things, so maybe I've been difficult to get to the bottom of. But I think it's totally wrong to slap a label on someone after one hour of talking to them. Not many listen to me, but fire questions instead almost like I'm under interrogation. It's not very comfortable, I can never make eye contact with them. My GP yesterday referred me himself for CBT. No one seems to know what they're doing, one lot will say one thing, another something else, no one can agree with each other.. I even had a psychiatrist and mental health nurse sat together in my living room having debates with each other about me, in front of me, because the psychiatrist hadn't listened to anything I'd said and kept asking the same questions. I said to my husband, he was like my grandad but a stoned version! Seriously, the circus they seem to run here, if you weren't already nuts its certainly enough to drive you crackers! And at the end of it all, they'll sit there and say "so what would you like us to do?" And I'm like, well isn't that your job? To know what might be helpful? I wouldn't be asking your help otherwise!
To be honest, I don't know what crisis teams are like elsewhere here but where I am they seem useless. My sons dad told them he had plans to commit suicide, told them exactly what he would do, they put him at low risk of suicide and guess what he ended up doing a few weeks later. I was disgusted to find this out at his inquest. If they'd just LISTENED for once, perhaps they could help people. I don't hold them responsible, because they were his own actions, but I can't help but think things might be different if they'd taken him seriously.

I don't hold them responsible because they didn't force his hand, he chose to do that, perhaps not as himself because clearly he wasn't himself so I don't blame him either of course, it wasn't his fault that he was that depressed. But if they just made an effort to really hear people, maybe some would feel there's a light at the end of the tunnel. It's the most unpleasant feeling when you're asking for help, but you feel you're being pushed aside, or made out to be a problem, not worth helping etc..
Just thought I'd clarify, as that may have sounded insensitive.

Hey! Lightbulb 7, if that's your kids, they're adorable.

How can any of these 'professionals' be such bunglers w/ the live of others? It is reprehensible, not to mention the wrong meds. prescribed...which would be malpractice, wouldn't it? Insurance companies encourage employers to discriminate against those w/ mental disorders (conditions which require ongoing treatments). I was diagnosed w/ Bipolar I in 2001; now I see a GP who prescribes Divalproex Sodium (very effective, ain't I lucky?) under the checkbox 'headaches'.
To sum it up...I feel your pain. On my medication, I am normal without impairment. Still, I have a difficult time becoming permanently hired 'with benefits'. Just gotta keep doing the best you can; if you don't live in flimsy excuses, the 'house of one thousand excuses' is not your accountability domain.
Good luck!

I know your healthcare system in the UK is different than the US, it is a 'free-for-all' here, a bit like you are describing. Just plain wacky.
I can say though, that I had a very similar experience to yours with different treatment providers not talking to each other, my GP not hearing anything I was saying.
I finally did my own symptom research, printed it out and handed it over to the doctor. "OH!" Lightbulb of understanding! I think they all had to see it in black & white to get what I was saying. (& they agreed to treat my symptoms as stated!
Having a health advocate would be great for you, if there is such a thing there. I had to be my own...

There is now a system where I can email into their system & it is all on record. And they all see the same thing. (a God-send for misdiagnosed patients)
I'm sorry for your frustration! I wish you well as you continue to try to sort it out.

Thanks
My husband usually comes with me, but on this occasion my appointment was clashing with the school run so he couldn't.