Psychiatrists are evil

I've discovered through my experiences that pdocs are evil.

I have had more bad experiences with them than good, so I can see your point. If I hadn't randomly picked one that turned out (so far) to be good, I would have agreed 100%. I can't say it was anything other than luck that I found this one I've got, but yeah...it's scary out there. You really have to know what you're going to accept from them, which is hard when you're in a diminished or vulnerable state.

What bad experiences did you go through?

In short: arrogance, ego, uncaring attitude. I was over medicated, had my side effects dismissed, patronized, told I should go into debt for treatment.

The one I have now is the only one who takes side effects seriously. Whatever medications I take, the point is to have a life that's worth living for, not one where I'm fat and twitchy with a darting lizard tongue and exploding kidneys. She has regular blood tests for lithium and kidney function, tells me to stop taking it if I start to shake or don't feel well, listens to my concerns about other medications and works to figure out a good compromise. She is the first female psychiatrist I've seen. I don't think gender makes a difference though, because my primary care is a woman and she's as callous as they come.

Hi I sent u a private message. Too risky
To respond to this publicly.

I hear you. Most of the ones I've dealt with have been really awful and uncaring, or they've been so naive and dumb that they ended up causing harm by accident and neglect. Like licketysplit, though, I now have a good one. He comes from a functional medicine perspective, which has been really helpful for me. He's tried me on less than 3 psych meds in the four years I've been working with him, and he's totally supportive of my choice not to take any psych meds now. When I was, he let me adjust my own doses as needed because he knew I knew what I was doing and respected my intelligence and judgment. Another big part of why I like him is that he addresses my emotional distress as part of my whole self--for instance, I have an autoimmune disease that attacks my GI system, and there's a huge connection between the gut and the brain. He's addressed gut stuff that my gastroenterologist hasn't, hormonal stuff my GP wouldn't touch--and some of that has also improved my mood. He also understands what a huge effect being chronically ill has on my mood, so he's been working on decreasing my symptoms and improving my quality of life because that will make me feel better emotionally, too.

It takes a while to find a good fit. Keep switching around until you find someone who cares.

I've been lucky - with the exception of my first psychiatrist, all my psychiatrists have been really amazing. They listen to me, know their meds, take my side effects into account, take my views into account when talking about lowering, decreasing dosage. I've felt like they all really cared about me.

I don't know if this has made a difference, but all the psychiatrists I've seen have been through a major psych hospital, which is also a teaching hospital affiliated with the U of T's med school, so all the pdoc's on staff are also professors in the med school, so you have to be pretty top notch to work there.

splitimage

You are definitely not alone.

Most psychiatrists don't care. We are just meat to them that needs to be medicated. Some over medicate to the point that living a meaningful life is impossible because of all the severe side effects. A lot of them cannot diagnose properly. A misdiagnosis often leads to inappropriate and traumatic treatment.

I was misdiagnosed, given a lot of medication, ignored and assumed. It was hell. I'm still recovering from their 'superb' work.


It depends. The first psychiatrist I met was affiliated with the University of Ottawa medical school and she was terrible. I mean really terrible. Just thinking about her makes me angry because she emotionally butchered me. She misdiagnosed me, withheld that diagnosis, and put me on an antidepressant that made me think of suicide constantly. Whenever I saw her she just stared at me in silence as she put her fingers up her nose. I'd sue her if I could.

I've had positive experiences but I am very particular about who I see and have good insurance, so there's a lot of freedom on that end. I also think they are not different from other doctors who in my experience can be awful whether they are an OB Gyn, GP, Orthopedist...

It's important to advocate for yourseld or have someone in your life who can help out with this (a therapist can be that person). If you you don't agree with them you should always question them and be firm in what you will and won't tolerate with side effects. If you really feel like your psychiatrist is awful or evil, then you should find a new one. Sometimes it takes a while to find the right fit, just like it does with a therapist.

They are hard to find, but there really are psychiatrists who really see the person before them and want to help improve your quality of life, not just drug you. That said, a pdoc's primary function is still to prescribe psych medications (they are psychopharmacologists), so if you're anti med, you probably shouldn't see one at all.

I just see my very caring, very capable general practitioner for my psych meds. Pdocs are callous, pompous, and inaccessible. My GP is available to me, researches what we are doing, sees me as a team member with her, and is someone I trust. I am happy with the way things are going for me now.

I think you have to be brave and figure out what is going to work for you in your own life.

I also refused to see a pdoc when asked by my new GP. I told her I felt comfortable dealing only with her and it gave her great confidence (she is a new doctor -very young). I told her what was going on and that my Risperidone needed to be increased, she agreed and the difference it made for me is incredible. So I got further with her in 15 minutes than I did in 10 years of evil pdocs!

I think that when we as consumers are empowered to advocate for ourselves; to educate ourselves on various meds; and to listen to our bodies, we can become effective allies with our GPs in taking care of our mental health needs. My GP is young, too. I think docs are getting better education on mental health issues, these days.

My GP is arrogant, irritable, and impatient. A few years ago, my mh follow up was transferred to her and I went off meds to avoid her. A year ago, she updated my mh status without even once asking me about it (I was there for a physical complaint). I was suicidal at the time, but she never even inquired how I was doing and I didn't volunteer (because: arrogant, irritable, impatient). She put my status down as "in remission."

Last month, I had to bypass her to get to the pdoc at my clinic, which I knew what a crap shoot because I have not had good luck with them in the past. I'm glad I did, but I also know that I am lucky to have found a good pdoc this time around.

I wish that mh treatment could be better across the board and that it wouldn't be such a struggle to find a good provider. I wonder how much of it is a reflection on how we (as people with mh conditions) are devalued and dismissed that there are not better standards for treatment?

I have had four pdocs. Three were very excellent and I loved them. One was an a-hole but I didn't really care because all I wanted was med checks and refills. If I wanted to switch things up he went along. When I was in very serious crisis, very suicidal, and needed time off of work he wouldn't back me up. Wouldn't sign on for state disability which I had been paying into my whole life and needed. He told me to get my butt back to work because my co workers depended on me. I really should have been hospitalized. The one I have now is great. Couldn't ask for a better pdoc.

In my experience I have met some psychiatrists that I swear enjoy putting patients into a suffering hellish experience. It was a renowned hospital, supposedly won many awards etc., celebrities and rich go there for treatment. This psychiatrist knew I had been up to 7mgs of lorazepam a day for years, and he took me off, actually switched to valium and gave me a very small dose, cut in half over 4!!!! days.

I then obviously had extreme anxiety, couldn't sleep, became paranoid because I couldn't sleep and was surrounded by very sick mental patients.....and was abruptly taken by the arms and dragged to the isolation part simply because I had a foot inside the nurses station and they asked me to get out. I had been in other hospitals where I was allowed inside the nurses station to chat and use the phone etc., so I just told them that, said I don't understand what the big deal is, and they proceeded to gang up and take me to the isolation, whilst I was saying no, please, I didn't do anything wrong (and seriously anyone who is reading this could confirm I hadn't done anything wrong)... I was locked up in a very cold room with no mattress, blanket or pillow or contact for 24 hours.
(maybe 12, I'm not sure exactly)

I had even explained that the taper was too fast, they decided to give me (chlorpromazine?sp.?) instead, where I abruptly lost hearing in one ear and became dizzy. I informed a nurse, who simply said "oh, you should just go lie down then" WTF?

One nurse, I had asked for advil, told me she had to check with that pdoc (very understandable), but then came back and said "the doctor told me that if you really are on your period you must go to the bathroom and show me that you really are"......


I hate psychiatry but I still need one for meds, and the one I have now has never done anything violating and even understood the first time he hospitalized me when I said "I don't do well in hopsital". He arranged for me to be taken care of elsewhere.

Some are evil I swear they are in it for money and to watch patients suffer, and to keep some so medicated that they can't get out of it (or else where would their paycheck come from??) I've also been shot up with haldol after experiencing domestic abuse and was in a traumatized state. It was clear I was allergic to the stuff, but I woke up with my tongue cut and bloody because my tongue swells and twists on the stuff.

Also like a previous poster, I had one that would sit and stare at me for an hour and even pick his nose looking at me.
BIG VENT!!!

Wow I don't want to go to a pdoc anymore. They're all bound to get evil.

Right now I have a pdoc from hell. He does not know what he is doing and my head can tell. He does not ever wean me off of a medication. I am dumping him as soon as I can.