[sarahxxkristine]

I go see a psychiatrist on tuesday....first off, as ive mentioned b4, im terrified...secondly....the reason i'm being recommended to see a therapist was i grew a unbearable attachment to my college coach and eventually got kicked off my team for it...i get a phone call about two weeks ago from a secretary at the hospital and she was asking me some of my most personal information that took me 2 years to reveal in therapy...and expected me to just give her the information easily....so im gonna go on tuesday...and this Pdoc is gonna be asking questions about my attachment to my coach...questions, i dont wanna answer to a stranger.....i understand they have to ask the questions....but....i know my heart will be reluctant to release my deepest darkest secret, ive held onto for 1.5 years....to someone i shook hands with 5 minutes b4

[elliemay]

Originally Posted by sarahxxkristine

I go see a psychiatrist on tuesday....first off, as ive mentioned b4, im terrified...secondly....the reason i'm being recommended to see a therapist was i grew a unbearable attachment to my college coach and eventually got kicked off my team for it...i get a phone call about two weeks ago from a secretary at the hospital and she was asking me some of my most personal information that took me 2 years to reveal in therapy...and expected me to just give her the information easily....so im gonna go on tuesday...and this Pdoc is gonna be asking questions about my attachment to my coach...questions, i dont wanna answer to a stranger.....i understand they have to ask the questions....but....i know my heart will be reluctant to release my deepest darkest secret, ive held onto for 1.5 years....to someone i shook hands with 5 minutes b4

First, (little rant) man I will never ever understand the intake questions. Even when I go to my general practioner, the nurses always ask the most intrusive questions. Like it's any of their business. I know, I know it's supposed to help the doc to treat you efficiently, but, depending on the nurse's slant on things, it can also lead the doc in the wrong direction. Everyone has their own bias I guess. I was also very surprised to learn that some docs aren't even aware of their own intake procedures, especially in hospitals. You might want to tell him how you felt about the questions....

When it comes to psych issues though, I usually find that saying "I have profound trust issues" usually puts an end to the most egregious questions...

Second, I firmly believe that trust has to be earned, but that each doc we visit is going to try to help us the best they can, so as best I can, I try to give them the benefit of the doubt. IMO it's not so much the information that we give them, it's what they do with it that goes a long way to helping them to earn my trust. Unfortunately, we don't always know what they are going to do with it for some time into the therapy.

Third, this visit to the new doc is very much an meet and greet and not a meet and treat, for both of you. I think it is perfectly okay to say as little or as much as you like depending on how you feel, and what warning bells are going off. You do not have to accept treatment from this guy at all. You are in control and have rights in that situation. He should make you feel at ease, be interested in what you do have to say, and pressure you to speak only as much as you let him.

I wish you luck and hope this new guy works out, if not, there are a lot of psychiatrists out there.....

Be as open as you can. The more information the pdoc has to work with, the more able he will be to find what will work best for you. It's hard with pdoc's because we don't see them as often, but that's why we have to be as straight as we can with them. Good luck.

[splitimage]

Oh man, I can relate and sympathise, I have an appointment with my new pdoc this Thurs (he's not totally new to me - I saw him once before for a meds refill, when my regular pdoc was on leave but now that she's left permanently I've been assigned to him). and I'm dreading it. I also really want to quiz him on his training and background, to see if he knows anything about trauma and concurrent disorders.

And yeah - intakes can be brutal. I had to go through one in order to get into a concurrent disorders program on trauma and addictions, and had to spend 2 hours with two complete strangers going through my entire, abuse, mental health, and addiction issues. Talk about a turn off. If I was still actively drinking and was just thinking about quitting it would have turned me right off.

I really hope it goes ok.

--splitimage

[BlueMoon6]

Ive been presented with this kind of thing and I find it inappropriate, too. I would not even go as far as to say, "I had profound trust issues." I dont think that is any of the secretary's business either.

I dont think you have to answer any question you are not comfortable with. ANY. To the secretay I have said, "I will discuss that with the doctor, next question." You are NOT in any way obligated to answer any question and if you really believe that is your right, you will feel much better and more confident not answering stupid, intrusive questions.

As far as the pdoc, if you are going for meds, personal info in small, do-able doses like how you react to things in the way you are comfortable answering is the way Id go. If this pdoc will be your therapist, I dont feel that you need to answer ANYTHING you dont want to either. You are there to build trust and a relationship, not give a laundry list of traumas or sins. Generally talk about how you felt about the coach, if you want to. Tell him/her that you are afraid you will have to reveal secrets you dont feel comfortable talking about yet and that this fear makes you not want to come to therapy.

All that stupid secretary needs is your address and phone number. Tell her you are not comfortable with probing (I mean personal....) questions on the phone, you'll discuss your personal life with the doc. UGH!