[Downsideup75]

when I was diagnosed manic/depressive 25 years ago I saw a real Psychiatrist one that sat and listened to me for an hour each week at the least sometimes more, now I see a so called "Dr." for 15 mins at most every 3-6 months and see a therapist which the "Dr." does not even know about but the "Dr." has the the last say in what happens with me and my condition and prescribes me these "legal drugs" with adverse side effects but seem not to help at all what is really going on I can't afford a personal "Dr." so I'm stuck with who is appointed well thanks to their so called expertise I'm willing to accept the "pop in my brain" which will finally put an end to the ********

[indigo11]

I understand your frustrating about this. I had one that met with me for an hour (sometimes more) each week and then was told I couldn't meet with him at all, after being told the meetings would get cut down to 10-15 minutes once a month. There used to be a time when psychiatrists got to know their clients as much as their T did, too really understand what medication would actually help, if any. Then now they bill someone, or their insurance $100 or more for 15 minutes. I'm sorry you are dealing with this.

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[Skeezyks]

Hello Downsideup75: Yes, my pdoc sees me for about 10 to 15 minutes every 3 months or so. I no longer have a therapist. (I quit them all!) I'm no longer on any med's. But I still see my pdoc because he is my last remaining connection to mental health services, should I need them again in the future. (Once you don't have one where I live, forget it, you won't get one.) He doesn't try to push anything on me. He makes suggestions. If I want something, he'll write the prescription. If not, that's okay too. I doubt he'd even notice if I never came back...

The 15 minute med check appointment once you get established with a pdoc is pretty much the norm anymore. It's never really bothered me because I don't use my pdoc for therapy so I really don't need a lot of time with him. That said, when I really do need more time because I am unwell, he definitely gives me that time and is awesome in managing my meds, wants my input and collaboration on all decisions, and has spent countless hours working with me over the years, particularly when I am at my worst and in the hospital. I wouldn't trade him for the world.

My husband has a pdoc who does a bit more along the lines of therapy. His appointments are a bit longer -- more like 30 minutes. Still not full-fledged therapy, and that isn't what my husband wants from his pdoc either, but kind of halfway in between.

Have you considered looking around for a pdoc that does longer appointments or perhaps even therapy? They do exist; just harder to find.

[AncientMelody]

Sorry to hear it I initially expressed that I wanted therapy when I first started seeing my psychiatrist, and she referred me to a therapist in the office. I tried this therapist for a couple times and her interpersonal style just made me very uncomfortable, like I was being interrogated...and then these long silences in between.

I expressed this to my psychiatrist and that I frankly was really comfortable with her instead. She bumped my appointments up from 20 to 50 from then on. She wouldn't be able to accomodate ALL of her patients needing therapy, but in our case we seemed to be a good fit for it. The only downside it's not been weekly therapy, but to be honest I could not afford weekly therapy nor would I be able to align both of our schedules to make it happen that way.

it's rare but it happens. It's tremendously helpful having my prescriber being the one who knows all of what makes me tick instead of an unrelated party, so I get that. Best of luck to you and I hope things improve

I do have such a psychiatrist. Granted, he still calls our appointments 'med checks'.. even though they're an hour long and every week. (Though I have recently 'graduated' to a phone check in one week and a live appointment the next week) But he helps me with analyzing what makes me feel better/worse and as such find coping strategies. And he's stresses that there are other options even though nothing is lifting/has lifted my depression as of yet. He surpasses my T in the 'giving 'hope'' department.

I'm truly blessed to have him as my pdoc.

Originally Posted by Breadfish

And he's stresses that there are other options even though nothing is lifting/has lifted my depression as of yet. He surpasses my T in the 'giving 'hope'' department.

I'm truly blessed to have him as my pdoc.

Sounds like my pdoc. I think he was even more determined than my T in getting me to a place of wellness and stability. I vividly remember him saying "We WILL find a way to help you feel better." He meant it, and he did. A truly, kind and gentle man with an extremely empathetic bedside manner.

[The_little_didgee]

There are definitely "real psychiatrists" out there. My psychiatrist does therapy. Usually I see her every four weeks, sometimes every three for one hour. It depends. We tried once a week and every two weeks. It was too much. I often had nothing to say, because there wasn't enough time to think about my previous appointment.

I'm in Canada.

[Patsfan]

I see my psych once a month for 50 minutes. It is really helpful. She will also see me in an emergency.

[doyoutrustme]

my pdoc is awesome and is both my therapist and med manager. they're in short supply and many don't do therapy anymore.

[iheartjacques]

My psychiatrist does talk therapy too. He calls them treatment sessions. 60 minutes a fortnight. My son gets 20 mins with his psychiatrist every 3 months and an hour a week with a psychologist.

[neverending]

When I first started psychiatrists did do 50 minute therapy along with med regulation. However they were in the highest paid tier of the mental health field and eventually pressure from insurance companies forced more and more of the therapy part away from the pdocs into being more there for the meds now. That isn't to say all pdocs go that route. I do have a separate t but my pdoc appts last 30 minutes and we do go into aspects of my behavior as that helps him determine how my meds are doing and what meds to take or not to take. Also he and my t act as a team together with my t giving him updates as needed.

[LonesomeTonight]

My previous psychiatrist only did 15-minute appointments and always seemed very rushed. My current psychiatrist does 25-minute med checks about once a month, but will give more time if needed. She also offers 50-minute therapy sessions, but since I already have a T, I'm mostly seeing p-doc for med management. She did take a very detailed history in the beginning--first appointment was 2 hours! She seems much more invested in each client, which I like.

See if you can find a psychiatrist who also does therapy, or at least one who has longer sessions.

[willowbrook]

I'm sorry to hear about people's negative experiences with pdocs not practicing therapy and just being relegated to doing 15 minute med checks. Definitely not all are like that though and there are some real pdocs out there. I'm in Australia and I've been with my pdoc for over 5 years now, he does therapy primarily (right now we're doing a lot of psychodynamic and object relations work, but he utilises a mix of modalities including CBT, IPT, ACT, Interpersonal Neurobiology, and Mindfulness) but he also takes care of my medication if and when I need it. So I don't have to have a separate T for my Therapy and a Pdoc for my medication I can just see him and have it all combined in one. It's awesome, I hope more Pdocs will start to do more therapy, or return to doing therapy like they used to because it definitely seems to be something a lot of patients want. I do think more Pdocs in Australia do therapy as well as med management though, which is probably different to the US because our healthcare system is different.