I was contacted by a different psychiatrist's office today. It seems my name was raised as a possible candidate to participate in a study. They also enquired after my additionally taking part in a day-long symposium for medical and psychiatric medicine students.

I am hoping my own psychiatrist has not discussed my case with other psychiatrists. The idea this might be the case ruffles my feathers. What is the professional protocol for this? Am I reading too much into this? Am I looking for a mountain where it is actually a mole hill?

At the same time however, I feel a sense of pride that my doctor would think me up to the task.

And of course, the money involved will help. I am quite thankful for that.

But I am now back at wondering how much was discussed with the organising mental healthcare team.

[reb569]

I would hope nothing was discussed. My daughter's pdoc won't even talk to another psychiatrist or facility unless he has written permission from her, even if she's signed paperwork with them. He insists on communication directly with her first. And he only discusses overall progress and meds with me.

[chihirochild]

Huh. Well. It definitely would have been nice for your psychiatrist to warn you this might be coming! In your shoes I'd be feeling a bit ruffled, for sure. In fact... I think it's totally normal/okay for psychiatrists to discuss cases with one another as long as it is anonymous... but clearly anonymity was not preserved in this case, seeing as how the other psychiatrists were able to contact you! So I would err on the side of "mountain" rather than "molehill"--this is a breach of privacy, certainly unethical and quite possibly illegal. (Unless you signed something up front when you started woeking with your psychiatrist allowing him/her to enroll you in studies? Some offices, especially at academic centers, ask patients if they feel comfortable doing this and have them sign something at the beginning of therapy.)

So... that's kind of a big deal IMHO. In your shoes I would be pretty pissed, and want to talk to my psychiatrist about exactly how that happened.

That said... it might still be an interesting experience, if you think you're up for it. I'm a medical student, and we learn soooooo much when ppl with physical/mental illnesses/conditions come talk with us. We are always very careful to be respectful--we get that it's super hard to talk about personal stuff in front of a bunch of people. I'm always proud of my fellow med students when we have patients come talk to us because even the tough guys and the smart-asses listen hard and take it seriously and ask smart questions. Some ppl get interviewed by their doctor while we listen, others tell their story with little or no input. Some say "ask me anything," and some don't take questions at all.

And I've also been on the other side of it, sort of--once when my med school class (~80ppl, plus about 5 instructors in the room) was talking about mental illness, I disclosed about my own struggle with depression: the meds, the hospitalizations, the whole shebang. To my surprise, it felt immensely freeing to have that many people really listening to me and considering my experience. And I felt like they really heard me, and like my story made them consider people with depression in a new, more personal, more empathetic way. I certainly felt that way after we had ppl with brain tumors, heart conditions, schizophrenia, cystic fibrosis, etc share their experiences with us.

Anyway. Not trying to push you into it if it doesn't sound appealing, just saying that it can be interesting and can feel validating and/or useful.

(Also, side note, I love your art, especially the pastels! Sydney the dog is my favorite--something about the shades of white and black and grey.)

A psychiatrist is not supposed to give your contact information to other psychiatrists. They are allowed to consult anonymously. They are only allowed to say your name if you've given permission.

I don't think you're making a mountain out of a molehill. I think something is wrong - or maybe you did give permission but weren't aware of it?

It may have been mostly through that symposium that they got your information. Did you fill out any questionnaires there?

[ruh roh]

You would have needed to sign a release of some kind. I would worry this is a scam more than anything, but that's because I can't imagine a pdoc could think they had permission to share a patient's name and contact information. It seems really strange to receive a call like that, which includes an offer of money to attend a training.

[Wonderfalls]

All your back-and-forth ponderings are called for. The person you ABSOLUTELY need to question about this is your own doctor. If he can't tell you exactly what's going on here then you need to opt out.

Thankyou everyone.

[nottrustin]

If my T gave out my name to anybody without asking me I would be livid. She knows how important confidentiality is to me. She has told me if she has a release before she talked to them she would tell the information she could
Confidentiality is important. She quit her full time job recently because she felt they were breaching confidentiality of her clients

Well all is okay. The psychiatrist herself called me. Nothing was discussed with my own. He had simply stated I might be interested in participating in this 'student' day. The study actually isn't on me - it's on them. I will simply be interviewed as though I were an incoming patient. I have done this before and the good part is I have always been paid for my time.