[fishsandwich]

I was able to get copies of the majority of my medical records, which arrived in the post today. All that is missing is one six-month period from Canada and the month I was in the US. I cannot believe the ******** that is in this stack of papers. It did my brain in and I had a horrible day from reading it. I have to rant about how utterly ridiculous this **** is, plus I highlighted all the idiotic things.

Amongst others:
-"Her affect is slightly giggly"
-"She attended today wearing rather uncharacteristically revealing clothing which [sic] also seemed seasonally inappropriate." (It was July, so I assume tank top and shorts. I always wear the same garments. Also pdoc needs to learn about restrictive and non-restrictive clauses.)
-"She presented as casually dressed and wearing a t-shirt with the slogan 'Save a horse, ride a cowboy'." (Are crimes against fashion and good taste a psych disorder now?)
-"I have noticed that [fishsandwich] often wears red or orange clothing"
-"Fishsandwich states that she only eats round foods" ( )
-"[Fishsandwich] is an 18 year old single female who claims to be Canadian" (emphasis added)
-"does not agree with dx [of Bipolar II] b/c [doctor] misspelled several words in assessment letter and could't say Greek terminology. Grandiose thought?"
-"[Fishsandwich] identifies as a 20-year-old Caucasian female. She does not appear to be her stated age. She does appear to be of her stated ethnicity." I have no words . . .
-"She spoke at an inappropriate volume during the assessment, which she claims is due to a throat infection for which she is currently taking [antibiotics]. Speech will need to be monitored at her next assessment."
-Under "mental state examination", somebody wrote that I had short hair
-Under "risk of harm to self or others" was written "complains of blisters on feet from excessive walking/running"

I just . . . I can't understand. There are orders of magnitude more instances of this kind of ******** in my files than there are references to me having any of the symptoms of schizophrenia as listed in the DSM. Mania or hypomania were mentioned 27 times, but bipolar was only mentioned 5 times (one of which was to say that the doc had ruled it out).

What the hell went on ??

[newtus]

do they really write that stuff?!?

"speech will be monitored at next assessment"
"grandiose thought?"
"often wears red or orange clothing"

[No Fuse No Flame]

Originally Posted by fishsandwich

I was able to get copies of the majority of my medical records, which arrived in the post today. All that is missing is one six-month period from Canada and the month I was in the US. I cannot believe the ******** that is in this stack of papers. It did my brain in and I had a horrible day from reading it. I have to rant about how utterly ridiculous this **** is, plus I highlighted all the idiotic things.

Amongst others:
-"Her affect is slightly giggly"
-"She attended today wearing rather uncharacteristically revealing clothing which [sic] also seemed seasonally inappropriate." (It was July, so I assume tank top and shorts. I always wear the same garments. Also pdoc needs to learn about restrictive and non-restrictive clauses.)
-"She presented as casually dressed and wearing a t-shirt with the slogan 'Save a horse, ride a cowboy'." (Are crimes against fashion and good taste a psych disorder now?)
-"I have noticed that [fishsandwich] often wears red or orange clothing"
-"Fishsandwich states that she only eats round foods" ( )
-"[Fishsandwich] is an 18 year old single female who claims to be Canadian" (emphasis added)
-"does not agree with dx [of Bipolar II] b/c [doctor] misspelled several words in assessment letter and could't say Greek terminology. Grandiose thought?"
-"[Fishsandwich] identifies as a 20-year-old Caucasian female. She does not appear to be her stated age. She does appear to be of her stated ethnicity." I have no words . . .
-"She spoke at an inappropriate volume during the assessment, which she claims is due to a throat infection for which she is currently taking [antibiotics]. Speech will need to be monitored at her next assessment."
-Under "mental state examination", somebody wrote that I had short hair
-Under "risk of harm to self or others" was written "complains of blisters on feet from excessive walking/running"

I just . . . I can't understand. There are orders of magnitude more instances of this kind of ******** in my files than there are references to me having any of the symptoms of schizophrenia as listed in the DSM. Mania or hypomania were mentioned 27 times, but bipolar was only mentioned 5 times (one of which was to say that the doc had ruled it out).

What the hell went on ??

It's almost imposible to get an appointment, now this. If I do get a pdoc I hope he's doing better than this.

[fishsandwich]

Originally Posted by newtus

do they really write that stuff?!?

"speech will be monitored at next assessment"
"grandiose thought?"
"often wears red or orange clothing"

Well, they wrote it all down for me. I don't understand it in the least.
Oh well, it's good evidence for my clinical negligence suit. Nobody in their right mind could possibly think that the colour of my t-shirts is relevant to anything.

[fishsandwich]

Originally Posted by lit fuse

It's almost imposible to get an appointment, now this. If I do get a pdoc I hope he's doing better than this.

Oh, the brilliant thing is that this is seven different pdocs/four different community mental health teams in two different countries. It's just that psychiatry is ****ed up and useless wherever they are, I guess.

[newtus]

your filiing a suit?

[fishsandwich]

Originally Posted by newtus

your filiing a suit?

Yes. I've already filed suit; the medical records came as part of the discovery process.

[newtus]

may i ask what for?

[fishsandwich]

Clinical negligence -- malpractice in your country IIRC. I'm arguing for compensation for wrongful diagnosis and treatment, for my medical records to be expunged of all references to psychiatric treatment, and for more compensation for the sections (compulsory psych treatment) that failed to meet the requirements of the Mental Health Act.
When I win, I plan to make criminal charges for wrongful imprisonment in relation to the sections.

[costello]

Wow. I just got home and my electric bill has arrived and I don't want to open that up. I can't imagine reading those records.

[fishsandwich]

I was eager to read them. It really hurts, knowing it was this nonsense they were judging me on . . . but seriously, how can I NOT win with pages and pages of this ******** to rely on??

[costello]

Originally Posted by fishsandwich

I was eager to read them. It really hurts, knowing it was this nonsense they were judging me on . . . but seriously, how can I NOT win with pages and pages of this ******** to rely on??

Those comments remind me of a Madness Radio interview. The researcher had access to mental health records of poor minority and immigrant women. Some of the comments were more revealing of the pdoc who made them than of the patient.

[fishsandwich]

Originally Posted by costello

Those comments remind me of a Madness Radio interview. The researcher had access to mental health records of poor minority and immigrant women. Some of the comments were more revealing of the pdoc who made them than of the patient.

Any chance you have a link to that? I'm really curious.

I'd really like to know if this kind of thing is normal. I'm shocked by how much my garments and appearance are mentioned . . . surely this should never really be an issue unless I am not wearing any clothing or I stink?

[unaluna]

How you "present" ie noting how you appear, is really pretty standard stuff to track. like it's expected that a T will record that.

[costello]

Originally Posted by fishsandwich

Any chance you have a link to that? I'm really curious.

http://www.madnessradio.net/madness-...ion-alisha-ali

[fishsandwich]

Originally Posted by hankster

How you "present" ie noting how you appear, is really pretty standard stuff to track. like it's expected that a T will record that.

Yes, I know that. I used to write that stuff myself when I was a social worker. I would never have thought to write anything beyond whether the person has covered all their naughty bits and done their washing recently, though.

"Seasonal appropriateness" really gets me. I know that it's important that people wear overcoats when it's very cold and such, but hell -- as I was walking around London today, people were wearing everything from sundresses and sandals to three-piece suits or jackets and wool scarves. What the hell is seasonally appropriate, then?

I would never expect entire records to be based around how I look, from my haircut to the colour of my garments to whether or not my nails were lacquered and I was wearing cosmetics. That goes well beyond presentation and into irrelevance, and possibly sexism.

[costello]

Originally Posted by hankster

How you "present" ie noting how you appear, is really pretty standard stuff to track. like it's expected that a T will record that.

I agree. I'm trying to think where I've seen similar things. I volunteered on a child in need of care case once, and that kind of thing was included in the psychologist's evaluation of the parents. It was kind of funny, because she called the mom 'statuesque' which includes the idea of tallness, but the mom really wasn't tall. I think the psychologist just didn't know what the word 'statuesque' meant.

[costello]

Originally Posted by fishsandwich

"Seasonal appropriateness" really gets me.

That one doesn't surprise me at all.

What the hell is seasonally appropriate, then?

Whatever the doctor thinks it is!

[fishsandwich]

Originally Posted by costello

Whatever the doctor thinks it is!

Then the doctor needs to live through a -50 cold spell and blizzards that cover entire houses in snow before he decides that my (totally not) "super-slutty" vest top is inappropriate for hot and muggy English July.

[costello]

Originally Posted by fishsandwich

Then the doctor needs to live through a -50 cold spell and blizzards that cover entire houses in snow before he decides that my (totally not) "super-slutty" vest top is inappropriate for hot and muggy English July.

Ah, there you go again, claiming to be a Canadian.

[fishsandwich]

I also can't get over how many docs/nurses doubted that I am Canadian. Well, it's only three, but really?? Is that so very outlandish a claim??

[fishsandwich]

Originally Posted by costello

Ah, there you go again, claiming to be a Canadian.

There's no doot aboot it -- I am Canadian, eh?

I can eat poutine and then play ice hockey and then do some peacekeeping if any doot remains.

[fishsandwich]

Originally Posted by costello

I agree. I'm trying to think where I've seen similar things. I volunteered on a child in need of care case once, and that kind of thing was included in the psychologist's evaluation of the parents. It was kind of funny, because she called the mom 'statuesque' which includes the idea of tallness, but the mom really wasn't tall. I think the psychologist just didn't know what the word 'statuesque' meant.

Huh, I thought it meant naked. Statues are always naked. They do often "present" with artful drapes or fig leaves that barely cover their bits and bobs, though.

[costello]

Originally Posted by fishsandwich

I also can't get over how many docs/nurses doubted that I am Canadian. Well, it's only three, but really?? Is that so very outlandish a claim??

Once I got stopped by a cop in a tiny town in Montana. He wanted to know where I was headed. I said Portland, Oregon. He wanted to know what business I had in Portland. I said I was attending a law librarians' conference. Apparently that was not the kind of thing one would lie about, because he let me go at that point.

IMO claiming to be Canadian falls in the same category. Why would anyone lie about that? Or hold it as a delusional belief? Now if you'd said you were Martian ...

[unaluna]

LOL - cos for a while they were telling americans to disguise themselves as canadians when traveling overseas or something, weren't they? or telling canadians to be sure to display the maple leaf so they weren't mistaken for americans and then targeted. I get a lot of my info from canadian comedians, so I may not be a reliable resource