We Kid You Not Childfree Forums

I had an appt today with a new psychiatrist.
My appt was for 12:30PM I waited for 30 min before he finally saw me.
He rattled off a bunch of questions for me
asking me all about my personal hystory.
Then he tells me that he cannot help me.
I am too above his expertise.
He says he just deals with minor problems. He said, in not so many words, that I am a major head case. And I need to see someone else.
So he gave me some names and phone #'s and basically told me
to get lost. Well not in those words. But that was the feeling I got.

So, since when did Psychiatry get into such a degree of specialization?
I could understand if I was some aging senile old bitty, with a split personality. But I am not that OLD! For dogs sake!
Or if I was a child, I know they have ones special for just the brats
in this world.
But I am neither of those.
But yet he could not treat me, cause I was above his area of
knowledge.
Well shit man go back to school and learn what you need to learn.
First step would be to screen your callers.
That would be helpful.
Damn why didn't I say that when I was there.
GRRRR @ Me always thinking of things too little too late.
If their staff would learn to ask better questions I could have saved myself the trip!
So now I get the sheer joy of starting all over again.
This time I have to find a shrink that actually knows what he is doing!
Needless to say I am not a very happy camper right now.
So I just need to go off and read some posts and try to forget
about today!

Tomorrow is another day!

Actually, I would appreciate his honesty, and go with his referrals.

My sister is not old (38), nor does she have split personalities or anything hardcore like that. But the only good counseling sources she has are through her employer (a university) and the "therapists" are graduate students. Her problems -- a lifetime of low self-esteem, self-sabotaging behavior (like going out shopping when she gets the credit card bill), and chronic cluttering/squalor -- are beyond the expertise of graduate students. And frankly, she doesn't need to be a practice case for some graduate student -- her problems are multiple, complex, and interwoven, and she needs an experienced practitioner.

That is really odd. But PG has a point - maybe it's a blessing that he admitted his inadequacy up front. You had to waste one appointment, but that's better than wasting 6 months or a year and who knows how much money seeing someone who knew all along that he couldn't help you, right?

Good luck with the next one. It seems that good mental health providers are very hard to find.

I agree his staff should have better screening techniques, but I do think you at least got a break when he was honest with you. I'd rather have someone admit up front he doesn't know WTF he's doing than waste six months or more with no progress and then have to find someone else on your my own.

Thanks Guys
You all said the same thing Bob said.
At least the man was honest and did not charge me for the session.
I just hate the idea of starting all over again!!!
And HH your right, a good Doctor is hard to find in any field let alone mental health.

Oh well, Maybe I will have the nerve to try again come Monday.
Right now I have more pressing issues to deal with physically.

I have been seeing a physcologist lately because of my panic disorder.
I feel like I am over the panic attacks now, so there's no more need to talk about it. My physician recommended me to see a phychiatrist, also.

I got one that lived closed to me a couple of weeks ago. I did not like him at all. He just asked me questions, I answered them, and that was it. No feedback.

He reminded me so much of those New York type psychiatrists. The ones that look and act like Richard Dryfuss, ilk! I've met so many of them when I lived back east. I never liked them at all. That's my take of an experience with a phychiatrist.

It is damned hard to find a good psychiatrist. It took me three tries before I found someone I was comfortable with. For me, that means someone who is compassionate, talks with me (as opposed to "at" me), and schedules visits of at least 30 minutes. I've been seeing her for five years now. I go only a couple of times a year for a tuneup, but I certainly wouldn't cut her loose since she was so hard to find. There are far too many out there who specialize in "medication management," which means 15 minutes and a script.