This Is Why People Don’t Trust Doctors

Stormgazer Says:

I think not trusting doctors like this is one thing – in this situation, I’d hold less trust for the system that allows situations like this to happen, and for the people who have the power to change the system but don’t.

Tony Says:

There was an article in The American Scholar by Paul McHugh (a professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins) that described how many in his field would jump to conclusions based on the littlest of information. For instance, he described how he mentioned a case of a woman who couldn’t swallow to a mentor. That mentor went into quite detail, without examining or hearing anymore of her case, how her problem was due to penile envy (a la Freud) and elaborated further. The only evidence for this is that this patient could not swallow.

McHugh also comments in this article about the overdiagnosis of multiple personality. He finds that in most cases this is a construct the therapist comes up with to try to explain the patient’s emotional problems. Also there is the issue of repressed memories brought out by regression therapy. Usually, according to McHugh, these are implanted memories created from suggestions of the therapist: for instance, a patient presents with depression, the therapist assumes there had to be past abuse and through repeated suggestions, the patient eventually believes there had been abuse and begins to elaborate on this.

A researcher at University of Kentucky demonstrated this with undergrads. She was able through suggestive questioning to convince these undergrads that they had been lost in a mall (even though prior to the experiment, they stated they never had been lost), and not only did they recall being lost, but would elaborate on who found and helped them, details that went beyond the suggestions that were made by the researcher.

All of this points to the fact that one must be careful about the care and advice one gets from the psychiatric/psychological community. If the story seems outlandish and doesn’t fit, maybe a second opinion is in order. (It is sad that this is not an option presented to the woman in Canada.)

Tigerlily Says:

I live in Canada & I’ve encountered this situation so many times. Not being able to see a doctor that I could trust & rely on was how I hit rock bottom. When I read this woman’s story, I thought I had actually seen the same doctor she had. I’ve had 2 doctors kick me out of their practice (and I’m really not crazy. I’m similar to this woman – I think & prepare myself before I go in. They’re not accustomed to intelligent women questioning their authority.) I used to be assertive with them but now I just do what they say to get in & out with as little damage as possible. This way I get my meds and I do my best to manage my illness on my own. My current Psychiatrist understands meds & bipolar, but he doesn’t get women, self – esteem, lack of motivation. He says inane stuff like “well…life is hard work. You have to be disciplined & reliable.” No shit. But I tend to be an overachiever with ADD (when I’m not experiencing bipolar depression). I zone out & miss appointments. Or maybe I miss the appointments because they’re soooooooo draining & soul – sucking.

Thank you for letting me get this off my chest.

I’ve always been thankful to live in Canada because you can see a doctor for free. I think health care is a right. The government is gutting health care so people will get fed up & they’ll introduce a two – tiered private system, similar to what you have in the U.S. Lots of homeless people with mental illnesses wouldn’t get access to health care.

Gulley Jimson Says:

Obviously, as portrayed, the doctor exemplifies the worst in psychiatry but it seems that the article was aimed primarily against the Canadian health system and its output of ‘less than stellar’ psychiatrists. I’m including an article which ranks the U.S. as having the longest waiting periods as stated by the president of Aetna insurance.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/76295.php

BTW, bipolar 2? Isn’t that just depression? It reminds me of Jack Nicholson’s wheat toast a la Five Easy Pieces?

saviabella Says:

Tigerlily,

Your doctor does sound a lot like mine! I do think they don’t know what to do with educated, intelligent women who have done their research and who know their minds/bodies/moods well.

My doctor was very defensive and aggressive and it seemed as though she was threatened by me asserting myself and not necessarily agreeing with everything she said. If I had to guess, it was that dynamic that led to the weird behaviour/accusations on her part.

Gulley,

I hope my original post (found on realmental.org here) isn’t construed as being against the Canadian health system. I’m frustrated by the fact that it takes six months to get a psychiatrist, and then once you get in with one (in my city, at least), no other psychiatrist in the city will take you due to “conflict of interest.”

I merely wondered if this would happen in another system that was not publicly funded. However, given that thought, I know I am very lucky to live in Canada and have access to public health care. I recently had jaw surgery that would have cost me upwards of $25,000 if I lived in the US, and it cost me pretty much $0.

If you’re interested in what happened at my second appointment with the psychiatrist, I’ve left a comment on the post at Furious Seasons.

sara Says:

Ooo Tigerlily…that’s just it. So many shrinks have no idea what it is like to be female…and basically any woman they see is “borderline.”