HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Phobia/Fear of going to see a Psychiatrist!

Support Forums
>
Bipolar Disorder
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 1/12/2013 10:15 PM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone!.

My primary care doctor wants me to see a Psychiatrist because of my severe anxiety and panic attacks. I was also recently diagnosed with (and am being treated for) Bi-Polar Disorder by a specialist (although not a P-Doc). I have been diagnosed with, treated for and have been dealing with GAD, OCD, Panic Disorder and Tourettes for many years by regular doctors and a few specialists but never a P-Doc (at least not since I was a kid) so this is something that is actually very scary to me.

I'm sure we have all seen various movies about people being committed to an insane asylum and they are never heard from again or being forced to take powerful anti-psychotic medications against their will. Even electro-convulsive therapy. I remember back in the 70's and 80's there were a lot of rumours about people being "kidnapped" off the streets and committed even though there was nothing wrong with them, patients being abused (both physically and sexually), medication being used as "punishment", even a number of deaths. At some point, I think there was a major investigation that resulted in lots of psychiatric hospitals being closed and many patients being released to outpatient care. New patient protection laws also came out.

Even recently however, I've read that psychiatric hospitals are a "highly competitive business" and that some "evaluators" are even paid a "commission" for each patient they can get committed and that all it takes is a "label" in order to get you committed for a 72 hour evaluation (just enough time to miss other appointments and obligations, pay your bills or lose work while your pets go hungry at home because your not there to take care of them!). I just don't want to be looked at as a big dollar sign walking through that door.

I've also read that there is a stigma attached to people with Bi-Polar disorder...that they can suddenly become "psychotic" and "go crazy" at any moment. All the recent violence in our society has people with mental issues under the microscope now as well and the public demanding new laws. Heck, I am about as timid as they come and have always been a very calm, meek, stable and friendly kind of person but still, I have apparently already been "labelled".

I've read all kinds of things online that really scare me about all the little tricks they supposedly use to get you committed, keep you there until your insurance runs out, etc. I also read some article that said that many insurance companies won't pay for outpatient care and so it's more "profitable" to just commit you. I've read a lot of other things that really creep me out (like how one of the criteria just by itself, is for you to be "diagnosed with a mental illness"). Like I said, I have Tourettes and the LAST thing I want to do in any Psychiatrist's office is be jerking and twisting all over the place and making loud screeching noises!.

I just want to sit down and talk and feel safe and comfortable and be honest about my problems without being seen as someone's $meal-ticket$. If I'm prescribed certain meds, I don't don't want to feel like I'm being forced to take them or get a "surprise" injection of something that stays in your system for two weeks and makes you walk around feeling dazed all the time or have my meds monitored/forced. I don't want to be told to continue taking something if it is causing side affects just to "give it time to work" or "until the side affects go away". This whole thing is a really grey area for me and I'm really not wanting to go this route because my main issues are (and have always been) anxiety, panic attacks and Tourettes and I am already being treated for these.

Can anyone here please shed some light on my fears?. I have nothing against Psychiatrists and I know there are probably a lot of good ones and many people benefit from seeing them but I just can't get the rumours and things I read out of my mind and now my doctor wants me to go see one and it really scares me!.

Thanks so much for your input/advice.
Posted 1/13/2013 5:29 AM (GMT 0)
Feelings don't change facts. Fact is, you are more likely to get your symptoms controlled by seing a specialist. Your best chance at NOT being one of those stories that create the social stigma is by pursuing treatment. A diagnosis isn't a label - it is the first step towards receiving effective treatment. A mental health diagnosis is not necessarily a life sentence - they change over time. Some "expire" and are grown out of. The type of bipolar disorder may change over time, for better or worse.



My fears kept me from getting effective treatment for... about 20 years. In that time, my bp progressed to a more difficult to treat type. However, with treatment and major life changes I am stable much of the time, have stable relationships, emjoy periods of remission, and have a good quality of life. I have many limitations but when I live within them, life is good.



You are a CONSUMER of your health care. You can refuse treatment. Be aware that when you start with a new pdoc and refuse treatment, that will raise suspicion of your state of mind. People with bp are notorious for going off meds in elevated mood states and doctors need to be wary of this to help people stay stable. Your health care is a conversation. There are many options for meds. If you work as a team with a specialist (psychiatrist), you might find great success in treatment.

I've been to 6 psychiatrists and 1 pscyh nurse (if I remember correctly) over the years. None have jumped at a label or diagnosis, none have pressured me to take specific medications. The 2 I've worked with during periods of remission helped me reduce or go off medications while maintaining a safety/treatment plan for when when symptoms return.

Maybe I am lucky, but I have never had people treat me differently because of my disabling mental illnesses. Most people know someone with mental illness or have experienced it in their own lives. Most people aren't sure exactly what it is and respectfully ask what it is like.
Posted 1/13/2013 2:35 PM (GMT 0)
There are state laws about when a person can be committed without their consent. One of them is they have to be a immediate threat to themselves or another person. Doctors have to be able to justify this. In some states any type of medical doctor could deem you intent to hurt yourself so the GP you are already seeing could be just as able to have you committed. I am a student getting my masters in counseling. There are ethics boards, review boards, all kinds of people that these decisions would have to be justified to. So if you are not a danger to yourself or someone else you are not going to be committed against your will.
Posted 1/13/2013 7:13 PM (GMT 0)
Wow, so much incredibly good (and constructive) information here, I hardly know where to begin :)

I guess one of the reasons I fear going to see a P-Doc with Tourettes is because I'm concerned that if I had one of my head-jerk tics, he or she might construe that as my "being a danger to myself" since sometimes the tics can be quite intense. I also have HUGE issues with opening up to people and sharing (I'm a very wary, suspicious and apprehensive person) and I am always that anything I say will be exploited in some way or that I will be taken advantage of.

I have also thought about keeping the two medical specialities separate from each other as a way to cope with my fears. For example, instead of going to see a Psychiatrist (basically a medical doctor+psychologist), I might see a regular doctor for my "body things" and a psychologist for my "mind things". I have read that most psychologists are not able to prescribe medications (or at least not in some states) but they can make diagnoses and provide therapy. Perhaps this would fall more within my "comfort zone".

One of my fears is that my insurance is gov. provided and I have the full range of coverage (inpatient and outpatient). Since inpatient pays more and since gov. coverage is very reliable, it might actually make me a more profitable patient and pay more if I was committed. I guess that was one thing that bothered me. I just want to be seen as a human being. Not another notch in someone's bottom line.

I also have to admit that I feel under pressure to see a psychiatrist. I already have a lot of stress, anxiety, responsibilities and pressure in my life and I feel like every time I see another specialist, it always results in my having to then see other specialists, have lots of tests done and then go back for a re-check - only to be told that I need to see tow more specialists which then results in even more appointments, tests, re-checks, overlapping medications being prescribed, etc. It reaches a point where I'm spending my life doing nothing more than just going from one appointment to the next with hardly any time to catch my breath and relax.

A few things I have found very helpful in coping are prayer, AC/mood stabilizers (like Keppra), finding distractions and trying to avoid things that are anxiety-inducing (especially at night). Thanks again for all the support and input. I really appreciate it a LOT!.
Posted 1/13/2013 10:07 PM (GMT 0)
no, no. "Danger to yourself" means suicidal intent or severe self-harm. Psychiatrists are DOCTORS, they are not therapists. They have been to med school. Just tell the pdoc that you have Tourettes. You will not be committed unless you are a danger to yourself or others. Behavioral health units are almost always full. I went in 3 years ago and had to wait 8 hours for a bed at inpatient. It was the only behavioral health unit with a bed within 60 miles. I went to ER last year and was sent home (with support from the crisis hotline and next-day appointment with my pdoc).

Stop letting this anticipatory anxiety torture you. Schedule the intake appointment with your future pdoc. Just go. They can help you with the anxiety too!!!
Posted 1/13/2013 10:10 PM (GMT 0)
I wanted to explain more about "help with anxiety". There are combinations of anti-anxiety and mood stabilizers that enhance the effectiveness of the medication without increasing side effects. Your GP/primary physician doesn't have the continuing education/training/experience to master the finer points of psychiatric medications.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply