oldirtybizza
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2011
- Messages
- 472
My usual GP is decent (he knows those feels), dudes just on holiday at the moment.
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Is it just me? (ADD in Melbourne)
- Thread starter doctordog
- Start date
Very important to know there are good psychs out there, even if rare... all too rare.
I think it'd be good if anyone who has or has had a positive experience with a medial professional - be it GP, counsellor, psychologist, or psychiatrist - just post a quick line to confirm that they are out there. No details necessary. Just to let others know there are caring professionals out there.
Now that I read back that line, I realise how sad it is. I think of all the medical 'pros' I've had some interaction and there are a few good memories that are outweighed, well and truly, by some shocking experiences. ugh.
Good idea. It is a total crapshoot, unfortunately. Call me a doctor-shopper, I could care less, but I think I've seen about 7 in the 3 years I've lived here and liked one, so the statistics are a little depressing. I thought I'd fare better with women, but no difference .. they were cut from the same mirthless cloth as the others.
I think the differences were: a) he was private and practising in an upscale area (though that can cut both ways), b) he was older (in his 60s), c) he offered psychotherapy, which means he knew how to address you as a human being, and d) he had worked with children.
I find as I get older things kinda get worse (28 now) .. I always had the suspicion psychiatrists have 'preferred clients' (which was one of the issues I actually brought up during therapy with the aforementioned dude) and it sounds irrational from a therapeutic stance, but I imagine it's true.
Anyway, sorry if this is just turning into a depressing self-pity thread, but I need to rant occasionally. I'm seeing a GP next week who supposedly specializes in ADD assessments and already have a sense of how it's going to go .. it's frustrating because there's so little evidence in my report cards that they're basically going on my word (though the fact there's a family history would've swayed things, I thought).
After refusing to see another clinician ever again, one year ago, I finally became too depressed/suicidal and thought I'd test the waters, so went for a psychologist's assessment last month. At the start, I said everyone blames my ADD on anxiety even though the anxiety disorder didn't develop until 19/20, and my issues way predated that. She nodded understandingly, then makes me come back for 2 appointments where she seems to completely 'get' everything I'm saying. Finally, after ensuring she's got her $360 out of me, she tells me my OCD's to blame for any attentional difficulties. I was so angry, but in my typical fashion couldn't say a thing. It's the most frustrating thing ever.. the feeling of no one's 'hearing' you or bothering to listen, it really does feel like a Kafka-esque ordeal.
Well, the ball's rolling, so may I add another? It's getting off topic, but it's a rant so it kind of qualifies...
I started seeing a psychologist a couple of months back. I appreciated her practicality. She could see that what I needed was help with getting by daily, so gave me some useful numbers about opiate maintenance programs, and told me to apply for a 3-month disability pension thing from Centrelink. She also managed to find a bulk-billing psychiatrist who she said would be the best person to adjust my meds or put me on new ones.
Before the first meeting with the psychiatrist, she (the psychologist) strongly recommended stating in writing that I give permission for other parties (doctors, Centrelink, etc) to discuss my situation with the psychiatrist, based explicitly that the discussion would relate to my depression only. Nothing else. No personal matters. The illness as it presents NOW, at this moment. No more. So I did that before I saw him. i wrote it down and signed it and showed it to him AND asked if we could speak freely in confidentiality. He assured me yes, we could.
Well, today I went to my regular GP to get my sertraline script and diazepam script, and guess what? He won't script me the valium because he's seen on the computer that I have issues with poly-drug abuse. So what the fuck happened there? So much for confidentiality. He has me down as a patient who is receiving treatment for depression, and now he wants to update it to treatment for depression and drug abuse. I have worked so hard to avoid getting that shit on the system. I can't see what it could so but cause me difficulties, and it already has in the form of the GP looking offended because I never mentioned the shit I take - only the symptoms I have which PREDATE any drug use.
Now I hate Centrelink with a passion which is bordering on kinky, but was assured that I absolutely would qualify for fixed term disability pension because:
1. I have a job to go back to (My employer is very supportive and he wrote a letter for me which supports me claims to show whoever. So, there's a three month time limit on the payments. Fine. Perfect. I don't want more than that.
2. I have a debilitating illness (clinical depression) which has worsened and made it impossible for me to continue working. Genuine and confirmed.
3. I have letter from my employer, my regular GP, the psychologist, and a psychiatrist I started seeing a month back all confirming the validity of my claim.
So, I went in to Centrellink to get the form, filled in roughly 35,000 pages of shit relating to nothing - true story: One of the questions was "What is the estimated total value of your material possessions".
I thought, that one's easy. Fuck all, basically. Car and PC.
But then I read the fine print attached to the question, which stated: "Material possessions includes all household contents, including furniture and soft furnishings such as curtains"...
I'm not making this up. They want to know the estimated value of the curtains, the sofa, the old chair outside....
Anyway, I get through as much as I can and then this is how the interview goes:
C-link guy: <opens first page and checks my biographical details> "Ah, you have a de-facto partner?"
Me: "Yes"
C-link guy: "Did you bring a couple of her payslips as requested?"
Me: "Yes"
C-link guy: <furrows brow> "hmmm.... " <taps computer for a few seconds> "Well, I'm afraid she earns too much which puts you above the cut-off level, so we can't get you anything for this claim"
And that was that. I asked if he wanted to know or see any of the documents I'd spent hours chasing up. He did not. I asked how her earnings were relevant to my claim for a short term disability payment. He couldn't really answer that.
My girlfriend's TOTAL monthly wage is LESS than our rent. We live because in this house there resides my brother (working), mother (not well, not working), me (not working, loony), girlfriend (working six days a week for slightly more than minimum wage).
I can't go on with this because it genuinely stirs me up.
I started seeing a psychologist a couple of months back. I appreciated her practicality. She could see that what I needed was help with getting by daily, so gave me some useful numbers about opiate maintenance programs, and told me to apply for a 3-month disability pension thing from Centrelink. She also managed to find a bulk-billing psychiatrist who she said would be the best person to adjust my meds or put me on new ones.
Before the first meeting with the psychiatrist, she (the psychologist) strongly recommended stating in writing that I give permission for other parties (doctors, Centrelink, etc) to discuss my situation with the psychiatrist, based explicitly that the discussion would relate to my depression only. Nothing else. No personal matters. The illness as it presents NOW, at this moment. No more. So I did that before I saw him. i wrote it down and signed it and showed it to him AND asked if we could speak freely in confidentiality. He assured me yes, we could.
Well, today I went to my regular GP to get my sertraline script and diazepam script, and guess what? He won't script me the valium because he's seen on the computer that I have issues with poly-drug abuse. So what the fuck happened there? So much for confidentiality. He has me down as a patient who is receiving treatment for depression, and now he wants to update it to treatment for depression and drug abuse. I have worked so hard to avoid getting that shit on the system. I can't see what it could so but cause me difficulties, and it already has in the form of the GP looking offended because I never mentioned the shit I take - only the symptoms I have which PREDATE any drug use.
Now I hate Centrelink with a passion which is bordering on kinky, but was assured that I absolutely would qualify for fixed term disability pension because:
1. I have a job to go back to (My employer is very supportive and he wrote a letter for me which supports me claims to show whoever. So, there's a three month time limit on the payments. Fine. Perfect. I don't want more than that.
2. I have a debilitating illness (clinical depression) which has worsened and made it impossible for me to continue working. Genuine and confirmed.
3. I have letter from my employer, my regular GP, the psychologist, and a psychiatrist I started seeing a month back all confirming the validity of my claim.
So, I went in to Centrellink to get the form, filled in roughly 35,000 pages of shit relating to nothing - true story: One of the questions was "What is the estimated total value of your material possessions".
I thought, that one's easy. Fuck all, basically. Car and PC.
But then I read the fine print attached to the question, which stated: "Material possessions includes all household contents, including furniture and soft furnishings such as curtains"...
I'm not making this up. They want to know the estimated value of the curtains, the sofa, the old chair outside....
Anyway, I get through as much as I can and then this is how the interview goes:
C-link guy: <opens first page and checks my biographical details> "Ah, you have a de-facto partner?"
Me: "Yes"
C-link guy: "Did you bring a couple of her payslips as requested?"
Me: "Yes"
C-link guy: <furrows brow> "hmmm.... " <taps computer for a few seconds> "Well, I'm afraid she earns too much which puts you above the cut-off level, so we can't get you anything for this claim"
And that was that. I asked if he wanted to know or see any of the documents I'd spent hours chasing up. He did not. I asked how her earnings were relevant to my claim for a short term disability payment. He couldn't really answer that.
My girlfriend's TOTAL monthly wage is LESS than our rent. We live because in this house there resides my brother (working), mother (not well, not working), me (not working, loony), girlfriend (working six days a week for slightly more than minimum wage).
I can't go on with this because it genuinely stirs me up.
Captain Brewster
Bluelight Crew
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2012
- Messages
- 1,680
Well, the ball's rolling, so may I add another? It's getting off topic, but it's a rant so it kind of qualifies.....
Holy f@&k Halif.
This thread has made me depressed ffs...
Are we changing the name to 'rants about my awesome doc' yet?
Seriously though, sorry to hear about your shit situation.
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Halif, reading that made me depressed and also lurch with recognition, particularly re: the centrelink stuff. I can't really express this clearly, but if you've ever seen Breaking Bad, disability services are like Todd in a way -- i.e., the embodiment of that false cordiality with this sociopathic desire to fuck with you. Dealing with them makes me feel physically sick; they act like they're your buddies, yet will seek out any loophole to prevent you from getting the help you really need. Just sad, pencil-pushing douchebags desperate for a power trip.
People kept telling me to go in and just try it (try to get the disability claim) and I kept resisting and resisting, because I've been in that system a couple of times.
Friends and family who haven't had the C-link experience believe that compassion comes into the decision making, and that details are taken into account. They were saying 'but you've worked so hard and payed taxes for the last ten years, even with all the trouble and shit your family went through - you deserve it'. They thought I was being cynical when I said: The staff might be friendly, but the computer makes the decision and there are really only three ways to answer any question, no matter how complex;
1. Yes
2. No
3. <numerical figure>
It brought me no pleasure at all to come out empty handed and tell everyone that I was correct.
We got two pages into one of the three 30 page, double sided booklets I'd been told to fill out without assistance, and once my partner's earnings appeared the interview was over. Less than four minutes total. Took me two weeks to get all the letters and certificates they wanted.
OK, no more on the subject. I think I've said enough, and I'm sure there are others on this board who have experienced shit like this, too.
Friends and family who haven't had the C-link experience believe that compassion comes into the decision making, and that details are taken into account. They were saying 'but you've worked so hard and payed taxes for the last ten years, even with all the trouble and shit your family went through - you deserve it'. They thought I was being cynical when I said: The staff might be friendly, but the computer makes the decision and there are really only three ways to answer any question, no matter how complex;
1. Yes
2. No
3. <numerical figure>
It brought me no pleasure at all to come out empty handed and tell everyone that I was correct.
We got two pages into one of the three 30 page, double sided booklets I'd been told to fill out without assistance, and once my partner's earnings appeared the interview was over. Less than four minutes total. Took me two weeks to get all the letters and certificates they wanted.
OK, no more on the subject. I think I've said enough, and I'm sure there are others on this board who have experienced shit like this, too.
A gp cannot prescribe stimulants in Australia by law.only a psychiatrist can, and unless you were diagnosed as a child and have proof etc it's going to take you a considerable amount of time to #1 find a psychiatrist that is open to the idea and #2 that will actually take the risk, because let's face it the docs are having to take a risk everytime they write a schedule 8 script.
As for having your anxiety treated, due to alprazolams recent media hype and subsequent elevation to a schedule 8 next year most psychiatrists will not put new patients pin them as a first out even second line treatment.if you read up on the RANZCP website you can find info on approved treatments etc.
Sorry if this sounds super negative but I have seen my fair share of docs and it took me 2 years tofind mine. Definitely don't even bother with aGP if you want long term management, you should get a referral to a specialist and don't be discouraged if they initially deny you stims, that's what they are trained to do.
Useful sites as mentioned earlier are the RANZCP and the relevant website for your states health department as there are different laws in each state also. I'm in western Australia and got prescribed dex at 25 but I'm not sure what the rules are in Victoria.
Happy Hunting mate and hope you eventually find a helpful doc
As for having your anxiety treated, due to alprazolams recent media hype and subsequent elevation to a schedule 8 next year most psychiatrists will not put new patients pin them as a first out even second line treatment.if you read up on the RANZCP website you can find info on approved treatments etc.
Sorry if this sounds super negative but I have seen my fair share of docs and it took me 2 years tofind mine. Definitely don't even bother with aGP if you want long term management, you should get a referral to a specialist and don't be discouraged if they initially deny you stims, that's what they are trained to do.
Useful sites as mentioned earlier are the RANZCP and the relevant website for your states health department as there are different laws in each state also. I'm in western Australia and got prescribed dex at 25 but I'm not sure what the rules are in Victoria.
Happy Hunting mate and hope you eventually find a helpful doc