View Full Version : Psychologist, what should happen? please help
hi
recently saw a psychologist and that one meeting has left me more angry and confused and fed up. One hour session, uk, nhs, i did most of talking, very ilttle advice/help was given, i didnt learn much if anythign at all,
no testing was done to determine the condition/s i am suffering from.
only a questionnaire rating depression and anxiety. which ive consistantly scored extrememly high on for many many months.
why do they always assume its depression and anxiety?
why dont they test for anything else? im so fed up.
cbt wasnt working so they gave up on me on that, now i saw psychologist and he did not want to see me again, i was baffled, i thought therapy was about getting to know me, over many sessions, in order to offer help. and focus on problem areas. in order to make a change in me for the better.
one session? i said i presummed it would be ongoing, so he reluctantly gave in and made me another appointment with him. i hadnt even told him all of my story as hour ran out, so the psychologist hasnt got the full picture, and they said they will write a report to my doctor, already? loads of info is missing...
i dont know what to do now.
pills not working. tried 2 diff ones.
2 diff types of therapy, not worked.
do i need to complain to someone?
do i need to see psychiatrist?
when i tell them a problem/issue/situation, they dont know wht to say or know how to explain it, so its likes they dont seem able to really help me.
thanks.
I'd give it more than one appointment. Depending on his/her theoretical background, a lot of times the first appointment is mainly for gathering information from you, getting to know you, and building a rapport. Then you start work once he/she has a hypothesis and a plan.
I'd give it more than one appointment. Depending on his/her theoretical background, a lot of times the first appointment is mainly for gathering information from you, getting to know you, and building a rapport. Then you start work once he/she has a hypothesis and a plan.
i agree. not pleased at all. waiting 2 years, finally saw psychologist and it was very very disapointing. fed up with NHS, saying i got depression and giving me unhelpful pills and therapy.
they originally presumed it was depression.
no broad mental health examination.
just crappy little questionnaires looking for depression/anxiety.
A psychiatrist is likely to make a diagnosis, as opposed to a psychologist. I agree about the crappy questionnaires.
Mountainclimber
01-03-12, 13:20
:yesyes:You had an initial assessment, now a treatment plan can be drawn up. Try not to dwell on it, and await the feed back, as hard as it is to wait. Think nice thoughts be positve and do something today you enjoy. Goood luck:whistles:
I think alot of people are under the misconception that seeing a psychologist will "cure" your issues/problems, they can offer you different therapies (cognitive/behavoural) depending on your problem but I feel these are more self help remedies and depend on your willpower to succeed. Its normal for several sessions for the psychologist to listen inorder to get a proper understanding of what/if any therapy may be of benefit to you. It can be a slow process but dont despair and hang on in there.
It seems depression can NOT be diagnosed for SURE, ive had diff medical professionals say the oppostite thing to me after telling them about me "oh its def depression" "no, youre def not depressed" "yes ur depressed, very simple".
Doctor has referred me to Psychiatrist now, instead of prescribing me a new pill.
So now im glad, and nervous at same time. Seems i will be seeing a psychologist and pscychiatrist at same time. Is this normal?
how do i prepare for psychiatrist meeting? whats going to happen?
i really want to maximise my time with him/her, i need to focus on telling them
the symptoms that medication can help with especially? instead of personal life info?
This will have been a LONG TIME coming, this meeting with psychiatrist.
Did some online tests, flagged up several mental health disorders and personality disorders, other than depression, told my doctor, he agreed this could be correct and not simply depression then.
Why must i do online testing? Doctors should be handing me general mental health questionnaires form the BEGinning.
True, murphys law, well put.
Psychologist left me disappointed, challenging me why a 2nd meeting would be beneficial at all.
thanks all.
The first thing I would advise is stay clear of the online testing it will only add to your worries.
Make notes between now and then of the questions you need answers to, its so easy to forget at an appointment and come out thinking "I should have asked this"
Maybe even worth keeping a mini diary of how you feel day by day as we often forget afterwards.
Just some of the things I do that may help you.
The first thing I would advise is stay clear of the online testing it will only add to your worries.
Make notes between now and then of the questions you need answers to, its so easy to forget at an appointment and come out thinking "I should have asked this"
Maybe even worth keeping a mini diary of how you feel day by day as we often forget afterwards.
Just some of the things I do that may help you.
online testsing is the best thing ive ever done, 100% more times thorough.
more probing and relevant questions.
everytime i make list of questions/outcomes, they dismiss most/all of them and move on using their own agenda.
yeh i keep notes. Thanks.
Personally, I'd trust the opinion of a trained psychiatrist over a questionnaire on the internet.
Personally, I'd trust the opinion of a trained psychiatrist over a questionnaire on the internet.
i dont have opinion of psychiatrist yet, its taken 2 years to get here.
the questionnaires on internet are same if not more detailed, using various international standards/manuals. Then you can read the symptoms on other websites and see if its relevant to youre life. This is way better than a 5 to 10min meeting with doctor, where he just rules out stuff and says stuff from top of his/her head. "yes, no, yes, no, no, no".
you need to tell the doctors what you think it is, first, in order for them to look into it, i have found. If not they will default to this reaction: "depression/anxiety".
and they say you dont have schizophrenia simply by if you say you dont hear voices or see things that are not there. from what ive read, seeing and hearing things is just one symptom, that could or could not be there. thats not the deciding criteria in isolation.
Well, thankfully you've been referred to one now. :)
what medication have you tried?
There is a post a couple down from yours about a first appointment with a psych. I had one last week so happy to answer your questions.
what medication have you tried?
There is a post a couple down from yours about a first appointment with a psych. I had one last week so happy to answer your questions.
yes haz. :yesyes:
tried a SSRI and SNRI
The latter was horrible experience, doctor didnt know what to give, so looked up for guidance in his little doctor book, chose a pill after a few seconds, no explanation of side affects or withdrawal affects etc. very poor service. Looking back i think he should have increased the dosage of the SSRI before putting me on SNRI. i was only on standard low dose of SSRI.
after basic online research lately, i liked the sound of
- stimulants, anti psychotics, mood stabilisers, NDRI's, NRI's, amphetamines, reboxetine, bupropion (wellbutrin/zyban), tranquilizers / sedatives.... and Anti-Anxiety specific meds. Especially pills that work on you in short time/QUICKLY, rather than wait 4 MONTHS and the still nothing happening like the anti depp pills ive tried.
yes haz. :yesyes:
tried a SSRI and SNRI
The latter was horrible experience, doctor didnt know what to give, so looked up for guidance in his little doctor book, chose a pill after a few seconds, no explanation of side affects or withdrawal affects etc. very poor service. Looking back i think he should have increased the dosage of the SSRI before putting me on SNRI. i was only on standard low dose of SSRI.
after basic online research lately, i liked the sound of
- stimulants, anti psychotics, mood stabilisers, NDRI's, NRI's, amphetamines, reboxetine, bupropion (wellbutrin/zyban), tranquilizers / sedatives.... and Anti-Anxiety specific meds. Especially pills that work on you in short time/QUICKLY, rather than wait 4 MONTHS and the still nothing happening like the anti depp pills ive tried.
Surprised he stopped at 20mg of citalopram, he should have gone up to 40mg really.
Anyway i'm not sure if you have read the guidelines but here they are..
If a person with GAD chooses drug treatment, offer a selective
serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). Consider offering sertraline first
because it is the most cost-effective drug, but note that at the time
of publication (January 2011) sertraline did not have UK marketing
authorisation for this indication. Informed consent should be
obtained and documented. Monitor the person carefully for adverse
reactions. [new 2011]
1.2.23 If sertraline is ineffective, offer an alternative SSRI or a
serotonin–noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), taking into
account the following factors:
• tendency to produce a withdrawal syndrome (especially with
paroxetine and venlafaxine)
• the side-effect profile and the potential for drug interactions
• the risk of suicide and likelihood of toxicity in overdose
(especially with venlafaxine)
• the person’s prior experience of treatment with individual drugs
(particularly adherence, effectiveness, side effects, experience NICE clinical guideline 113 – Generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder
(with or without agoraphobia) in adults 19
of withdrawal syndrome and the person’s preference). [new
2011]
1.2.24 If the person cannot tolerate SSRIs or SNRIs, consider offering
pregabalin. [new 2011]
1.2.25 Do not offer a benzodiazepine for the treatment of GAD in primary
or secondary care except as a short-term measure during crises.
Follow the advice in the ‘British national formulary’ on the use of a
benzodiazepine in this context. [new 2011]
1.2.26 Do not offer an antipsychotic for the treatment of GAD in primary
care. [new 2011]
where is that info from? thats good info, id like to read the doctors guidlines like that.
they way he chose venlafaxine for me, 10 secs of reading a book,
when i asked questions, he said "stop thinking too much, just try it and see if it works".
So next time i got some pill options from doctor, and did my own research online. Didnt like the sound of them, so not on anything now. Want to see how life feels without medication for a few weeks/months.
where is that info from? thats good info, id like to read the doctors guidlines like that.
they way he chose venlafaxine for me, 10 secs of reading a book,
when i asked questions, he said "stop thinking too much, just try it and see if it works".
So next time i got some pill options from doctor, and did my own research online. Didnt like the sound of them, so not on anything now. Want to see how life feels without medication for a few weeks/months.
See here, http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/live/13314/52599/52599.pdf
thanks, just found the nice.org website, ill check out the depression guidelines too.
Hello anybody. I totally understand where you're coming from. I have seen numerous amount of psychologists, a psychiatrist, etc. But unbelievably the one helped me quite a bit was a trainee psychologist. Why i think she was good for me was she was around my age, more on my wave length, and not answering a question with a question (that's really is annoying). A few things that i learned was try having an open mind, don't judge on one session, obviously credentials is a must and clicking with the therapist. Maybe try a craniosacral therapist? That really did help me but unfortunately she had to go back to south africa. Hope this helped you a bit. Darren :)
Hello anybody. I totally understand where you're coming from. I have seen numerous amount of psychologists, a psychiatrist, etc. But unbelievably the one helped me quite a bit was a trainee psychologist. Why i think she was good for me was she was around my age, more on my wave length, and not answering a question with a question (that's really is annoying). A few things that i learned was try having an open mind, don't judge on one session, obviously credentials is a must and clicking with the therapist. Maybe try a craniosacral therapist? That really did help me but unfortunately she had to go back to south africa. Hope this helped you a bit. Darren :)
Dont konw what it is, but i think id prefer an OLDER person, they usually seem more understanding/helpful and wiser and with more years of experience working in the field, rather than a fresh college graduate whos read all the recommended books but has never been in the depths of mental illness themself or worked with patients for decades seeing and learning things only real life can show you. But yeh, i know what you mean, it could be anyone who does the best job, not dependant on qualification or age.
lol answering question with question lol
when you do answer the question, then they move on. they need to answer back and explore it more.
cheers.
As a client seeing various psychologists, I agree with feeling more comfortable with an older person. However, as a grad student for Marriage/Family Therapy who will be starting this clinical practice soon, I just want to point out that if you ever do see a student or somebody going through licensing, they always have a supervisor who has been in the field helping them and making sure things are going properly. The supervisor also observes the actual sessions from time to time or a video tape of the session if that is how the program works. That's how mine will at least. For us, we go to our sites and have a supervisor there who will meet with us once a week to go over tapes, go over cases, make suggestions, etc.
Just some reassurance if you do get a student :)
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