What do ya'll think about Psychiatry?

[chman]

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This is what happened in essence. Fall 08 I started getting panic attacks out of nowhere. Just freaking out..sweating..shaking, etc. This was so atypical because I am a super laid back person and it is pretty tough to get me anxious. After a few days of this going on nonstop I finally went to my GP. He put me on a SSRI. All this did was make me $hit my brains out about 15 times a day. Kept getting worse. Got referred to psychiatrist number 1. She diagnosed me with anxiety disorder. At this point I was literally shaking, sweating, totally freaking out almost all day long. Couldnt sleep, hot/cold spells, etc. She upped my dosage of the SSRI almost to max. Nothing was helping. After about a month, my dad (hes a doc) was like WTF.....ur going to UPenn. Saw the doc there. He (and his residents) agreed with psych 1...anxiety. I kept getting worse. I was to the point where I couldnt get out of bed. I was exhausted all day...and was sleeping about 15 hours a day...only leaving to go to the doctor. I had my RD around this time...had surgery. Docs kept saying "oh well your gf moved in with you, you got a med school acceptance, you had your retinal detachment...this is why your anxious." I knew it was bull****...but hey I was dealing with Penn doctors...the best? Right? Few more weeks go by...by this point I am losing hope. I pull my acceptance. Nothing is making sense....I really think I am losing it. At this point I am on two SSRIs, an antipsychotic, and a benzo. FML. Finally, I am talking to my dad one nite...hes like aaron this makes no sense. My parents come down determined to figure out wtf is going on. I have light sensitivity, fevers, etc....so at this point its pretty clear something physiological is going on. Long story short.. hospital admission...got a LP..got a Dx of lyme encephalitis...IV rocephin for over a month. Rapidly got better....but took months to get back to normal. End of story. Now you see why I dont think very highly of psychiatrists?

Another year of not starting med school, over 10k in medical bills, and a horrible life changing experience that I am still not over a year later.

It is understandable why you feel that way. As someone who has had bouts with anxiety I can understand how the doctors may have thought that. Did they even do a blood test or anything? If not that seems a bit odd. Did you tell them about your light sensitivity and low fever? If so, they should have looked into that more.

But I do agree with others; obviously, and you know this more than me (I am assuming you are a medical student) that medicine is not 100% accurate and sometimes you get unlucky.

Glad everything worked out for you.

 

[willen101383]

Nope.

I'd understand if you didn't think too highly of your GP though.

Yeah. Him too. I owe him a $15 dollar copay hes still sending me letters over. Ill pay someday I think.

 

[Bacchus]

That sucks, yes, but the psychiatrists diagnosed you with what they could. They aren't going to diagnose you with a Lyme disorder. Why did you not pursue other doctors? What's done is done, but denouncing a field because you didn't exhaust all options is a bit ridiculous.

 

[Morsetlis]

House would've known.

 

[willen101383]

It is understandable why you feel that way. As someone who has had bouts with anxiety I can understand how the doctors may have thought that. Did they even do a blood test or anything? If not that seems a bit odd. Did you tell them about your light sensitivity and low fever? If so, they should have looked into that more.

But I do agree with others; obviously, and you know this more than me (I am assuming you are a medical student) that medicine is not 100% accurate and sometimes you get unlucky.

Glad everything worked out for you.

I had a LOT of bloodwork. The lyme Dx was never even entertained until the very end. The real physical symptoms also didnt develop until the end. The physical Sx I had prior were all stuff youd expect to see from an anxious person. Shaking...sympathetic activation type stuff. I shouldnt take it out on the whole profession......I am sure I will get over it some day.

 

[Bacchus]

What does your dad practice? J/w...

 

[willen101383]

That sucks, yes, but the psychiatrists diagnosed you with what they could. They aren't going to diagnose you with a Lyme disorder. Why did you not pursue other doctors? What's done is done, but denouncing a field because you didn't exhaust all options is a bit ridiculous.

I went right to the top...to U Penn. To me that was appropriate as exhausting all options, ya know? I was in no state to be making medical opinions for myself. When the "top docs" in the country tell you you have a psychiatric disorder you listen.

 

[willen101383]

What does your dad practice? J/w...

Heme/Onc actually. But he obviously is board certified in IM as well.

 

[sideways]

I had a LOT of bloodwork. The lyme Dx was never even entertained until the very end. The real physical symptoms also didnt develop until the end. The physical Sx I had prior were all stuff youd expect to see from an anxious person. Shaking...sympathetic activation type stuff. I shouldnt take it out on the whole profession......I am sure I will get over it some day.

4:1 odds you become a psychiatrist.

 

[Bacchus]

Yeah, but you went to the Penn psychiatric department.

 

[willen101383]

4:1 odds you become a psychiatrist.

That would be interesting. I think aside from sucking, and me not being over it 100% yet, it gave me a really unique insight into the minds of psych patients..and taught me to realy listen to people.

Its bizarre...its almost like these psychiatrists had forgotten "physical" medicine exists.

 

[willen101383]

Yeah, but you went to the Penn psychiatric department.

Meaning?

 

[sideways]

That would be interesting. I think aside from sucking, and me not being over it 100% yet, it gave me a really unique insight into the minds of psych patients..and taught me to realy listen to people.

If I'm not mistaken, a C-L psychiatrist is basically the prototypical specialist for what you went through (like Morsetlis said, House).

 

[surftheiop]

I had a LOT of bloodwork. The lyme Dx was never even entertained until the very end. The real physical symptoms also didnt develop until the end. The physical Sx I had prior were all stuff youd expect to see from an anxious person. Shaking...sympathetic activation type stuff. I shouldnt take it out on the whole profession......I am sure I will get over it some day.

If your admitting they made the most probable diagnosis, then why are you bashing them so hard?

I'm really sorry for what you had to go through and obviously wish something had gone differently, but i'm sure you can see why psychs don't immediately give an LP to every anxious person who enters their door.

 

[Morsetlis]

House is Infectious Diseases + Nephrology -.-

Psychiatrists have been known to refer patients to Medicine for hypertension...

Physical medicine and diagnosis should be a required study for all physicians.

 

[willen101383]

If I'm not mistaken, a C-L psychiatrist is basically the prototypical specialist for what you went through (like Morsetlis said, House).

Yeahh. This is a weird thread. I have wanted to tell this story on SDN for a while now but never had the balls to until now.

 

[sideways]

House is Infectious Diseases + Nephrology -.-

Psychiatrists have been known to refer patients to Medicine for hypertension...

Physical medicine and diagnosis should be a required study for all physicians.

That's not what I've heard. In the psych forum an attending is pretty sure they know who "House" is based on, and it's a C-L guy. You'll notice all the pt's have psych sx as well.

It's not a psychiatrist's job to manage HTN.

All physicians do study physical med and dx.

 

[willen101383]

If your admitting they made the most probable diagnosis, then why are you bashing them so hard?

I'm really sorry for what you had to go through and obviously wish something had gone differently, but i'm sure you can see why psychs don't immediately give an LP to every anxious person who enters their door.

Yeah when I walked in the door that Dx would have made sense. But as my Sx changed and it became obvious this was incorrect they wouldnt budge. Thats what I am pissed about.

 

[surftheiop]

Yeah when I walked in the door that Dx would have made sense. But as my Sx changed and it became obvious this was incorrect they wouldnt budge. Thats what I am pissed about.

Ah, gotcha. Yeah that really sucks, an important lesson for all of us

 

[willen101383]

^^ Yeah. While I am not one to believe in **** like "everything happens for a reason," I think I will be a better doc because of this. But it really Fd up my view of medicine...something I really cant stand. I had that idealistic view of docs and medicine. Now at work...etc...I just sort of wonder if any of the attendings actually do anything for anyone.

 

[StormingWynn]

Psychiatry seems much more interesting and risqué now. 👍

 

[sideways]

^^ Yeah. While I am not one to believe in **** like "everything happens for a reason," I think I will be a better doc because of this. But it really Fd up my view of medicine...something I really cant stand. I had that idealistic view of docs and medicine. Now at work...etc...I just sort of wonder if any of the attendings actually do anything for anyone.

Have you started med school yet? If not, just wait. You'd feel this way regardless of what happened to you.

Once you begin, the veil of mystery is slowly lifted. I'd be afraid of going to any doctor that wasn't #1 in their field at this point.

 

[Morsetlis]

Risqué? Psychiatry does Dallas? Deep Psychiatry?

 

[willen101383]

Have you started med school yet? If not, just wait. You'd feel this way regardless of what happened to you.

Once you begin, the veil of mystery is slowly lifted. I'd be afraid of going to any doctor that wasn't #1 in their field at this point.

No..but I am a non trad and have been in my field (clinical lab technologist...the guy that runs everyones labs, bloodbank etc) for a while...so Ive been in the hospitals for years.

My current hospital is a long term acute care hospital. I hate quoting HOG but its fing gomerville big time.

 

[willen101383]

Risqué? Psychiatry does Dallas? Deep Psychiatry?

hahaha. I will forever love debbie does dallas...the first pRon I ever "stumbled upon"

 

[Morsetlis]

You're going into EM already calling everybody gomers? It's a good path to being a cynic the rest of your life ;p

 

[willen101383]

You're going into EM already calling everybody gomers? It's a good path to being a cynic the rest of your life ;p

EM is actually where I see myself hahaha. LTACs are a horrible place. I remember when I first started out at my job one of the ID docs said "we need to get you out of here ASAP...this isnt medicine....the only place I discharge anyone to from here is the ground." Its true. I have not seen a single patient walk out of there on their own power....or alive.

 

[Morsetlis]

But I'm going into CCM because I like trying again and again at something and failing 😛

 

[willen101383]

But I'm going into CCM because I like trying again and again at something and failing 😛

Yeah...but you can try virtually anything you want on your pts and nobody will say a thing!

 

[ILikeDrugs]

Yes psychiatrists are trained in therapy and can do as much as they want. Training in cognitive behavioral, psychodynamics, etc. are provided during residency.

I don't know where this is coming from, but I never said that they couldn't do or were not trained in psychotherapy.

 

[TexasPhysician]

I don't know where this is coming from, but I never said that they couldn't do or were not trained in psychotherapy.

Just clarifying for the OP. You mentioned that you never saw psychiatrists do anything other than supportive therapy, which is the most common therapy.

 

[Morsetlis]

Psychiatrists are not psychologists, although they certainly can be. Remember that clinical psychology is a 4-7 year track after college for PsyD's.

 

[futureapppsy2]

Psychiatrists are not psychologists, although they certainly can be. Remember that clinical psychology is a 4-7 year track after college for PsyD's.

This comment makes no sense. How can "psychiatrists be psychologists"? I don't think you'll find that many people with a PhD/PsyD in clinical psych who then go for an MD (or vice versa). 😕 Also, you're completely leaving out the PhD (the "usual" doctoral degree in psychology.