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r/ADHD•
helloadrien

How do I break up with my psychiatrist? He must be a duck because all he does is quack (The Midnight Panic Part 2)

Part one here!

So I finally got in to see my shrink about my late-night anxiety issues. I got the following lovely accusations and advice:

  • He told me flat-out that I 'didn't have a life' and that spent all my time at work or at school. I responded that I am a bellydancer and practice multiple times a week. I also enjoy making crafts. He made a terrible assumption about my personal life because he never bothered to ask and I never thought it relevant to share. I also have a partner but I think it wouldn't go over well if he knew I was gay.

  • I am an 'anxious person'. Obviously this means I need to stop thinking anxious thoughts. Don't you know that if you don't think anxious thoughts you don't get anxiety? I wasn't under the impression that's how anxiety worked, but COLOR ME MISTAKEN.

  • He wrote me a script for a prescription-strength antihistimine to help me sleep on anxiety nights. Problem? By the time I realize I won't be sleeping on an anxiety night, it's about 4-5 hours before I need to be awake! If I took a sleep aid, I WOULD NOT WAKE UP.

  • I never got to ask about Intuniv or Strattera because he was giving me unsolicited advice for how to deal with school.

  • One piece of this advice included 'offering 50 dollars to a clinic supervisor who isn't providing me with one-on-one attention.' When I countered that this is bad for all the students to come after me (not having 50 bucks nonwithstanding) he said that I would have to weigh my principles against my desire to succeed.

  • So at this point, I'm in the process of trying to find a new psychiatrist. I'm not sure what the procedure is with insurance. Do I just make an appointment with a new shrink, or...

  • I'm afraid of meeting another shrink. I have a diagnosis but I don't want someone to tell me I don't have ADHD because I have a Master's degree and am working on a second. The instant you look at my life as a composite the deficit is there. I'm held together with duct tape and wishes. So seeing another shrink kind of terrifies me, despite the fact that I was diagnosed in 30 minutes by a doctor who was an expert after dealing with a quack or two who tried to give me an inkblot test and claim I was autistic. She said that my overall profile was pretty textbook for a woman with ADHD. Too bad I don't live in that city anymore, or I'd go back to her.

tl;dr: How do I break up with my terribad psychiatrist?

Edit: Yes, I'm filling the script for the antihistamines. I have terrible cat allergies and I could use 'em for when I sleep in houses with cats in them. This is a frequent occurrence and they might help me with another sort of sleepless night.

Posted Feb 14, 2015, 5:19 AM UTC · edited

126
I_am_a_kitten_AMAADHD-PI•

Don't you know that if you don't think anxious thoughts you don't get anxiety?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Anyway, it is pretty simple. Just call your psychiatrist or leave a message, saying you are switching doctors and would like your medical records transferred to them. If you want to add a reason, you can say that you are switching to a doctor closer to where you live. That is what I said when I was ending it with my old psychiatrist.

13
nerdsharkADHD-PI•

tl;dr: How do I break up with my terribad psychiatrist?

Just tell them that you won't be seeing them anymore, and that you want copies of your treatment and medical records for your next psychiatrist. Then find a new psychiatrist.

5
FurryNinjaCat•

Call your old Dr that you like and ask if they have a recommendation for your area. They should be able to ask around for you. When you make an appt with the new Dr, they'll have you sign a form releasing your records from your prior Dr. They'll take care of getting your records transferred.

5
hdizADHD-C•

I just said I'd make an appointment, and never did ever again. Did some research and found a new one.

3
Tulabean•

Yeah I upvoted the other posts here because they really point out the obvious: this is about your mental health and well being. And if that is what this is about, and this guy isn't working for you, then by taking care of yourself you MUST find someone else.

2
MercuryChaosADHD-PI•

I think it wouldn't go over well if he knew I was gay.

Yeah, you need to find somebody else. If you're not sure what to do, contact your insurance company and ask if you need a referral from your PCP, and where you can get a list of psychiatrists in their network. When you make the appointment, tell them you've been diagnosed with adult ADHD (and offer to bring the records from the doctor who diagnosed you if they need to see them.)

1