How was your first visit with a therapist/psychiatrist?

DX'd - Other
1
  1. How did you feel, before and after?
  2. What did you discuss?
  3. Did the visit feel particularily important?
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2

Felt good because I didn’t talk much about the foreign experiences. I talked about my “wisdom”. It was pretty good, talking about stuff really was refreshing even though I liked talking in my head.

3

  1. Intensely nervous, and then very relieved and freaked out at the same time (I’m not someone who talks about my issues with…anyone. So half of me immediately regretted bringing anything up, especially since the first “therapist” I saw was my school psychologist senior year of hs, my mom wouldn’t allow me to go to an actual therapist because she was afraid they’d put me on medication-in other words this was a woman I saw on a regular basis, she taught one of my classes! Not just some random person I could dump on and leave behind)

  2. I guess I just unloaded all the things causing me stress. Never brought up any of my psychosis issues, because even bringing up basic emotional struggles was a huge leap for me, much less the crazier side of things. Talked about how hectic my family life was and how it was affecting me.

  3. It was huge for me. It made me realize that therapy is something that is really important for me, because otherwise I just hold all my issues inside and they build up until basically I’m suicidal again. If I can’t bring myself to talk to friends or family, at least I have a therapist.

I ended up stopping to go see her, because it was too awkward to explain to friends where I was going during lunch once a week, and because I saw my school psychologist EVERYWHERE and she would always give me these mourning pity looks that made me uncomfortable. Also realized that she didn’t really have any solutions to my issues, she was just there to listen. But eh, everyone’s gotta start somewhere.

4

I don’t remember much since back in college. I do remember seeing a psychiatrist and his dismissing me as I guess some kind of hysterical, hypochondriac girl. I don’t think he was too intelligent. My problem is over the years I have seen so many; some good; some not so good; some bad; some so awful words can’t describe. I imagine that I send that psychiatrist a message. Look at me now! I am taking Seroquel and Lithium and on Social Security Disability. Of course, this does not include all the other psychiatric medications that I have been lucky enough to prescribed!

5

As I walked into yhe psychiatrist’s office something triggered me. I was paranoid and psychotic as hell. I immediately told her that I suspect that she could be part of the plot against me. She gave me one look and I was diagnosed paranoid sz. She was really very angry at the psychologist who took four years before he recommended me to her. I felt great relieve that someone was finally in a position to give me help from my emmotional agony since I had zero insight of the illness at the time.

6

First P-doc was terrible. He didn’t speak English well, and didn’t listen.

I told him I wasn’t sold on medication and wanted minimal medication. He prescribed 5 separate medications.

I left and did not visit another doctor for another year, and went to college and held a part-time job without medication, so obviously I didn’t need those 5 medications all that bad. I eventually ended up hospitalized, and I blame that on the doctor’s incompetence. I eventually got a better p-doc, but I’m very wary when I audition a new one.

First psychologist was great. She listened to everything I had to say, and extended the session to 3 hours while my mother waited in the car so she could hear it all.

7

One of the early ones that I can remember… She was a family therapist… I was 15. I was having a hard time when I was 15… and nothing she said made sense.

My parents and siblings were all there… and I just remember it being a very uncomfortable time. It was more like an intervention. I had just had a huge melt down at a family event. People thought I had an alcohol problem… (which I did) but mental illness wasn’t on the menu.

I resented the whole thing a lot. Plus I was really confused.

8

Very few words if any, either way -

9

he ( the shrink ) tried to get me locked up and gave me such a high dose of meds i could hardly speak…otherwise, it went really well !!
take care :alien:

10

My first therapist when I was 19 years old was a nice, cute, petite 30 year old women. I was more interested in my feeble thoughts of her somehow, someway, wanting to have sex with me then discussing anything relevant to my situation. So even though I was slowly getting worse I put on a good face and talked about trivial matters. It didn’t feel particularly important. I wasn’t even freaking out about seeing a mental health worker. Amazingly, I took it all in stride. It was my “new normal”. But after seeing her once a week for several months, the head psychiatrist at the clinic called a meeting with my him, my therapist, my parents, and me. After talking with us for 15 minutes the psychiatrist says, “He needs to be in the hospital”. I remember my therapist cried when she heard this. She had no idea how seriously ill I was. It wasn’t her fault. Like I said, I put on a good face.

11

I like that “audition!” I’ll be auditioning a new one next week.

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12

i was hearing voices and crippled in my mind, very scary for me

13

I don’t remember my first visit.

14

I remember my first pdoc well. he just convinced me he doesn’t care the whole while I was seeing him. maybe it is paranoia on my part, maybe not.

judy

15

On my first intake I poured out my heart that I was in love with Amelia and the woman seemed very sad to hear what I was saying. she even cried a little but wiped it away. I had no idea that I was schizophrenic. I just believed everything that the scientists said and by the lyrics I was reading I thought I would be reunited with Amelia. Anyone interested in reading the book I wrote about my schizophrenic journey for seven months. the name of the book is OUT OF IT - an autobiography on the experience of schizophrenia. It’s on amazon. just put “schizophrenia autobiography” in the search window and it’s right there. thanks for reminding me. I hardly ever mention my book but I think it would help families suffering as caregivers for schizophrenics.

16

When I started with my present therapist, I was terrified the first day. I sat holding my cell phone with 91 typed into the phone number just waiting to hit that last 1 and send. He said he could barely hear me, I had tears in my eyes and answered all his questions with either I don’t know or Dr. D sent me ask him. It was a year before I told the doctor that I am hearing voices and seeing things. Now I have seen the doctor for nine years and the therapist for seven. Still frightened of them but getting better, put my phone away a year ago.