My past psychiatrist doesn't answer my messages

I sent an email to my past psychiatrist to see if we could have appointment to discuss a possible mistake of diagnosis. I sent him a scientific article attached to the email. 5 days passed and he didn’t answer.

Today I sent him a WhatsApp message and I know he read the message because WhatsApp let me know when someone reads my messages. He didn’t answered as well.

I’m confused. He didn’t took so long to answer my messages when I was his patient and I’m willing to have a paid appointment with him.

I’m not sure if I’m too anxious and should take some air or if he is ghosting me.

1 Like

I’m guessing he’s aware you have a new pdoc. He probably looked at your file and stands by his diagnosis which is why he doesn’t want to discuss it any further and maybe he figures you should discuss it with your new pdoc.

1 Like

What did he diagnose you as?

1 Like

He diagnosed me with schizophrenia in 2015 and, in 2018, he diagnosed me with schizoaffective disorder.

By no mean it’s an excuse to not answer my messages. It’s overly unprofessional.

1 Like

That’s the reason why he’s not responding right there.
Docs feel as if they are always right.

2 Likes

So you believe you have schizophrenia and not schizoaffective right?

1 Like

That’s a bit arrogant from him if it’s true.

I think due to NIDS (Neuroleptic-Induced Deficit Syndrome) my diagnosis may be wrong. My current psychiatrist think I don’t have schizophrenia neither schizoaffective disorder. I can’t answer that what’s my diagnosis. I just have doubts.

1 Like

I’ve never heard of nids is that a mental disorder or a physical disorder?

1 Like

It’s a syndrome caused by antipsychotics. Antipsychotics may cause symptoms similar to negative symptoms and that’s why a psychiatrist may misdiagnose you with schizophrenia.

1 Like

Oh wow I didn’t know that. Thank you for that info. Does it go away if you stop them?

1 Like

What I can say is that since I decreased my aripiprazole dose from 15 mg to 5 mg, my negative symptoms simply went away. But it’s very important to understand that I don’t have positive symptoms since my first hospitalization in 2015. And it’s also very important to do any management of medicines with the help of a psychiatrist. No way that stopping medicines by yourself is a good idea.

Edit: memantine also helped me with negative symptoms, but the whole stuff went away just when I decreased the dose of aripiprazole.

1 Like

Wow! I’m really appreciative for that info.
I’m going to see if that might be my problem.
My hands shake a little. And the muscles in my feet twitch and move on their own.
Thank you for posting this

1 Like

You’re welcome! I hope you find the answers you want.

I’ll put some abstracts of scitific articles I found in ResearchGate:

Neuroleptic induced deficit syndrome:

Increasing interest in subjective aspects of therapy and rehabilitation focused the attention of psychiatrists, psychologists and psychopharmacologists on the mental side effects of neuroleptics. For the drug-related impairment of affective, cognitive and social function the name of neuroleptic-induced deficit syndrome (NIDS) is proposed. Patients with NIDS appear to be indifferent to the environmental stimuli, retarded and apathetic. They complain of feeling drugged and drowsy, weird, they suffer from lack of motivation, feel like “zombies”. The paper presents description of NIDS and its differentiation from negative and depressive symptoms in schizophrenia and subjective perceiving of extrapyramidal syndromes.

Neuroleptic-induced deficit syndrome in bipolar disorder with psychosis

Neuroleptics can induce not only physical adverse effects but also mental effects that produce deficit status in thought, affect, cognition, and behavior. This condition is known as neuroleptic-induced deficit syndrome (NIDS), which includes apathy, lack of initiative, anhedonia, indifference, blunted affect, and reduced insight into disease. Although this old concept now appears almost forgotten, neuroleptics, whether typical or atypical, can make depression or bipolar disorder resemble other more refractory conditions, readily leading to mistaken diagnosis and inappropriate treatment. The authors describe three cases of NIDS superimposed on depressive phase in bipolar disorder with psychosis, where the attending psychiatrist’s failure to recognize NIDS prevented patients from receiving effective treatment and achieving remission. All cases achieved remission after reduction of neuroleptics and intensive therapy, including electroconvulsive therapy, for bipolar depression. The concept of NIDS was originally introduced for schizophrenia, and it has rarely been highlighted in other diseases. In recent years, however, atypical antipsychotics are being more often administered to patients with bipolar disorder. Psychiatrists, therefore, should also remember and exercise caution regarding NIDS in the pharmacotherapy of bipolar disorder with and without psychosis. The authors believe that the concept of NIDS needs to be reappraised in current psychiatry.

Neuroleptic-induced deficit syndrome. Historical introduction

The treatment of psychotic illness has long been inextricably associated with society’s view in general on social deviance. In medieval times, psychotic individuals were contained within the community, a situation which still prevails in many developing countries. Aggregation of such patients in asylums followed the increasing industrialization of communities in the nineteenth century, when the ability of the disadvantaged of all kinds to survive was greatly jeopardized. The twentieth century has seen a gradual reversal of this process, as attitudes towards mentally ill people have become a little more enlightened and liberal. However, the swing against the great lunatic asylums of the last century has proceeded at such an administrative rate that our patients are again in danger of succumbing medically and economically within our communities. It is common to see desperately poor and damaged psychotic individuals on our streets. The advent of neuroleptics was a major factor in the change from a custodial to an ostensibly rehabilitative approach in the treatment of schizophrenia. However, classic neuroleptics have a long list of well-recognized side effects such as affective and cognitive impairment that lead to poor treatment compliance, psychiatric relapse and social decompensation, the state of affairs of our street psychotics. Treatments that lessen the probability of this unfortunate process are desperately needed. The introduction of new neuroleptic drugs with favourable side effect profiles is to be welcomed as a major step in increasing the quality of life of our patients, both in hospital and functioning in the community.

1 Like

You are a wealth of good information thank you!

1 Like

I would like to talk to my past psychiatrist but I realize that I can’t since he is not my doctor anymore, sometimes I am in panic mode and need his much desired advice but I have to realize that he can not.

He is only accepting his old patients and had to let me go.

It would be highly inappropriate for him to answer you. You’re not his patient anymore and he cannot discuss your diagnosis with you. He could get in trouble for that.

Why dont you discuss your diagnosis with your current pdoc? You wouldnt gain anything from talking to your past psychiatrist anyways, they cant change your diagnosis anymore.

2 Likes

What all those guys said above. Makes sense. I find it weird to have a personal relationship with a therapist or doctor. It’s different in USA, I guess. I don’t expect them to be too friendly. As they say in America, we are clients or consumers. Pretty cold if you ask me. They’re often overloaded with clients and are super busy.

I had thoughts that APs caused or worsened my negatives too, but I can’t do anything about it. I asked for stimulants, and they said no.

1 Like

If we consider that it was him who gave me the first diagnosis and also hospitalized me, it’s very appropriate he answers me. By the way, I suggested him to have an appointment to discuss it, I’m not asking him nothing.

A wrong diagnosis may bring serious consequences to my treatment and to my life, don’t forget it, buddy.

I used his professional email.

1 Like