I feel like I’m doing it wrong and that they think I’m holding back and are getting frustrated with me.
Would it be weird to write things down and take it with me to the appointment?
How do your appointments go?
My pdoc doesn’t ask me about my symptoms for other days so I made a list for him and he told me it wasn’t necessary. I hate this pdoc. He only asks how I am for the appointment. I have symptoms other days, he just doesn’t want to hear them.
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I make a list of stuff I need to discuss with him. I make sure I go through the entire list with him. Then he would go through my file and remind me about things that happened. I think he doesn’t know what else to do in the 45 minutes I see him cause I don’t talk much.
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I don’t think that would be weird, especially if notes help you remember and keep you focused on what you need to tell your pdoc so they can better help you.
During my appointments, the pdoc just asks my symptoms and how I’m feeling on meds.
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I write down my main issues I’ve had since I last saw my pdoc. I read the list off to her and she’ll ask questions. I keep the list short and to the point. For instance:
•men still following me
•phone and computer still tapped
•not sleeping
•still seeing old imaginary friends
•gained 14.5 pounds in 2.5 weeks
And then, after she asks questions, if I’d like to try a certain med I go ahead and ask her about it.
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a few years into my experience with the mental health field,these days its mostly to determine if meds are working and I have enough refills for my next appointment. Pdoc will ask if there is anything else I want to talk about and then they say ‘see you in X months’
My first few years as a patient were very frustrating while I got accustomed to getting a new doc every so often and getting put on different meds and having stuff switched around.
Things are pretty mundane after they figure out what combination of stuff gets you stabilized.
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My doc always asks how I’ve been feeling. Then what I’m doing to help with depression (i.e. exercise). Then she asks if I’ve been feeling any paranoia or having delusional thoughts. She checks my weight and blood pressure and that’s pretty much it.
This next appointment I will be mentioning how much stress my job is causing me and how I’ve been having breakthrough symptoms due to the stress.
My appointments usually only last 15 minutes and I see her every 4 weeks.
I see my pdoc every eight weeks for 25 minutes at a time. She asks how I’ve been and what I have done since our last visit, and then she makes sure I have enough refills to last until the next appointment.
Since the Zyprexa has been helping so much, we focus on accomplishments like volunteering and driving by myself. She keeps notes on all the things I can do now and she asks me if there’s anything new and if I am still managing to do all the things I could do as of our last visit.
Prior to the Zyprexa, it was a broken record of paranoia and delusions that wouldn’t go away. Her focus was on quality of life and lack thereof, and tweaking my med cocktail to try to improve things.
I encourage you to keep notes if you have a hard time remembering things. Sometimes that appointment time goes so fast, it’s easy to forget things. I used to keep a list of times I took my PRN med and breakthrough psychotic episodes. It helped to have it so we could maximize our talk time.
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Pdoc: Hey, how have you been?
Me: I’m alright thanks.
Pdoc: What have you been up to?
Me: Not much, the usual. Volunteering, writing poetry, watching TV, playing video games.
Pdoc: That sounds great. How is your mood?
Me: Like a 6.5 of 10.
Pdoc: Any thoughts of hurting yourself?
Me: No.
Pdoc: Any thoughts of hurting others?
Me: No.
Pdoc: Any questions for me?
Insert Q/A here
Pdoc: it was nice seeing you, well be in touch. Have a good day
Me: Thanks you too.
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I write things down all the time and take with me. I want to make sure I remember everything and she never has a problem with it.
Mine lets me talk about any symptoms I may be having then we talk about how I can deal with them.
Then discuss possible medications and treatment options.
Basically she provides psychotherapy as well, I can go for 40 minutes and I can go whenever I want.
She’s been my psychiatrist since January.
I wish I had known there was a good psychiatrist like this out there years ago!
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My appointments go like this:
Pdoc: How have you been doing?
Me: I’ve been doing great. No mood swings, no psychosis.
Pdoc: That’s great. We’ll keep all your meds the same. No changes.
Me: Wonderful, doctor. See you in two months.
That’s what a pdoc appointment SHOULD look like.
My doc: hi mark. did you save the world today?
Me: pretty much.
My doc: good job! See you in six to eight weeks.
Me: my name is Nick!!!
My doc: get the hell out of my office.
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Laugh out loud. 151515151515
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my one pdoc knew their patients by what meds they were on and not their name, he said I was an exception because I had a cool last name lol, and I called him all the time
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Most of my appointments DO look like that, but I just don’t think he really cares about my symptoms.
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I totally agree. I’ve always loved the name Blues.
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I know its catchy isn’t it. It can mean a color, emotion, type of music, or a period in Picassos art
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Looks like it’s time to get a new pdoc.
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I’ve tried but my insurance dropped the one I was seeing that I actually liked. So I’m back to this pdoc. I try to get in and get out as fast as I can. But this time I’m coming in early, so he has to hear me out. Right? I’m having intrusive thoughts, so he has to hear what I’ve been experiencing.