Therapist Slaying

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The Lab Pet, Therapist Slayer. Really, it's a calling quite like Buffy the Vampire Slayer.....but scarier. I've whipped so many neuro/psychs into shape, the hard way (for some) that I think I've really earned my distinction. Just so proud when I learn of fellow Aspies who slay their neuro/psych (un)professionals who are at least misguided. In this way, we cull the bad ones to make room for those who are good and kind.

Elsewise, where do we hide the bodies? I do think, for those who are good and kind and smart, I'll make-up T-shirts that read, "I survived the Therapist Slayer" (some have not). The Lab Pet can be demure....and then, whamo. Truly, Therapist Slaying is an artform. Warms my heart to know of you all who do not settle for....crapola. Indeed, the motto holds, "Why would one take the Lamborghini to a Jiffy Lube?" By analogy, the beautiful Autistic mind does not belond in just any mental health clinic. Behold:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmtFgvHiZXA[/youtube]


So, any heartwarming stories about your latest conquests? Have you ever fired your psych? In a dramatic slam-dunk way? Have they lived to complain about you? From their jail cell? APA, make my day. Any experiences are welcome......plus those of good therapists who further our cause.

The conquest....continued. There are good therapist out there - the rest, well....the lone Therapist Slayer is armed with nothing less than a DSM V (OK, DSM IV TR), some strong quotes by Hans Asperger, neural tissue (it's a show & tell for those psychs that don't know better), and a can-do attitude.........Viola. Therapist Slaying at the finest:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FythElhJFI&feature=player_embedded#![/youtube]

Note: The picture on this youtube video, from the outset, is not what this video is about! Apologies - I'd not wish to send the wrong message. The vid is worth the watch, in terms of Therapist Slaying, I promise.

Come. Sit around the campfire that is the Wrong Planet and tell us about your adventures with your psych. In actuality, this thread could be stickied, because, lets face it, most of us have seen (or will) a psych at any given time.

Notoriously, Aspies are considered the "bad boys of the mental health system" and, frankly, we've earned that distinction and owe it to ourselves to live up to that expectation. As a community, we are not just any disorder after all! We are Aspies. For those neuro/psych professionals who do not know....well, they are in for an awakening. Perhaps in the netherworld. I've met some badly behaved psychs and it's our duty to uphold what is righteous and good.

The Therapist Slayer has spoken.

Have you seen the cartoon "Ren Seeks Help"? Ren is also a therapist slayer (literally). I have the entire episode, but it gets taken down whenever someone posts it somewhere. A search for it might turn up bits and pieces of it.

I can see how the AS cases might seem an intractable puzzle to therapists. It might look like schizophrenia, but it's not.

Hey, I need to say for the record (and for any suspicious therapists who may be reading this) that none of us actually intend to kill our therapists.

Royally chew them out? Yes. Fire them? Occasionally. But kill them? No. Not unless they're coming at us with a shotgun and the intent to perforate our skulls, in which case it wouldn't matter what they did for a living. ("Psychiatrist Goes Postal"... that'd be a nice change from all the hysterical "crazy violent guy" news stories, wouldn't it?)

I've had a few therapists who simply made assumptions about me without asking me what I was actually thinking or feeling. In those cases, I simply left. I probably couldn't have gotten through to them from my "mental patient" social status anyway, because that kind of therapist is the worst sort (barring outright abusive ones and sometimes not even then)--they refuse to learn, and refuse to believe that the patient could ever be right.

Therapists' suck.

OK, what would you do in this situation? I am not in therapy but have been seeing someone new for meds management. First of all, I like her and enjoy talking to her. At the first meeting I told her my son had AS and I thought I recognized myself but fit the criteria for PDD-NOS better. I told her my mother had said my problems with connecting with other people were evident at age two, I had been in and out of therapy since the 3rd grade, I had my first boyfriend at age 40 and that was a failure, been provisionally diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder at age 17 in 1974 etc etc. Also mentioned major problems with eye contact that improved with antidepressants and a lifetime of wondering where the rule book was and why didn't I get one.

Anyway, I am diagnosed with Major Depression and ADD Primarily Inattentive. I mentioned to her the lifelong problem I have had with mental exhaustion and she immediately said " I hate to tell you this, but that is also a symptom of the ADD". OK, I thought that was an odd thing to say. I think she decided that I don't have an ASD simply because I said I thought I did and anything I say will be put through that filter.

I'm actually not actively seeking a diagnosis. I could use some help but that is in the area of the ADD-PI. I just don't like being dismissed so quickly. She doesn't know me. I started there at the facility after completing a 28 day in house program for alcoholism. The information in my files have nothing to do with my childhood. Nobody ever asked.

So how would you deal with someone who thinks you don't have it simply because you think you do?

Well, she's right in saying that mental exhaustion can be related to ADHD, especially the inattentive sort. But that doesn't rule out autism; she really should take all the factors into consideration. When you're looking at a differential diagnosis, you're supposed to focus on which symptoms don't fit into both categories, rather than the ones that do. She may simply be hesitant to add another diagnosis if she feels that ADHD can explain all your current symptoms; and if it can, then you may not need another. On the other hand, if there are traits that are unrelated to ADHD which are causing you problems, then it needs to be addressed; and if that's the case, then she shouldn't automatically dismiss the idea that you have something else in addition to the ADHD.

"They're coming right for us!"

Seiously? I haven't seen enough shrinks to have an opinion. But I've seen enough really bad doctors, and had some rather illegal thoughts about ending their professions. Usually after the boards governing docotrs and conplaints against them have asked me to stop bothering them (the boards).

The world would be a lot better, with therapists.

Psych therapy requires at least halfway decent language acquisition skills, especially verbal. I was never chattery enough to make the grade, despite the fact that I am someone who very much 'could' benefit from said therapies. My opinion of the psychotherapy community has ultimately dropped to the point it has after enough bad experiences with trying to seek counseling. In my final estimation, they're just looking to make easy money and with people they can more or less work their own problems off of, and nothing else. I never fit the bill that way, and think it rather twisted, too, I might add.

I have the utmost respect for the therapist that helped me understand myself. I felt close to him because he listened to me and treated me like a respectable human being. I found, because of his demeanor, that I could discuss matters with him. I expressed with him concerns I had about myself, and he helped me. I will be forever grateful to him.

So I answered "No" to this poll. My experiences with therapy/therapist has been positive. But, I have only had the one therapist.

I've seen 15 therapists (though many of them only once) and every one has been a bad experience. Even only counting the ones I saw long-term (4), and they were the best ones, the ones I thought might be okay (which is why I stuck with them) it was nothing but awful.

I've had therapists do real damage to my life by leading me in completely the wrong direction, causing me to derail my then-current life to pursue some non-existent pipe dream, so I lost what I had and was left with nothing.

And yet... I am desperate enough that I'm considering trying again.

Bee33---I am sorry to hear that. And I seem to be in a minority here because most people have had bad experiences it seems. When I selected my therapist, I found one who had good knowledge of AS. But I know that doesn't guarantee a positive experience. My best advice, and it sounds like you are taking it, is if it doesn't feel right with a therapist, get out. I only did therapy for a short time from the one guy. I don't have plans to see any one else for therapy at this time. My issue was on learning how to better play with my children---the way children need a father to play with them. Good luck to you.

Thank glider18. Re-reading my post I think I overstated it a bit. I think I was wallowing in self pity a bit, because I recently had to stop seeing my therapist because she was driving me nuts (isn't it supposed to be the other way around, making me not-nuts? )