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How to snuff out a good psychiatrist from a bad one?

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Tequila
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24 Apr 2011, 4:50 am

I'm going to see one next week. I want an easy, quick way of deciding whether this woman can help me or not.

Any ideas?

I'm going with asking her what she thinks of the BNP. If she doesn't think they have a right to exist, I'm out of there.

My reasoning?

Reason being that if she thinks that about racists like the BNP, she'll probably want to interfere in my own opinions and preferences. There is a tendency amongst lefties to brand people who disagree with them 'mentally ill'. I have my own thoughts and feelings and they are irrelevant - I don't want a psychiatrist deriding them as playing with someone's head like that is dangerous.

I'm not dealing with a Righteous.



pensieve
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24 Apr 2011, 5:00 am

Should ask her about the IRA too.


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Tequila
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24 Apr 2011, 5:02 am

pensieve wrote:
Should ask her about the IRA too.


Heh. LOL. No, it's not so much about terrorism and stuff, more that psychiatrists have a tendency to let their own views on things (usually leftist ones) affect their work. I don't want to deal with a person like that. I get enough grief off society for being 'different', and I really don't need from a woman purporting to help me.



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24 Apr 2011, 5:55 am

Snuff out? What about a gun?



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24 Apr 2011, 6:19 am

Surfman wrote:
Snuff out? What about a gun?


The thread caught my eye for the same reason. He probably means "sniff out" rather than "snuff out". :lol:



Tequila
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24 Apr 2011, 6:24 am

Yes, yes, OK. I meant 'sniff out'. Pedants. :p ;)

Back to the substantive point of my question?



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24 Apr 2011, 6:25 am

Snuffle.

I think intuition is how one does this. Sucks if you have bad intuition. Trial and error in that case.


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Tequila
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24 Apr 2011, 6:38 am

Problem is that the reason I'm going to a psychiatrist is somewhat sensitive so I want to make sure, as much as is possible, that I won't get humiliated if I bare my soul.



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24 Apr 2011, 6:49 am

Tequila wrote:
I'm going with asking her what she thinks of the BNP. If she doesn't think they have a right to exist, I'm out of there.


I don't think this would work. It's highly unlikely that a medical professional would discuss his/her political affiliations with a patient.



Tequila
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24 Apr 2011, 6:50 am

Perhaps not. But can you see what I'm getting at? I want a non-judgemental psychiatrist. I'm not bearing my soul only for it to be laughed at. Which makes me very wary.

That's why I asked for suggestions. :)



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24 Apr 2011, 6:59 am

Surfman wrote:
Snuff out? What about a gun?


LOL. That's what I thought at first too. I was gonna say shoot him and if he bleeds red he's good. Any other color - run away. Of course he's no good dead but at least you know ...


Seriously, a GOOD psychiatrist won't easily fall for such a transparent setup. They run into people all the time that want to play head games and a good one sees it immediately.

A better way would be to start the conversation by saying you are approaching the first session as a job interview - his job. He's a consultant and you want to know if he's a good fit. Ask him about his professional credentials, his therapeutic philosophies, make it direct but about his work. If he refuses to talk about that for at least a little while, ditch him. Or if he lets you go there but seems evasive and testy, forget it. If he is any good at all he will not feel threatened and go along with it long enough to allay your fears.


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24 Apr 2011, 7:21 am

Tequila wrote:
Perhaps not. But can you see what I'm getting at? I want a non-judgemental psychiatrist. I'm not bearing my soul only for it to be laughed at. Which makes me very wary.

That's why I asked for suggestions. :)


Most doctors are non-judgemental although I have come across a few exceptions to the rule.

One of the first doctors I saw about getting incapacity benefit told me: "If you can write, you can hold a shovel!"

Another doctor, who worked for an insurance company, told my mother that her problems were nothing that a bit of compensation wouldn't fix (my mother is currently seriously ill with sarcoidosis and non-alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver).



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24 Apr 2011, 7:29 am

Tequila wrote:
I'm going to see one next week. I want an easy, quick way of deciding whether this woman can help me or not.

Any ideas?

I'm going with asking her what she thinks of the BNP. If she doesn't think they have a right to exist, I'm out of there.

My reasoning?

Reason being that if she thinks that about racists like the BNP, she'll probably want to interfere in my own opinions and preferences. There is a tendency amongst lefties to brand people who disagree with them 'mentally ill'. I have my own thoughts and feelings and they are irrelevant - I don't want a psychiatrist deriding them as playing with someone's head like that is dangerous.

I'm not dealing with a Righteous.


A good psychiatrist would probably not answer your question. His or her personal beliefs are irrelevant to your treatment. Also it can be dangerous to reveal too much information to patients (not saying you're dangerous, just some are).

Trust me, unless they're a total Noob, whatever your beliefs are probably won't be the most bizarre they've come across.

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24 Apr 2011, 7:31 am

Tequila wrote:
I'm going to see one next week. I want an easy, quick way of deciding whether this woman can help me or not.

Any ideas?

I'm going with asking her what she thinks of the BNP. If she doesn't think they have a right to exist, I'm out of there.

My reasoning?

Reason being that if she thinks that about racists like the BNP, she'll probably want to interfere in my own opinions and preferences. There is a tendency amongst lefties to brand people who disagree with them 'mentally ill'. I have my own thoughts and feelings and they are irrelevant - I don't want a psychiatrist deriding them as playing with someone's head like that is dangerous.

I'm not dealing with a Righteous.


Most of my psychiatrists have been Indian, so I suspect I know their views on the BNP without asking.

To be honest I doubt she'll give you her point of view on them anyway. She'll probably turn the question around to you, that's what they tend to do. They generally want you to do all the talking, then decide which pills to give you. I've never had a particularly in depth conversation with a psychiatrist. Its mainly "take these pills, get out of bed and open the curtains." If I have challenged their opinion its just been taken as more proof that I am a difficult patient, and its due to whatever diagnosis they have given me.

Psychologists on the other hand, they are all about changing how you think. That's why I don't see them anymore.

How to tell if she is going to be any good? I always google any mental health person I am going to see. Higher up people should appear on the interwebs, she may have published papers etc. If she actually listens to what you say, and tells you the reasons for any recommendations she makes, and listens to your feedback on that, well you've got a reasonable one.



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24 Apr 2011, 7:45 am

No, I'm not meaning to ask them if they like the BNP. I'm not interested in that. I want to know if they value the concept of freedom of choice, of dissent.



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24 Apr 2011, 7:57 am

Tequila wrote:
No, I'm not meaning to ask them if they like the BNP. I'm not interested in that. I want to know if they value the concept of freedom of choice, of dissent.


Why not just ask them that then? Nothing gained by trying to put people through tests and mindgames; just breeds resentment (that's why people dislike psychiatrists :P)