Doctor has me totally confused/ticked off. Wrong Doctor?

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bringram
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28 Apr 2009, 12:42 pm

I met with a Clinical Psychologist who diagnosed me with Asperger's and had me take the
Rotter Incomplete Sentences Test and the MMPI-2 (first 390 ?s I think). I'm in kinda a small town so the doctor I've seen was somebody my grandparents knew through church.
I got a letter today from her with the results.
According to her the MMPI-2 results were invalid because, based on scientific data, I was exagerating- or "your report of symptoms was worse than someone else with the same symptoms." So the whole thing was a waste of time.
Then she tells me that I'm basically wasting my time trying to get a degree and get a job in computer networking because it's a "specific demanding occupation." I don't have the "aptitude and circumstances" that others do. Oh yeah, and I have an average IQ, which "is sufficient to achieve average pursuits, but not high enough to achieve in this highly technical, professional, and competive occupation area." This coming from someone who did not know the difference between software and hardware and never gave me an IQ test.
She must not have been listening to me talk about my work experience, because I know I've told her that the jobs I have been most succsessfull in have been computer hardware/networking related.
I've had COMPTIA A+ certification, MCSE certification and worked in a call center as a level 2 tech support rep. I left because of a layoff, not because I couldn't do the job. So I want to go back to that, get a degree and move up to network engineer.
She must not know that much about Asperger's either because, from what I've read and what I feel, computer related fields are ones Aspies typically excell at.
As I am writing about this I am really hurt, and confused. I don't think this doctor was listening to me at all and knows all that much about Aspergers's.
I feel like this doctor was kinda a quack and I need a second opinion. Or am I just screaming because somebody told me something I didn't want to hear.



Katie_WPG
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28 Apr 2009, 12:51 pm

If you've had computer networking jobs, and you haven't been fired due to incompetance before, then go for it.

Sometimes, people can let their opinion of people with AS over-ride what they actually know about an individual. It wouldn't matter what you told them, they would just continue to drone "Well...people with AS can't possibly do this..."

Heck, even my own sister has done that. To the point where both me AND my boyfriend (who is sometimes very critical of me) had to correct her.

Long story short? Don't listen to her.



outlier
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28 Apr 2009, 2:38 pm

I advise not to listen to her for the most part. Your description does suggest quack somewhat, or something similar. If possible, make a complaint to her employer, professional body (or whomever she's accountable to), so that she is held accountable for your treatment and doesn't perpetuate poor practice.



Sorenna
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28 Apr 2009, 3:04 pm

Wrte her a letter and tell her that she is not being respectful or appropriate.

Go to Craig's list and report her there and let her know tha tyou are doing so.

Drs must now, THAT WE CAN, in the internet age, be help to accountablilty. We have to tools to do it now. It is called the web.

If they do us a diservice it is our duty to warn others and to let them know their days of power are over. The Good Ol Boy network is over.



pandd
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28 Apr 2009, 10:35 pm

bringram wrote:
According to her the MMPI-2 results were invalid because, based on scientific data, I was exagerating- or "your report of symptoms was worse than someone else with the same symptoms."

Did she ask if your sex-life was satisfactory? If you answered no, that might explain why you ended up with positive on the "fake bad" scale.

After special hearings conducted on the scientific validity of the "fake bad" scale (the one you triggered a positive result from), 2 Florida judges banned its use.

This scale was apparently adopted into use with the MMPI as a result of a literature review. From 40 possible studies, the 21 critical of the scale were ignored by this review. Of the 19 that were included in the review, ten were done in the context of potential conflict of interest. I would be rather dubious of accepting glib claims about scientific validity of this scale without myself accessing and reviewing the alleged scientific support for it and considering it in the context of the scientific criticism of it.

You should perhaps ask this person, what her understanding of the scientific validity is and why she is not concerned that this validity could only be established by ignoring more than half of all relevant studies, including every single critical study, and why of all not critical, over half were studies conducted by entities with potential financial conflict of interest, and on what basis she considers this to be evidence of scientific validity.



bringram
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28 Apr 2009, 10:51 pm

pandd wrote:
bringram wrote:
According to her the MMPI-2 results were invalid because, based on scientific data, I was exagerating- or "your report of symptoms was worse than someone else with the same symptoms."

Did she ask if your sex-life was satisfactory? If you answered no, that might explain why you ended up with positive on the "fake bad" scale.


?!? Yeah. I did sorta tell her that my sex life was unsatisfactory. It wasn't on the MMPI-2 itself, but relationships did come up with our other conversations- one was before the MMPI one was after. Both were about an hour apiece. The longest relationship I've had has been 9 months. I haven't dated in about a year, so no sex either. Not happy about that. I've also been having relationship issues with my family and have been depressed and anxious alot lately. So, to answer your question yes I did answer no. But I wonder if anything else may have thrown it.



pandd
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28 Apr 2009, 11:12 pm

Quote:
But I wonder if anything else may have thrown it.

Reporting dizzy spells apparently.



bringram
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28 Apr 2009, 11:28 pm

pandd wrote:
Quote:
But I wonder if anything else may have thrown it.

Reporting dizzy spells apparently.


Whaaat? That's just wierd. What's the point of the MMPI anyway? What did she think it was going to tell her? Would it make a difference if I went to a doc that had more experience with ASD/Autism?



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28 Apr 2009, 11:43 pm

Maybe you don't have aspergers. Maybe you do but you didn't have a doctor that could see it. You shouldn't listen to people who tell you what you are allowed to be. If you are good with computers, you are good with computers.

I have problems reading walls of text so had to break it up.



OP wrote:

I met with a Clinical Psychologist who diagnosed me with Asperger's and had me take the
Rotter Incomplete Sentences Test and the MMPI-2 (first 390 ?s I think).

I'm in kinda a small town so the doctor I've seen was somebody my grandparents knew through church.

I got a letter today from her with the results.

According to her the MMPI-2 results were invalid because, based on scientific data, I was exagerating- or "your report of symptoms was worse than someone else with the same symptoms." So the whole thing was a waste of time.

Then she tells me that I'm basically wasting my time trying to get a degree and get a job in computer networking because it's a "specific demanding occupation."

I don't have the "aptitude and circumstances" that others do. Oh yeah, and I have an average IQ, which "is sufficient to achieve average pursuits, but not high enough to achieve in this highly technical, professional, and competive occupation area."

This coming from someone who did not know the difference between software and hardware and never gave me an IQ test.

She must not have been listening to me talk about my work experience, because I know I've told her that the jobs I have been most succsessfull in have been computer hardware/networking related.

I've had COMPTIA A+ certification, MCSE certification and worked in a call center as a level 2 tech support rep.

I left because of a layoff, not because I couldn't do the job. So I want to go back to that, get a degree and move up to network engineer.


She must not know that much about Asperger's either because, from what I've read and what I feel, computer related fields are ones Aspies typically excell at.

As I am writing about this I am really hurt, and confused. I don't think this doctor was listening to me at all and knows all that much about Aspergers's.

I feel like this doctor was kinda a quack and I need a second opinion. Or am I just screaming because somebody told me something I didn't want to hear.



kittenmeow
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28 Apr 2009, 11:44 pm

bringram wrote:
pandd wrote:
bringram wrote:
According to her the MMPI-2 results were invalid because, based on scientific data, I was exagerating- or "your report of symptoms was worse than someone else with the same symptoms."

Did she ask if your sex-life was satisfactory? If you answered no, that might explain why you ended up with positive on the "fake bad" scale.


?!? Yeah. I did sorta tell her that my sex life was unsatisfactory. It wasn't on the MMPI-2 itself, but relationships did come up with our other conversations- one was before the MMPI one was after. Both were about an hour apiece. The longest relationship I've had has been 9 months. I haven't dated in about a year, so no sex either. Not happy about that. I've also been having relationship issues with my family and have been depressed and anxious alot lately. So, to answer your question yes I did answer no. But I wonder if anything else may have thrown it.



You wonder if anything else may have thrown it? That doesn't sound like you want to know the truth.



pandd
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29 Apr 2009, 12:08 am

link

This article explains the controversy regarding the fake bad scale used to test validity from the mmpi-2 scale.



Danielismyname
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29 Apr 2009, 12:38 am

MMPI-2 is so long. I got Schizophrenia as the main disorder on it; all of the asocial and social isolation questions gave me such (I'm betting most people with an ASD would get such).



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29 Apr 2009, 12:50 am

It would make a difference if you saw someone with more experience in autism/AS. They would better understand social, communication and sensory differences, they would use more autism-specific instruments and evaluate things such as executive functioning and co-morbid conditions. They could provide a more comprehensive assessment of your presentation of autism symptoms and advise you on how to proceed and what services to access based on that assessment.



bringram
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29 Apr 2009, 12:03 pm

I'm hurting. I'm not even sure is depressed is the right word. My grandparents are acting pissed off. They think I was lying on the MMPI, like I was lying so it would come out a certain way. I'm not even sure why I took it, so I don't think I could effect the results if I wanted to. Or could I? I know the doctor is a friend of my family. I know they have been talking to her about me and I know she has had conversations with them.
She has no work experience working with autistics, she doesn't know the difference between hardware and software, and she knows my grandparents. So she tells me that I have Asperger's, and I don't have the IQ to be a network engineer. She gives me advice that sounds an awfull lot like what my grandparents want me to be.
I feel like I am stuck with people that don't want me to be me, they want me to be someone else. I kinda wanted to have Asperger's because when I read about it it seemed to fit. But now I'm wondering if that was true. Did she tell me what my grandparents wanted to hear, and wanted me to hear? Or am I more screwed up than I thought and upset because I heard something I didn't like.
I don't know who to trust. I don't think I can trust anyone. If I was trying to be honest, but people tell me I'm lying, can I trust myself?
I enjoy working with IT. I think I'm good at it. I think I can make a living at it. I did very well on my own for a few years. The problems I had were with relating to people (co-workers & customers) not with technical ability. No one seems to remember that. But, if what she and my family are right? If what she says is true then that calls into question my entire identity- or at least self image. If I can't do the things I think I'm good at does that make me worthless? I feel that way. Right now I feel like I am worthless and life has no meaning.



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29 Apr 2009, 1:24 pm

If she talks about you at all to anyone, including grandparents, unless you are under the age of 18, she's violating HIPPA. I would save any documentation or proof you may have of her discussions with other people about your office visit to prove your point if you wish to proceed with it.

Other than that, she's full of s**t and was probably coaxed by your grandparents. I was once diagnosed bi-polar based on a 20 minute conversation about my dad's cancer killing him about a month before he died. I went in for grief consultation, but my mother thought i was bi-polar, and she had talked to the psychologist before hand stating symptoms I had that made her believe it (all of which were things that could fall into numerous diagnoses). So the psychologist diagnosed me based on my mother's opinion of me (which she didn't know me half as much as my father at that time) as opposed to direct observation. I think this psychologist has formulated a bias about you based on what your grandparents have said on the subject. If that's the case, any bias removes all scientific value from her methods and therefore completely discredits her opinion.



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29 Apr 2009, 1:40 pm

Yes, the psychologists are biased. Even as a child, they tried to say I was hearing voices and stuff because my parents did, it wasn't true. Even now, I told them that I sometimes overhear people making comments about me, they tried to say I was hearing voices! If they were voices, wouldn't I hear them when nobody's around? I am diagnosed schzoaffective, but truthfully since I only had delusions (maybe a couple of hallucinations) when I had a manic episode, it should be just bipolar IMO.

And at first, they thought I was bipolar because I have a high IQ, which isn't really proven.

Also I took a personality quiz, I don't know exactly which one it was, like 500 questions, and they claimed I was paranoid, but correctly guessed I sometimes had the delusion people could read my mind, creepy.

And I wished I would have brought up a ASD with the psychologist, but I didn't want to bias him.


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