Comments on: Appointment anxiety and anorexia http://polarcoaster.net/2007/04/30/appointment-anxiety-and-anorexia/ Sat, 22 Nov 2008 11:30:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.3 By: Gianna http://polarcoaster.net/2007/04/30/appointment-anxiety-and-anorexia/#comment-38 Gianna Tue, 01 May 2007 10:12:13 +0000 http://polarcoaster.net/2007/04/30/appointment-anxiety-and-anorexia/#comment-38 I can't help you with the eating disorder stuff, though I think that if you tell someone that you feel is compassionate they WILL believe you. Mental health workers are accustomed to hearing about our problems and tend to take our word for it if they have any sense of compassion at all. Trust your gut and tell someone that feels safe--whenever that happens. You do seem to have a good gut. As far as going to a new psychiatrist, I completely get it. And what with bad experiences behind you it's even more terrifying. Just remember, (if you do indeed have options--I know some people don't) you can fire anyone you don't feel comfortable with. Keep shopping until you feel completely comfortable with someone. Granted you may have to give that a little time. Instant trust isn't a good thing either. I'm meeting a new psychiatrist on Friday this week. I'm scared because I'm hoping so bad she'll be able to help me on my alternative journey. I'm driving 4 hours to see her. I don't want to be disappointed. So here's to both of us and getting what we need from our new psychiatrists. Good luck. I can’t help you with the eating disorder stuff, though I think that if you tell someone that you feel is compassionate they WILL believe you. Mental health workers are accustomed to hearing about our problems and tend to take our word for it if they have any sense of compassion at all. Trust your gut and tell someone that feels safe–whenever that happens. You do seem to have a good gut.

As far as going to a new psychiatrist, I completely get it. And what with bad experiences behind you it’s even more terrifying. Just remember, (if you do indeed have options–I know some people don’t) you can fire anyone you don’t feel comfortable with. Keep shopping until you feel completely comfortable with someone. Granted you may have to give that a little time. Instant trust isn’t a good thing either.

I’m meeting a new psychiatrist on Friday this week. I’m scared because I’m hoping so bad she’ll be able to help me on my alternative journey. I’m driving 4 hours to see her. I don’t want to be disappointed.

So here’s to both of us and getting what we need from our new psychiatrists. Good luck.

]]> By: Gianna http://polarcoaster.net/2007/04/30/appointment-anxiety-and-anorexia/#comment-42 Gianna Wed, 02 May 2007 11:35:31 +0000 http://polarcoaster.net/2007/04/30/appointment-anxiety-and-anorexia/#comment-42 I feel bad that I wrote the above when it's so clear that you had someone totally uncompassionate. At least you had your gut. Good luck and continue to be well. I feel bad that I wrote the above when it’s so clear that you had someone totally uncompassionate. At least you had your gut. Good luck and continue to be well.

]]> By: Polly http://polarcoaster.net/2007/04/30/appointment-anxiety-and-anorexia/#comment-43 Polly Wed, 02 May 2007 17:21:46 +0000 http://polarcoaster.net/2007/04/30/appointment-anxiety-and-anorexia/#comment-43 Oh, don't feel bad. She wasn't totally uncompassionate. She didn't say anything insulting, and I'm always happy when they don't say anything really insulting. Oh, except when she said that the amount of medication I was on wasn't what I'd be on if I had a serious bipolar disorder. I sincerely hope that she had planned to add another word, such as "episode," after that, and that I inadvertently interrupted her, because then I politely pointed out that I'd been on four times this amount of Zoloft and twice this amount of Epival, but now I feel fine on very little. (There's a <em>whole</em> lot more I could say about the "not serious" thing, but I don't want this comment to be too long.) It may also be my fault for not communicating that I felt I should see a psychiatrist every so often just to check on how things are going, but then again, every time I tried to say something that might lead into that, or made any sort of appeal for help at all ("One of the reasons my GP thought I should see a psychiatrist is because a psychiatrist would know more about psychiatric medications in particular than she would," "I'm fine now, but I'm worried about how I'll feel in the future," "I want to work on past trauma stuff sometime," "If I did have an anxiety problem, what should I do about it?") I got shot down. I should have been clearer, although I don't know for sure that it would have helped. Good luck with your new psychiatrist on Friday! I'm pretty sure it will go better than my appointment did. Bah, adding that last sentence sounds self-pitying, but leaving it off makes my "good luck" wish sound sarcastic coming right after all my complaints, and I really <em>do</em> want to wish you good luck. Oh, don’t feel bad. She wasn’t totally uncompassionate. She didn’t say anything insulting, and I’m always happy when they don’t say anything really insulting. Oh, except when she said that the amount of medication I was on wasn’t what I’d be on if I had a serious bipolar disorder. I sincerely hope that she had planned to add another word, such as “episode,” after that, and that I inadvertently interrupted her, because then I politely pointed out that I’d been on four times this amount of Zoloft and twice this amount of Epival, but now I feel fine on very little. (There’s a whole lot more I could say about the “not serious” thing, but I don’t want this comment to be too long.)

It may also be my fault for not communicating that I felt I should see a psychiatrist every so often just to check on how things are going, but then again, every time I tried to say something that might lead into that, or made any sort of appeal for help at all (”One of the reasons my GP thought I should see a psychiatrist is because a psychiatrist would know more about psychiatric medications in particular than she would,” “I’m fine now, but I’m worried about how I’ll feel in the future,” “I want to work on past trauma stuff sometime,” “If I did have an anxiety problem, what should I do about it?”) I got shot down. I should have been clearer, although I don’t know for sure that it would have helped.

Good luck with your new psychiatrist on Friday! I’m pretty sure it will go better than my appointment did. Bah, adding that last sentence sounds self-pitying, but leaving it off makes my “good luck” wish sound sarcastic coming right after all my complaints, and I really do want to wish you good luck.

]]> By: Gianna http://polarcoaster.net/2007/04/30/appointment-anxiety-and-anorexia/#comment-45 Gianna Wed, 02 May 2007 23:40:34 +0000 http://polarcoaster.net/2007/04/30/appointment-anxiety-and-anorexia/#comment-45 thanks Polly! thanks Polly!

]]> By: Alison http://polarcoaster.net/2007/04/30/appointment-anxiety-and-anorexia/#comment-422 Alison Sun, 29 Jul 2007 15:36:10 +0000 http://polarcoaster.net/2007/04/30/appointment-anxiety-and-anorexia/#comment-422 Renfrew has a very good reputation and has residential programs around the country, I don't think you have to meet a BMI criteria to be there, but I could be wrong. It may take cash though, not sure what kind of insurance they take. Their motto is respecting their patients. Which of course you realize is pretty unusual. Just in case it ever gets to a point you want to get help with this. I won't do the you know what you are doing to your health thing, I'm sure you know all that. Renfrew has a very good reputation and has residential programs around the country, I don’t think you have to meet a BMI criteria to be there, but I could be wrong. It may take cash though, not sure what kind of insurance they take. Their motto is respecting their patients. Which of course you realize is pretty unusual. Just in case it ever gets to a point you want to get help with this. I won’t do the you know what you are doing to your health thing, I’m sure you know all that.

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