New Psychiatrist.

[Neoma]

Light years difference in approach. My god, he actually explains what the fuck he's doing to my brain. He teaches psychiatry too. Spent 40 minutes talking with me! Last ones only spent around 10 minutes and didn't keep track of me much. Didn't even tell me what to do in case of emergency really. Or that I need to get my doctor to check for clotting and liver function. (That seems important...)

It's kind of funny that every psychiatrist I've ever had, has an accent.

[elleng]

1. Good to hear he explains and talks!

I assume you can understand him, through his accent.

[Neoma]

2. Yeah, Russian accents are pretty easy to me.

The only guy I can think of that I couldn't understand a word of, is a co-worker of my husbands. Polish accent. Oddly enough, he was born in America.

[Tobin S.]

3. If you find a doctor who works well for you, stay with him or her.

I've been going to the same doctor for 8 years and I've been healthy for that period of time. He recently went to a new practice and instead of staying with the old practice I went with the doctor.

[Neoma]

4. We'll see.

... I developed tremors recently yah know.

[libodem]

5. Too bad about the tremors

Good to hear you have an understanding shrink. Seems like it would be to the benefit of all involved to increase the understanding of brain chemistry and how the meds work.

A lot of psych drugs have a parkinsons like side effect to them.

[Neoma]

6. Do you know if tremors go away once you're off the drug?

[momto3]

7. They should go away.

Your body needs time to clear the residual amounts of the drug still in the tissues. It is withdrawal symptoms as you would see with opiates or other "hard core" drugs. If they do not go away within a week or so, I would speak with your doctor.

[momto3]

8. I do not like my psychiatrist.

He is just a pill pusher. I see hime for 10 minutes every 3 months for a new prescription. I tried counseling, but never felt comfortable with her either. I should probably try to find another, but it is very difficult with my insurance.

Glad you found someone.

[Neoma]

9. Shop around more.

You're supposed to feel ok with both of them. So I hear.

[philosopherdog]

10. I do not like my psychiatrist

In light of a fact that there are people debunking Freud and his theories, I would like to comment and say that it is a matter of a simple understanding that in Freud's day there was not enough available information and there were not that many people who ever dug deep enough into forms to understand how the brain or the psyche works.

Today however we know a bit more about the brain and we are more accepting of alternative methods of approach to research, as well, more people are understanding eastern culture and spirituality. This tells me that the work of Freud and those of his contemporaries is incomplete. This is why I have reason to believe the DSM is a bible that should be revised or burned to start over with a modern day perspective.

As a part of training to become a psychiatrist it would be of benefit to all of them and their clients if they were encouraged to go out and live wild in the street and beg for about six months to lend empathy and compassion.

Note: There are ongoing issues concerning the validity and reliability of the diagnostic categories; the reliance on superficial symptoms; the use of artificial dividing lines between categories and from 'normality'; possible cultural bias; medicalization of human distress and financial conflicts of interest, including with the practice of psychiatrists and with the pharmaceutical industry; political controversies about the inclusion or exclusion of diagnoses from the manual, in general or in regard to specific issues; and the experience of those who are most directly affected by the manual by being diagnosed, including the consumer/survivor movement. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diagnostic_and_Statistical_Manual_of_Mental_Disorders

[mopinko]

11. i'd like to see all evidence of freud rooted out of psychiatry.

his insights were amazing at the time, and he took a giant leap forward from calling people possessed, etc. but that was a century ago. we know so much more now, especially about the hard wiring of the brain and the genetics of personality. there is no tabula rasa. there never was. anyone who thought that could not possibly come to correct conclusions.
when i see freud worship in a therapist, i run.

as far as eastern medicine, i do think that meditation is a valuable technique that can be very useful to people with a wide range of mental illnesses.
i do not, however, think it is a good substitute for the care of a competent professional.