How to manage your shrink
 

I thought it might be helpful, and maybe kinda fun and silly to talk about this subject. Kitty got me thinking about this:

Chronic pain and psychiatrists do not mix. They ALL will treat you like you have an addiction. They are taught to do this. In fact, most are taught how to detox people from substances. I let my shrink know I have chronic pain and am treated with narcotics by my primary care physician. I never ask the shrink to manage any aspect of my pain. S/He is there only for my symptoms of depression, so that is all he hears about. I know, I know, one would think that the doc that is supposed to 'care' about what you feel would care.Nope.

Shrinks are not counselors. They don't want to know what is going on in your life, save that for your REAL therapist.

Unlike most other physicians, shrinks like educated patients. Learn all you can about depression and discuss that kind of stuff with your shrink.


Anyone else?

I have to disagree with you...

My Psychiatrist knows I am an RSD (Chronic Pain) patient. She talks to me about RSD but has never treated me like I have an addiction. My Psych normally sees a patient for 15 minutes... short time huh... I see her for 45. She wants to know how I am doing and what is going on in my life.

I see my Therapist for an hour or so and I often feel worse when I leave her office than when I went in... Sometimes we spend more time talking about her than me.

I have appointments next month so we'll see how it goes...
:confused:
Abbie

Hi Abby

You are so lucky to have a shrink that is good and accepts the concept of chronic pain, they are very rare. Almost as rare as an ER doc that will treat chronic pain.

As for the therapist that talks about herself, you might want to find one that is more professional than that, or, you could start charging her?

Free Kittens

grief counseling
 

some of my coworkers saw a lot of death from the hurricane so they called in a counsellor. i wasn't going to see her but my coworker told me she tripped over a sandbag and fell and was getting over chemotherapy. so i went in and tried to cheer her up.

i don't see a shrink regularly and have not found one i trust. i am more into self help and scared of shrinks and the pills they dole out. if you find a good one i am happy for you. i am sure they exist.

i have had problems with shrinks not being covered by insurance. in the hospital they sent one to my room and the insurance paid zip. i also had my cancer disability denied because my depression was a pre-existing condition. there must be a cartoon in there. (or a pony?)