mental health professionals

As consumers, we have the right to assess possible service providers by seeking referrals, checking credentials, assessing the services we receive, asking questions, etcetra. There are excellent mental health professionals. Some have their own problems, but are still helpful. And some have problems that interfere with their work.

Although I have had some negative, as well as positive, experiences with mental health providers, I have been helped a great deal. I do not believe that I could have made the progress I’ve made totally on my own.

If one has a bad marriage, that does not mean that marriage is bad. If one has a negative therapeutic experience, that doesn’t mean that therapy can’t be helpful.

The healthier I get, the better able I am to evaluate the people who I bring into my life. And that includes the doctors and mental health providers that I choose.

That’s good. However, if you are ADD or LD can those professionals “cure you ” ? This is what I want to know. Because, you can’t assume because you did your research or got references about these professionals that they are in positive outlook themselves before advising other people how to fix their life. Otherwise, for instance switching examples: Say you decide to buy a companies stock. You read the annual report or disclosure from the company: as we know from the Enron experience or Worldcom, the m,anagement was not truthful in certifying the information was correct and accurate, This created a situation where if you were an insider you knew when to dump your stock to avoid losses where the little guy who did not have “inside information” lost big time. Always consider if you really need these mental health professionals or you have to live with your ADD/LD or spend money on something you really do not need to do so.

My son was diagnosed as ADHD when he was 6 years old.

I was afraid to follow the doctors advice who suggested medication. (ritalin at 6??? MAYBE HE’LL OUT GROW IT )

In any event, as the years pass his “innattention” grew as did his frustration.

In the third grade, and several uncaring teacher later, he was m-teamed. Unknowledgeable and young I believed that the school system had his best interest in mind.

We consented to the IEP’s suggestion to place him in a “self contained” classroom.

(I am using all the quotes because in hindsight these were poor definitions and descriptions of what really occured in those particular settings …BIG MISTAKES)

To make a log story shorter, WE HAD HIM TESTED OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AND THE DIAGNOSED HIM AS SEVERELY LD BUT THAT HE HAD A SUPERIOR TO GENIOUS INTELLIGENCE. The SCHOOL refused to afford him the right to accomodations in learning disability. Largely due to the fact that his behavior was out of control.

He began hating school and having night terrors at 10. Was diagnosed as Bi-Polar at 12 and shortly thereafter GAVE UP began a thugs life. We fought for him and struggled to help him. We wanted him to be succsessful…but he gave up. he saw the inequities in a ED class. He lived the struggles in the basement classrooms and forth floor closet tutors.

At 16 he was skipping school, in jail and at 17 began jailhouse therapy after a suicide attempt.

He was then diagnosed as Schizophrenic. (Which alledgedly dosn’t always surface until the late teens) the jail system offers many different forms of tranquilizeres to sedate its inmates. The meds are not always the right ones. Correct dosages and drugs are meant to sedate- not cure. I am sure you are thinking, after all they are criminals right???? But guess what…when they do get out they are on the streets with you and me buddy.

I am sure that most of you, at this point in the “cry baby saga” as I have been told in the past, are saying why didn’t he go to therapy sooner. As I stated at the begining of this post he had been diagnosed at 6…and in therapy since.

Why am I telling you all of this? Don’t believe everything that is told to you. Whether by psychoanylysts, therapists, counselors, teachers , principals…who ever!

Go with how you feel and keep looking for the right fit. Don’t just let them slap a label on you and take it for granted that the med industry or education professionals always have your best interest in mind.

At this point I think that we “chatters” have more professional knowledge than all of the doctors combined.

War stories, maybe. Deppressing sometimes sure some of us are cynical and sometimes, depending on the course of the days events some of us have been treated like doormats or indigents.

Some days the linear world loves us for the creative flair that we posess and then criticizes us for mispelling the creativity. (a weak example, but an example none the less)

(throw the dog a bone kind of stuff)

But, better to be a informed consumer than just a doped up lemming.

Be careful. The brains are a fragile thing to fowl up.

Ishka

… and have you EVER had your child evaluated by a competent Neurologist? SPECT Scan, MRI…So many questions and suspicions can be addressed if you have an actual picture of brain functioning. Appropriate medications, appropriate therapies…I recommend the Amen Clinic (amenclinic.com and brainplace.com) for concrete answers and options. Answers and remedies and happier experiences are available - you just need to know where to look. My suspicion, a brain scan that portrays the “ring of fire”. It is worth every dollar to get an accurate diagnosis and consequent effective treatment.. Look up Dr. Daniel Amen and his work with ADD/ADHD. Good luck.

It is a difference of culture. In Asia, it is a sign of wimpiness if you are known to see a “shrink”. We believe that you “tough it out” when a tragic event happens. In the West, you see a mental health professional and get some dope to make you feel better. Alot of immigrants like the Vietnamese who lose family to the Cong or Cambodians under Premier Pol Pot “killing Fields” persevered and just toughed it out. There is no time or money to burn it down the drain letting a staranger try to solve problems. Try it.

Would that be another way of saying “You just gotta try harder!”?

I would say it is just saying do not take the views of these folks at face value.. I mean there was a woman years ago that was in a program with a friend of mine… She went to see a shrink for her troubles that ended up with the shrink comitting Hari-Kari. Now isn’t the shrink suppose to help the patient ?? Think about it ????

Argueing about this is a waste of time. I we ignore it, it may go away.

Ann G.

Also, when you are referred to see a psychiatrist: be sure to ask their views on medication, and if they push a couch down the street. You never know if they want to make a “house call”. If they endorse drug use, then get otta there ! They cannot solve your problem.

The Amen clinic is good, but very expensive. Not sure if insurance would coner it. Again, if you are in a small town, and not near a bigger one, things can be tough.

Many universities offer help or referrals. Also calling CHADD for referrals could help.

This message board is great for help from other peoples experiences. As this ADHD stuff is “new” to many people and only recognized more widely in the past 10 years….women having different issues as well… we are able to help each other. In Driven to Distraction, Drs. Ratey and Hollowal say that more is bing found out from talking to each other sometimes because it takes time for cutting edge info. to get into books.

Read www.add.about.com
www.addvance.com
www.additute.com

for books to read and other good info.
(if .com doesnt’ work try .org)

Ann G.

What is the amen clinic? I just saw a Psychiatrist thru a mental health clinic, and felt worse when I left then when I came. I tried and tried to get a earlier appt. but they couldn’t get me one. I am trying to get on disability, but only get discouragement from others. I do know that trying to get on disability is hard, but I need to do something. I can’t seem to hold down a job anyways, so I need to do something for myself. I wish that I had a good Psychiatrist who knew about learning disabilities, mainly ADD and other ones too. I felt that this lady was only there for the $. This is discouraging. I just went thru withdrawals from Paxil, and told her twice that I didn’t want to go back on it because I was so sick. I missed a couple of days of school too. I felt that desperate that night, after I saw this doctor. That’s all I have for now.