TER General Board
Let's keep this on topic
I was recently in a similar situation, and I believe at the same facility. It seemed that the provider in that area was pretty lacking, although I was pretty distracted by other events.
BTW, you have a PM.
I know this is off topic, so I don't mind if you delete it. But since the field of psychology came under attack further down the board a couple weeks ago, I thought I'd convey something in as few words as possible that illustrates the other side of the story.
My mother had an unknown heart condition that resulted in her being flown to one of the Midwest's premiere clinics last week. My sisters and I knew her heart was the least of her problems since we'd figured out on our own that she was paranoid schizophrenic but had been unsuccessful in doing anything about it (I'm trying to keep it short here). She'd been seen by doctors before, but was always able to hold it together long enough to fool everybody, much to our frustration and dismay.
This time was different, however and it all hit the fan in the worst and most unpleasant way possible. If you think of John Nash (A Beautiful Mind), but without the math skills or the ability to reason and ignore the voices in his head or the delusions, it still wouldn't come close to conveying how bad the situation is. Anyway, she's 87 and too far gone to come back to reality, but the reason I'm posting is to sing the praises of the psychologists on staff at this hospital. We should all be so fortunate to be in the care of such talented people should the need ever arise.
Their intelligence, professionalism and ability to deal with this complex and difficult situation with all the people involved was truly remarkable. They were very well trained to work all aspects of the problem while still being compassionate and understanding. They had incredible people skills and were masterful in how they managed the entire situation. I realize they're trained for this, but so are a lot of other professionals that, IMO, fall far short of the mark.
My sister, a full professor herself and used to working with bright people, said she thought the psychologist was one of the most intelligent and well-trained people she'd ever encountered in 35 years at a major university.
So while it's easy to take anonymous potshots at psychology on a discussion board when it's all hypothetical, when the chips are down and you're confronted with a serious real world situation, you'd be hard pressed to find higher quality and more professional people than we encountered.
I'll readily admit to taking my share of pot shots at all kinds of professions, psychology being one.
It's nice to be taken down a notch or two once in a while.
Thank you.
I wouldn't have posted it on the GD Board otherwise.
Thanks to those that have offered their understanding and support. It's something many of us eventually face as our parents get older and we're called up to do things nobody wants to have to do.
It's also a good reminder to enjoy the time you have, as best you can, while you can. We live a long time, but we don't live forever, and it eventually catches up to us all.
As to your other point, I've experienced that as well. About 10 years ago I tried to get help for a GF that was bipolar. Somehow, two shrinks were unable to see the problem- at least in the hour they spent talking with her. As a result, it went untreated and got worse and worse.
We finally parted ways because it was impossible to be with her any longer. I was always pissed off that she was unable to get the help she needed and felt the medical community had failed her. Fortunately, this time I was dealing with experts and not second-stringers.
Bipolar disorder can be difficult to diagnose if the person comes in by themselves, and is in a moderate manic state. They usually do not want to give the interviewer the information they need for an accurate diagnosis; like, accurate history reflecting manic and depressive episodes, and what they tend to do when in a manic state (overspending, sleepless nights, gambling, excessive sexual exploits, alcohol and/or drug use, etc). A good book on this is "An Unquiet Mind" by Kay Redfield Jamison. She herself is bi-polar, and a psychiatrist, and she speaks of her own condition.
The best way to see someone accurately is to see them over time. This rules out the one hour interview. Absent that, interviews of the patient, and their family members and friends. Very few good projective assessments are given anymore since insurance companies don't want to pay for them.
Mr. Fisher,
I grow more enamored with you because of what is in your heart, and in your mind, and that incredibly sexy trait you have, of not being above being taken down a notch or two, when you have, on that rare occasion that it has happened, been wrong.
I like mrfisher have taken my own shots at varying professions. I guess it is part n parcel to this type of forum.
This is why I will sometimes post the standard warning. This is a pussy/provider/monger board. For some members here are ACTUALLY in the field you comment about, or at least they profess to be.
In addition, there is no lack of lawyers and even doctors afoot on this board who pro-bono give out advice on a daily basis. The warning is; read with caution - seek truly licensed professional for serious problems. Do not take a gospel what is professed here or other hooker boards from user names that are still anonymous.
Glad your mother is receiving excellent help in her later years. Hope it continues.
I was recently in a similar situation, and I believe at the same facility. It seemed that the provider in that area was pretty lacking, although I was pretty distracted by other events.
BTW, you have a PM.
deeply deserves. She's in just as much pain as someone with a physical injury. It just take a different way of listening to hear her experiencing it.
I think she's got more personality disorders than Cybil!
Glad you found some high quality help for your mom. However, some of what you've said makes another point.
Psychologists and Psychiatrists are very limited in what they can do. As you pointed out, your mother was able to hold it together long enough to fool every one of them until she became so far gone that even an amateur could have diagnosed her.
I'm not suggesting that there are not some extremely good, high quality people out there. You found some excellent help and that's encouraging. But many of these folks either make broad sweeping conclusions predicated on a very limited amount of faulty information...or they are strictly intuitive and go primarily with their gut despite obvious evidence to the contrary.
Anyway...its good to know that quality help is out there.
As with so many things, the truly good ones are worth more thanks and praise than we can give them, but they are also harder to find than we would like.
I am very glad you found some of the good ones for your mother.
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