Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 25 of 63

Thread: I Fucking Hate Psychiatrists (obnoxiously long)

  1. #1
    Featured Member
    Joined
    Feb 2005
    Location
    SoCal (aka the Evil Vortex of Doom)
    Posts
    1,617
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts

    Default I Fucking Hate Psychiatrists (obnoxiously long)

    Why are they all so weird???? I swear, I’ve never even met one who seemed particularly smart.

    So, my regular psych is out of town, and I need Adderall (bad!). My regular guy is okay (if you can get beyond the fact that his eyes point in two different directions)—but, as with most psychiatrists, all he does is ask me how I’m doing and write me a prescription. In and out in 10-15 minutes.

    So anyway, I decide to see the other guy who works in his office. I’m in there a few minutes and when I tell him that I was diagnosed at age 30, he says, “Well, ADHD symptoms have to start before age 9” (or whatever.) I say, well, yes, I know that. So now I feel like he’s questioning my diagnosis. I tell him that I was diagnosed at Edward Hallowell’s clinic in Massachussets. He says, “I have no idea who that is.” Hallowell is a psychiatrist who writes extensively about ADHD, for both lay and professional audiences. He’s often a featured speaker at conferences on the subject, and he writes all his books with John Ratey, who does a lot of clinical research in this area. I find it hard to believe that a psychiatrist who treats ADHD has never even heard the name.

    So, I tell the good doctor that it was a three day evaluation, with a battery of tests. He says, “Oh really? I wasn’t aware that there was a conclusive test for ADHD.” He’s being completely sarcastic, because everyone knows there isn’t one. He’s treating me like an idiot. I say, “Well, of course there isn’t. But they did a lot of tests of various cognitive functions.”

    He says, “Isn’t it interesting that they took three days to do a diagnosis that I could do in 15 minutes? How much did it cost you?” So now he’s telling me that I’ve been scammed, basically. Things aren’t going well. I say, “Really? How do you make a diagnosis like that in 15 minutes? Isn’t it a rather complex disorder?” He picks up his little Cliffs Notes version of the DSM-IV and says, “I just go through the diagnostic criteria with the patient, and speak to the family if I can. If they meet the criteria, they have ADHD. If they don’t, no ADHD.” Wow. This guy is a very nuanced thinker, no?

    Okay. So now I feel like I have to defend my diagnosis. I say, “Well, I think if you look at my whole history—which they did during the evaluation—the diagnosis makes a lot of sense. I went to that clinic after I heard Dr. Hallowell on the radio talking about ‘adults who are vastly underachieving…’” He cuts me off, saying, “Well, sure, it’s a great marketing tool they use. People hear that and they go, ‘I must have ADHD! I better go spend two or three grand on an evaluation!’”

    So now, not only have I been scammed, but he’s telling me that I’m just a garden-variety fuckup who only thinks she has ADHD because she’s lazy and undisciplined and can’t get her shit together; an incompetent loser with delusions of grandeur, who only thinks she’s underachieving, when the truth is that she’s below average in every way and doesn’t have the ability to be a high achiever. Or anyway, that’s what I’m hearing—probably because, in my darker moments, that’s exactly what I believe about myself.

    So again, I’m feeling pretty defensive. I say, “Well, you know, I could diagnosis myself using the DSM criteria. I’m glad I had a more thorough evaluation. They didn’t just give me a bunch of tests and tell me I had ADHD. They took a whole history; I spoke to a cognitive behavioral therapist, a psychotherapist, a psychiatrist…”

    He sees that I’m getting defensive and backs down a little, “So, you felt you got something useful out of the evaluation?”

    I say, “Yes, I thought it was useful to see the results of those cognitive tests as well…” I mention some of the tests they gave me, using the actual names of the tests (e.g. the “Rey-Osterrith Complex Figure Test” and whatnot) in a pathetic attempt to gain some sort of credibility....

    He says, “Yes, I guess those IQ tests and such can be useful as sort of a baseline…But, you know, they can work against you, too. I never scored very well on IQ tests. When I took one back in college, they told me I might not make it through medical school….” I wait a moment, hoping that the story ends with something like, “But I graduated near the top of my class!” But no. So he’s just told me that he’s an idiot who barely squeaked through med school. Way to inspire a patient’s confidence in you, buddy! Wtf?!?

    Anyway, so he writes me a prescription for the Adderall. As he’s putting away my chart, he asks me what I did before I went back to school.

    I say, “I was a stripper.” Well! Wouldn’t you know it! The good doctor perks right up!
    “Oh really?!” He says excitedly. “You know, we have so many of them in this practice! We have two girls who come in from Vegas….And I have a patient who works as a stripper, and she’s 50! Actually, she just retired and got married….You know, the first time I was introduced to that, I was doing my residency at the emergency room at Harbor UCLA and a girl came in with a broken leg who had been working at one of the clubs near the airport….” And on and on and on, telling me everything he knows about strippers…

    “So, where did you work?”

    “Mostly on the East Coast, and…”

    He cuts me off: “Oh, I wouldn’t know any of those clubs, then.”

    Implying, I guess, that if I had worked out here, there was a good chance he’d be intimately familiar with the clubs I’d worked at….Of course, I don’t care if the guy goes to clubs, but doesn’t it seem a little…I don’t know…unprofessional…to make that known to a patient????

    I dunno. For some reason the whole experience just left me with an overall icky feeling…Which, I notice, is very often how I feel after a visit with any “mental health professional.” Am I alone in this? (But hey, at least I got my scrip!)

    I’ve had mostly unpleasant experiences with therapists and psychologists.

    The first one I went to, when I was 12 or 13, came up with the brilliant theory that I was writing graphic stories about violent rape because I wanted to have sex. Why did I want to have sex, according to her? So that I could get pregnant and have a baby, because I felt that my parents didn’t love me enough. I can’t even tell you what bullshit this is.

    Once I went to see a school psychologist, seeking a recommendation for a local therapist. I was about 22, and a bit PTSD at the time, still dealing with the aftermath of having been pimped out & generally treated like shit by Psycho Boyfriend—not to mention a recent attempted mugging (with violence, though it could have been much worse). I had just made the transition, literally almost overnight, from coked-out stripper-whore with abusive boyfriend to drug-free straight-A biology student and birdwatcher with laid-back hippie boyfriend…It was a lot to process.

    ANYWAY, so I’m telling this school psychiatrist about some of this, and I can tell that she’s getting weirded out by it—the sex work stuff in particular. I decline to answer one of her questions, saying that I’m not comfortable doing so, because I’m not sure how she’s judging me. She gets defensive, of course. But then later, when she’s suggesting some (male) doctors I might like to see more regularly, I tell her that I think I might be more comfortable with a female therapist. She immediately responds, in a bitchy, sarcastic, accusatory tone: “Why, because you think you’re too powerful and too seductive?”

    Jeez. No…I just think I want a female shrink right now! WTF!????

    There was also the super-expensive Manhattan therapist I saw for a couple of months, whose office would call me daily demanding payment if I fell behind—I felt like I was being psychoanalyzed by a friggin’ bookie.

    Then there was this high-strung, wild-haired woman, who also seemed freaked out by the whole sex work thing. I recall trying to explain how difficult it was to transition from being a stripper to having a low-paid, pink collar civilian job; I was working as a pre-school teacher at the time. I said, “You know, it’s hard to go from having a job description that people find titillating, that arouses people’s curiosity, to having one that’s so…ordinary and uninteresting.” She said, “Well! I would find your stories about being a preschool teacher much more fascinating than your stories about your…other job.” Yeah. Right. I don’t know, but that just rubbed me the wrong way. I could tell she was saying it because she wished it were true, not because it was true. Y’know?

    Okay, those are all my annoying-therapist stories. Because I make a concerted effort to stay away from therapists, I haven’t had any really terrible experiences, just obnoxious ones.

    Has anyone ever found a therapist that they LOVE??? Or do most of you have experiences similar to mine…or much worse?
    "Doc still loved true things, but he knew it was not a general love and it could be a very dangerous mistress." - John Steinbeck, Cannery Row


    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

  2. #2
    Featured Member
    Joined
    Sep 2006
    Posts
    1,887
    Thanks
    169
    Thanked 171 Times in 131 Posts

    Default Re: I Fucking Hate Psychiatrists (obnoxiously long)

    Ive been to 3 before.....all three seemed peculiar.

  3. #3
    God/dess
    Joined
    Feb 2002
    Location
    OUTTATHISWORLD
    Posts
    7,219
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 23 Times in 15 Posts

    Default Re: I Fucking Hate Psychiatrists (obnoxiously long)

    Jesus girl, I take it you got your adderall? haha j/k

    Sorry you had to go thru that...that was pretty foul. I'd be pissed if my therapist was basically second guessing my diagnoses and getting all skeevy on me. I've never had an experience quite like that; I've been very fortunate with my last two therapists they were definately worth their weight in gold. So much so, I'm therapist free now. I just call up my GP when I need my methylphenidate refilled.


  4. #4
    Featured Member kandie_kitten's Avatar
    Joined
    May 2005
    Posts
    1,944
    Thanks
    164
    Thanked 498 Times in 218 Posts

    Default Re: I Fucking Hate Psychiatrists (obnoxiously long)

    Well, I only went to therapists for limited periods of time, like for grief counseling.

    However, my brother has clinical depression, which really came up during his years in high school. My family tried several therapists, all of which my brother hated, refused to talk to, or were just quacks (one he actually told...you are an idiot, shut up). However, he has one doctor now who is wonderful. The first year, he saw the doctor weekly for sessions (they were scheduled for an hour, but often lasted for much more, and the doctor never charged for overtime). And unlike many doctors, who want their patients to come back constantly, he really worked with my brother to fix himself. It's been 6 years now, and my brother only goes in every year to just check up on everything, and to make sure there are no problems with his medication. The doctor also makes himself available, at all times, via cell phone (unlike other doctors, who give out their number, but then never answer it)

    So they're not all horrible :-)

  5. #5
    Featured Member
    Joined
    Feb 2005
    Location
    SoCal (aka the Evil Vortex of Doom)
    Posts
    1,617
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts

    Default Re: I Fucking Hate Psychiatrists (obnoxiously long)

    Quote Originally Posted by LoveSexMoney View Post
    Jesus girl, I take it you got your adderall? haha j/k
    lol--The really annoying thing is that I haven't gotten it yet, because a) I just got paid today and b) none of the pharamacies I've gone to have had the non-generic in stock! (Which is probably why I am posting on SW right now, instead of staring through a microscope, picking benthic macroinvertebrates out of substrate samples. )

    Sorry you had to go thru that...that was pretty foul. I'd be pissed if my therapist was basically second guessing my diagnoses and getting all skeevy on me. I've never had an experience quite like that; I've been very fortunate with my last two therapists they were definately worth their weight in gold. So much so, I'm therapist free now. I just call up my GP when I need my methylphenidate refilled.
    Well, I'm really glad you found some good ones. Thanks for confirming that I'm not crazy to feel weirded out by that experience. The messed-up thing is that he seemed to be questioning my diagnosis about 30 seconds after meeting me!

    So LSM, Have you ever taken Adderall? Because it's the only (prescription!) stimulant I've ever taken, and I was thinking of trying the methylphenidate, to see if I might like it better. If you've taken both, how do they compare?
    "Doc still loved true things, but he knew it was not a general love and it could be a very dangerous mistress." - John Steinbeck, Cannery Row


    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

  6. #6
    God/dess
    Joined
    Feb 2002
    Location
    OUTTATHISWORLD
    Posts
    7,219
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 23 Times in 15 Posts

    Default Re: I Fucking Hate Psychiatrists (obnoxiously long)

    I have not taken Adderall so I can't compare the two. I do like my Concerta though and it has helped me immensely. That doesn't really help though, lol sorry


  7. #7
    God/dess
    Joined
    Feb 2002
    Location
    OUTTATHISWORLD
    Posts
    7,219
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 23 Times in 15 Posts

    Default Re: I Fucking Hate Psychiatrists (obnoxiously long)

    sidenote story: back in the day, my uncle was diagnosed "hyperactive" The doctor prescribed (as my uncle said) 100% pure grade A gubment co-cayne Grammie had to scrape it into his oj every morning.


  8. #8
    Featured Member
    Joined
    Feb 2005
    Location
    SoCal (aka the Evil Vortex of Doom)
    Posts
    1,617
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts

    Default Re: I Fucking Hate Psychiatrists (obnoxiously long)

    ^No, that's okay, I'm curious about all the options. Concerta is another amphetamine (similar to Adderall), isn't it? Or is it methylphenidate, like Ritalin?
    "Doc still loved true things, but he knew it was not a general love and it could be a very dangerous mistress." - John Steinbeck, Cannery Row


    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

  9. #9
    Featured Member
    Joined
    Feb 2005
    Location
    SoCal (aka the Evil Vortex of Doom)
    Posts
    1,617
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts

    Default Re: I Fucking Hate Psychiatrists (obnoxiously long)

    Quote Originally Posted by LoveSexMoney View Post
    sidenote story: back in the day, my uncle was diagnosed "hyperactive" The doctor prescribed (as my uncle said) 100% pure grade A gubment co-cayne Grammie had to scrape it into his oj every morning.
    OMFG. That's fucking hilarious!!! Is that true????
    "Doc still loved true things, but he knew it was not a general love and it could be a very dangerous mistress." - John Steinbeck, Cannery Row


    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

  10. #10
    God/dess
    Joined
    Feb 2002
    Location
    OUTTATHISWORLD
    Posts
    7,219
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 23 Times in 15 Posts

    Default Re: I Fucking Hate Psychiatrists (obnoxiously long)

    it's methylphenidate...like a long lasting ritalin. The literature claims 10-12 hours but I definately feel it wear off before then. I just take one a day. Like a vitamin ha.


  11. #11
    God/dess
    Joined
    Feb 2002
    Location
    OUTTATHISWORLD
    Posts
    7,219
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 23 Times in 15 Posts

    Default Re: I Fucking Hate Psychiatrists (obnoxiously long)

    Quote Originally Posted by Nicolina View Post
    OMFG. That's fucking hilarious!!! Is that true????
    Swear to God totally true. Even my Gram backs that story up. My uncle said it came in a glass test tube like container. This had to have been in the 50's.


  12. #12
    God/dess greenidlady1's Avatar
    Joined
    Jul 2005
    Location
    North Carolina
    Posts
    4,183
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 14 Times in 12 Posts

    Default Re: I Fucking Hate Psychiatrists (obnoxiously long)

    I had one really good female therapist when I was in Hilton Head and also went to decent one a while back here. Shrinks, are another story, A LOT of them have a "God" complex. The best ones I ever had were military doctors.

  13. #13
    God/dess FrustratedBunny's Avatar
    Joined
    Jan 2006
    Location
    New Orleans, LA
    Posts
    2,457
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts

    Default Re: I Fucking Hate Psychiatrists (obnoxiously long)

    I typed out a whole response to this and it wouldn't post.

    Anyway, I am not too fond of psychiatrists myself. Therapists can be great, but psychiatrists treat you like you're some sort of lab specimin.

  14. #14
    Veteran Member
    Joined
    Jun 2005
    Posts
    316
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post

    Default Re: I Fucking Hate Psychiatrists (obnoxiously long)

    did u try any other med or just adderal? do u take it every day? does it help? im going to see a doc about ADD next week. i cant concentrate to save my life. i really hope that medicine will actually help. i can imagine it must be nice to actually be able to read something without staring off into space or having a conversation with someone and the tv and radio are actually on.i cant even imagine what it must feel like to be able to concentrate.its sorta like the feeling of not being able to see before u get eyeglasses...hope he wont give me too much trouble about getting the med. i dont want to pay for a bunch of expensive testing..add runs in my family....if he just takes my money and thinks im drug seeking, that would just suck. its hard to diagnose adults with it.i dont even know if the testing is accurate.they make u play tetris.anyone else have experiences getting diagnosed for ADD? btw- to answer ur question, most therapists ARE INDEED nut cases that got into the field because of their own issues and ud be better off alone than taking their advice.HOWEVER for every twenty that are horrible, if u keep trying you'll find 2 or 3 that are worth talking to.and if u do find someone good, it can be very helpful

  15. #15
    Banned
    Joined
    May 2007
    Location
    Schwarzefornia
    Posts
    2,410
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Default Re: I Fucking Hate Psychiatrists (obnoxiously long)

    Quote Originally Posted by Nicolina View Post
    I’m in there a few minutes and when I tell him that I was diagnosed at age 30, he says, “Well, ADHD symptoms have to start before age 9” (or whatever.) I say, well, yes, I know that. So now I feel like he’s questioning my diagnosis. I tell him that I was diagnosed at Edward Hallowell’s clinic in Massachussets. He says, “I have no idea who that is.”
    Your psychiatrist may have overlooked some important findings regarding adult ADHD. Thom Hartmann is a contemporary of Hallowell & Ratey who has published a voluminous body of work regarding ADHD in adults and children. In fact, Hallowell and Hartmann have actually written forewords and/or introductions to one another's books on the topic of ADHD.



    ^^"Hunters in Our Schools and Offices: The Origin of ADHD"^^ advances the widely accepted theory that "people with ADHD are the leftover hunters, those whose ancestors evolved and matured thousands of years in the past in hunting societies."

  16. #16
    God/dess Embyr's Avatar
    Joined
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Schlong Beach, Cauliflower
    Posts
    2,558
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 14 Times in 5 Posts

    Default Re: I Fucking Hate Psychiatrists (obnoxiously long)

    Nic, I definitely feel you on the frustrating difficulties involved in finding a GOOD psychiatrist... that is, one who doesn't charge a gazillion dollars an hour and who is also on your insurance plan. Funny you should post this- I'm looking for one in the area right now!!! (and if I DO find a quality one, I will pass the word along!!) Yeah... I need something to help me sleep... my insomnia is getting just ridiculous.

    Anyway... I have had some good therapists (psychologists) in the past... but psychiatrists?? I can't really recall one. I had one who SEEMED like she knew her shit... until I kept hearing her repeat the same damn advice/med management perscription information to a LOT of her patients in the lobby... she seemed to believe everyone and their grandmother suffered from a thyroid problem. She also ran a half an hour late (at LEAST) to every session... when she wasn't out of town lecturing... and when I did see her, she would tout her new research and toot her horn a bit.... my father called it her "celebrity industrial complex." yeah... fucking newport bitch. ahem, *beach.*

  17. #17
    God/dess
    Joined
    Apr 2003
    Location
    Renaissance City
    Posts
    3,343
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Default Re: I Fucking Hate Psychiatrists (obnoxiously long)

    Quote Originally Posted by Nicolina View Post
    he’s telling me that I’m just a garden-variety fuckup who only thinks she has ADHD because she’s lazy and undisciplined and can’t get her shit together; an incompetent loser with delusions of grandeur, who only thinks she’s underachieving, when the truth is that she’s below average in every way and doesn’t have the ability to be a high achiever. Or anyway, that’s what I’m hearing—probably because, in my darker moments, that’s exactly what I believe about myself.
    When people stop using it, they tend to have darker moments and feel that way. That reinforces the perception of need, as if one dose is 12 hours of 20 IQ points and the energy to use it. Sometimes you have to step outside your consciousness to figure out what's happening.

    Do you take the XR version or is there some other reason you can't use a generic equivalent?


    Quote Originally Posted by Nicolina View Post
    Has anyone ever found a therapist that they LOVE???
    I knew a BPD girl who found a psychiatrist she loved, but that's why most psychiatrists won't take BPD patients.

  18. #18
    God/dess Silverback's Avatar
    Joined
    Jun 2004
    Location
    On board the Kobayashi Maru
    Posts
    2,387
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post

    Default Re: I Fucking Hate Psychiatrists (obnoxiously long)

    Quote Originally Posted by Nicolina View Post
    (Which is probably why I am posting on SW right now, instead of staring through a microscope, picking benthic macroinvertebrates out of substrate samples. )
    You left benthic macroinvertebrates stuck in the sustrate?

    How could you?!
    "He will come in one of the pre-chosen forms. During the rectification of the Vuldrini, the traveler came as a large and moving Torg! Then, during the third reconciliation of the last of the McKetrick supplicants, they chose a new form for him: that of a giant Slor! Many Shuvs and Zuuls knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of the Slor that day, I can tell you!"

  19. #19
    Banned Katrine's Avatar
    Joined
    Nov 2003
    Posts
    13,855
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Default Re: I Fucking Hate Psychiatrists (obnoxiously long)

    Quote Originally Posted by SportsWriter2 View Post
    When people stop using it, they tend to have darker moments and feel that way. That reinforces the perception of need, as if one dose is 12 hours of 20 IQ points and the energy to use it. Sometimes you have to step outside your consciousness to figure out what's happening.
    Where do you come up with this shit, Sporty? I got off of Adderrol when I went "away" for a month. Then stayed off for a month when I got back. But I like the way I perform much better when I take it and don't take more than 10mg a day, 5-6 days a week at most. Do I need it? Probably not if I had a less demanding career, and less ambitious aspirations. But it helps.

    Nic, thanks for sharing about your experiences. Mine have also been...interesting.

    Two male psychoanalyst psychiatrists, complete with Freud beards and all: useless, just wanted me to come in 3x a week and TALK. Never gave me feedback and refused to give me medication.

    Female psychologist at my grad school: she was wonderful, non-judgemental, gave me actual advice, was very compassionate. Then my situation greatly improved and I graduated....she was a gem.

    Male psych. in Houston. 15 minutes, and I get whatever I want. Adderrol, Seroquel, etc. I went to him at the height of my drug problem and he had me on a dangerous coctail of anti-depressants, mood stabilizer, and Adderrol. He's a total hack, but will send me my Add.

    Female LCDC therapist. Older lady, very sweet. However, she almost exclusively focuses on discussing my alcoholism and addictions, and not other areas, like sexual trauma. I've lost interest in going to her in the last few months, as its the same thing over and over.

    Male addictionoligist. He told me the truth, I'm not bipolar, crazy, depressed, etc. I'm just a fucking junkie, and getting past that will be the path towards improving my life and overall happiness. And I believe he is right. Self-medicating has been my solace for years versus facing my life.

    So, that's my experience, good and bad.

    "Have you ever been to American wedding? Where is the vodka, where's marinated herring?" - GB
    "And do the cats give a shit? No, they do not. Why? Because they're cats."-from The Onion

    Quote Originally Posted by Mia M
    If a cupcake was tossed at me... well, I'd only be upset if it missed my mouth

  20. #20
    God/dess
    Joined
    Oct 2006
    Posts
    8,427
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 30 Times in 22 Posts

    Default Re: I Fucking Hate Psychiatrists (obnoxiously long)

    ugh i can totally relate! i thought i was on candid camera or something the last time i tried going to a psychiatrist. the short list was:

    -i'm a whore for dancing and it will ruin me
    -i'm a whore because i worked at hooters
    -i'm a whore with parents who dont love me because they *allowed* me to work at hooters
    -oh, ps, you should carry condoms with you at all times, whore
    (i'm not kidding, he did use the word whore. only once, but still. it was implied pretty well after that)
    -oh, your parents are worried about what kind of medication i might put you on? (i wanted anxiety meds, but not something daily like paxil, which he insisted on writing a prescription for, i wanted something to take when i felt an attack coming on.) well i guess they love you in some way. but still, they let you work at hooters... (he literally did say that. "i guess they must love you in some way")
    -i need to see a SOCIAL WORKER about my family life. um, i was 21 years old at the time, and i didnt mention a thing about my parents when i was there with him.

    then when i left the office, the receptionist goes, "he's such a sweet man, isn't he? like a grandfather."

    the universe must have been kidding with me that day.

  21. #21
    madmaxine
    Guest

    Default Re: I Fucking Hate Psychiatrists (obnoxiously long)

    I only skimmed the long OP because I have to leave for the day, but actually, I sat in on a psychiatrist's session for my brother (who has Asperger's Syndrome) and his headshrink was the most obnoxious bitch ever. & When we got out of the office he was consumed with rage because she was too stupid to see he was autistic (& a feature of his condition is inability/fear to express feelings.)

    Needless to say I don't put much faith in headshrinks...They're not all as good as Dr. Melfi on "The Sopranos." (See: the pencildick Peter Bogdanovich plays on that show...A good example of a shrink with boundaries issues.)

    Re: drugs for ADHD. I choose not to take them because feel it's possible to treat ADHD with diet and mental discipline.

  22. #22
    Featured Member
    Joined
    Feb 2005
    Location
    SoCal (aka the Evil Vortex of Doom)
    Posts
    1,617
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts

    Default Re: I Fucking Hate Psychiatrists (obnoxiously long)

    Wow, thanks so much for all the responses, guys! I figured no one would even read it, it was so long & stupid.

    I want to respond to everyone but i have to get ready for work real soon, so I'll just randomly pick one for now...

    Quote Originally Posted by Budai View Post
    Your psychiatrist may have overlooked some important findings regarding adult ADHD. Thom Hartmann is a contemporary of Hallowell & Ratey who has published a voluminous body of work regarding ADHD in adults and children. In fact, Hallowell and Hartmann have actually written forewords and/or introductions to one another's books on the topic of ADHD.
    Budai, I'm familiar with Thom Hartmann. I found his hypothesis intriguing, and wanted to believe he was onto something. However, after doing a LOT of research, I find that there's absolutely no evidence to support his claim that people with ADHD are "hunters in a farmer's world". Hartmann is a layman with no formal training in any science, and his claims are based solely on conjecture supported by anecdotal evidence. He hasn't done any real research on the topic, or been published in any peer-reviewed journals. It's true that Hallowell wrote an intro for his book, but if you read it, you'll see that he's saying, "This is an interesting idea. We should perhaps explore it further..." The problem is that when you explore it further, it doesn't really hold water.

    I just wrote a long-ass paper on this, and read through a stack of journal articles about a foot high, plus a whole bunch of books, both scholarly and popular.

    One of the most interesting papers was by a guy named Jensen, who looked more rigorously at the hypothesis that ADHD behaviors may have been adaptive in our ancestors. (His conclusion was: "maybe.") That was the hypothesis I explored in my paper: Is it really a disorder, or is it an adaptation? I really thought that I would be able to find some strong evidence for the adaptation hypothesis, but I just didn't.

    While it's true that a high level of activity may have promoted survival in certain environments, people with ADHD suffer from a dysregulation of attention--sometimes we hyperfocus on one thing to the exclusion of all else, sometimes we become hyper-aware of our surroundings and can't "block out" external stimuli, and sometimes (very often, in my case!) we completely "space out." And it seems to me that we don't have very much control over when we do each of these things--we tend to have trouble doing the appropriate thing at the appropriate time when it comes to paying attention to our surroundings.

    In other words, I think a primitive ADHD hunter would have been more likely to "space out" at an inopportune time during the hunt and get picked off by a predator, or fall out of a tree, or step on a snake, or otherwise get himself injured or killed.

    I also think a primitive ADHD hunter would be more likely to have trouble staying still and silent and patient during the boring parts of the hunt--because hunting requires a great deal of patience; contrary to Hartmann's claims, it isn't necessarily a high-stimulus endeavor. There are high-stimulus moments, but a lot of it is so boring that, according to one anthropologist, some tribes he hung out with would smoke big ol' spliffs before they went out a-hunting, just to mellow themselves out enough to deal with all the quiet waiting. I could see a primitive ADHD hunter blurting something out at the wrong moment and scaring away the prey and pissing off his fellow tribesmen.

    I could also see a primitive ADHD hunter "hyperfocusing" on a target prey item and, as a result, being taken unawares by an undetected predator or by hostile rival tribespeople....

    See what I'm saying? If you really think about it, if someone really has the "symptoms" that are associated with the disorder model of ADHD, those symptoms would most likely be maladaptive--to some extent, at least--in almost any environment. Of course, certain aspects of ADHD can be useful in certain situations or professions, and many people learn to compensate for their difficulties to the extent that they become very successful in their chosen field. But the fact is that if you actually have the brain chemistry that is associated with ADHD (i.e. dysregulation of dopamine and noradrenaline uptake in the neocortex of the brain), then you will likely have a harder time in life, generally speaking, than someone who does not have the constellation of symptoms that is associated with ADHD.

    Anyway, that was the conclusion I reached after doing the research. I also think that it would be more prevalent in the population if it were truly adaptive. Most workers find that somewhere between 2% and 10% of the population is afflicted, and that these numbers do not vary significantly across the cultures that have been studied.

    Oh, another super-interesting thing: EVERY SINGLE STUDY that looked at the correlation between ADHD and creativity found NO correlation between the two.

    The only finding that suggested some possible adaptive value is that people with certain types of ADHD tend to have sex earlier than their non-ADHD counterparts. This could have been adaptive in prehistoric times, if ADHD people had more offspring, or, on the contrary, it could have caused problems: e.g. impulsive sex with inappropriate partners may have resulted in lower survival rates of offspring. I don't know. Seems to me it could go either way.

    Sorry, I could go on about this forever. I can send you lots more info if you're interested, Budai (or anyone else)...

    Okay, gotta go now. I'll answer more later!

    Thanks again, guys!
    "Doc still loved true things, but he knew it was not a general love and it could be a very dangerous mistress." - John Steinbeck, Cannery Row


    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

  23. #23
    Banned Katrine's Avatar
    Joined
    Nov 2003
    Posts
    13,855
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Default Re: I Fucking Hate Psychiatrists (obnoxiously long)

    Disregulation of dopamine is also a large factor in cocaine addiction. Just thinking of my own situation, how I got so hooked on that shit AND am ADHD. But I've never abused my Adderrol or even gotten remotely high off of it. It doesn't "affect" my brain much more than helping sharpen my focus.

    "Have you ever been to American wedding? Where is the vodka, where's marinated herring?" - GB
    "And do the cats give a shit? No, they do not. Why? Because they're cats."-from The Onion

    Quote Originally Posted by Mia M
    If a cupcake was tossed at me... well, I'd only be upset if it missed my mouth

  24. #24
    Featured Member
    Joined
    Feb 2005
    Location
    SoCal (aka the Evil Vortex of Doom)
    Posts
    1,617
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts

    Default Re: I Fucking Hate Psychiatrists (obnoxiously long)

    A few quick things:

    Britt, That's a HORRIBLE STORY!!! I'm so sorry you had to deal with that shit. You know, I've gotten that kind of response from medical doctors when I would tell them I was a dancer--you know, they'd suddenly insist on giving me a whole mess of STD tests and whatnot. And just start treating me like a piece of shit.

    And madmaxine: I do find that changes in diet can help a lot. I'll post more about that later. Exercise helps immensely, too, for obvious reasons. If I could live at the gym (or even if I was still dancing), I don't think I'd "need" the Adderall. I think there's a good reason that I was diagnosed right around the time that I quit dancing and was struggling to hold "civilian" jobs: I think I was basically "self-medicating" with stripping--Seriously! The high-stimulus environment, the adrenaline rush of performing, of making quick cash, the norepinephrine high from the pure physical activity, the overall unpredictability of the job, the ability to drink/drug at work without the usual repercussions, etc. etc....

    But when I have to sit on my ass all day, studying or entering data or staring through a microscope, I really find that the Adderall is immensely helpful. It's also great for certain other tasks: cleaning/organizing, shopping without getting overwhelmed, etc....But yeah, I believe I could arrange my life so that I could function well without it. I just haven't done that at this point. I would like to in the future, though.
    "Doc still loved true things, but he knew it was not a general love and it could be a very dangerous mistress." - John Steinbeck, Cannery Row


    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

  25. #25
    Featured Member
    Joined
    Feb 2005
    Location
    SoCal (aka the Evil Vortex of Doom)
    Posts
    1,617
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts

    Default Re: I Fucking Hate Psychiatrists (obnoxiously long)

    Quote Originally Posted by Katrine View Post
    Disregulation of dopamine is also a large factor in cocaine addiction. Just thinking of my own situation, how I got so hooked on that shit AND am ADHD. But I've never abused my Adderrol or even gotten remotely high off of it. It doesn't "affect" my brain much more than helping sharpen my focus.
    Oh, totally--I think you can tell a lot about people's brain chemistry from their recreational drugs of choice. The first time I tried pot, I was like, "why would I enjoy this? I can be tired and hungry without drugs!!!" And the first time I tried coke, I was like, "I FEEL PERFECTLY CHEMICALLY BALANCED NOW!!!! MAY I HAVE SOME MORE, PLEASE?????"
    "Doc still loved true things, but he knew it was not a general love and it could be a very dangerous mistress." - John Steinbeck, Cannery Row


    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. I fucking HATE
    By Kaylinn in forum The Lounge
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 02-03-2008, 08:07 PM
  2. I fucking hate this more then anything!
    By Yas in forum Private Party Dancing
    Replies: 13
    Last Post: 05-27-2007, 08:11 AM
  3. i fucking hate scalpers
    By Darcy Foxx in forum The Lounge
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 11-18-2006, 11:59 AM
  4. i fucking hate religions!!
    By mermaidnz in forum Political Poo
    Replies: 99
    Last Post: 11-21-2004, 12:45 PM
  5. Re: I hate these fucking waitress ho's...
    By Bridgette in forum General Board
    Replies: 23
    Last Post: 06-12-2003, 11:38 AM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •