FAQ 6: Choosing a Psychiatrist
HeatherOK
"Choosing a Psychiatrist" by Christopher Lapp:
Success in treatment of mental illnesses like bipolar condition can hinge on
the successful relationship between the patient and the doctor. I firmly
believe that people with mental illness should find the most experienced,
most
accessible physician possible as a prerequisite to the disciplined and
thorough
going pursuit of the correct combination of drugs and lifestyle changes
necessary to maintain a stable mental state. But what is a good
psychiatrist?
I have, in my treatment uncovered what I believe to be a philosophical set
of
principles that creates the right relationship between the doctor and the
patient:
Here are the principles:
1. The doctor must empathize with the patients illness and have an emotional
understanding of the drugs and lifestyle changes that the doctor is asking
the
patient to embark on. An example is the dry mouth and skin some drugs cause,
or
drooling, and how to treat it. Perhaps suggesting a high fiber diet to
offset
the constipation resulting from a drug. A doctor should be concerned enough
about weight gain from medications to be able to recommend a treatment
center,
should it become a problem.
2. The doctor should be happy about the success of the patient in treatment
and
concerned when things don't go well. The doctor should have a personal
satisfaction interest in seeing that you do well. It should be expressed as
a
willingness to spend time researching the correct, perhaps innovative,
perhaps
conservative alternative to an unsuccessful therapy regime. A doctor once
went
through fifteen years of medical history to find a drug which was used
successfully, but was switched due to some minor side effect, as a
replacement
to a drug that had failed the patient. A doctor must be willing to do his
homework in the course of treatment.
3. He must see his efforts to treat you as his contribution to improving the
human condition, and not as a tool to make money regardless of the outcome
of
the treatment. He must subscribe to the Hippocratic oath.
4. He must communicate the personal responsibilities of the patient toward
the
treatment and the doctor, and he must be prepared to consistently apply
those
principles. He must demand you take your medicine, but he must also keep
track
of the your prescription renewal times and the drugs you are on as part of
his
service. He must demand you make all appointments on time, but he must also
make every effort to not summarily cancel appointments for personal reasons.
Heshould demand you tell the truth about your symptoms and side effects and
general health and mental state, but he must also be willing to make changes
in
response to those complaints.
5. In short the psychiatrist must enter into a mutually advantageous
relationship with the patient, where treatment, costs and benefits are
balanced
so the patient gets treated to the highest standards in the psychiatric
profession, and the doctor gets compensated for his efforts. That is in my
mind
the best relationship between a patient and the doctor.
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