In my country, mental illness still being underestimated and it’s kind a hard to find a good shrink. I always afraid to become malpractice by them just the sake for money-income. All insurance service in my country didn’t provide mental illness coverage, that’s why we have to paid medicine and session with our own money. And it’s not cheap, at least for me.
I tried it once to check for my symptom since i think i have a depression. All this time i only learn it from internet or books. I’ve tried go to the same shrink as my sister. But i felt skeptic for this doctor. My sister have anxiety and depression, but this doctor said that my sister has the possibility for Bipolar. And to tell you the truth i don’t believe this doctor. I don’t see the Bipolar symptom in my sister. But because i don’t have any other recommendation i decided to go to the same doctor and i never told this shrink that i know him from my sister. i never reveal it to him that i am related to one of his patient.
Then during my session, after discussing about my problem, suddenly he told me that i have the possibility of Bipolar (the same as my sister). I don’t know, it felt kinda wrong since what i felt is more too depression instead of Bipolar. He want to start our medication for Bipolar, but i refuse said that i am not ready for this treatment yet. He didn’t know that i have some knowledge about Bipolar mental illness. He told me about the major impact of Bipolar (like you will have wild sex with just with anybody when the illness occur or you will do drug to lessen your illness) but not all are like that-except the major case-that i’ve known off. I just think he wants me to pursue the treatment ASAP without throughly examine my illness.
Now, i’m still in search for a good shrink and still haven’t found any other recommendation through internet. I’m still afraid to open up to people around me about my problem, i don’t want them to judge me or look down on me. Fortunately, now my depression is come and go. Sometime it’s come pretty bad that i want to cut my self or think about suicidal thought and crying my eyes out, but now it’s calm down.
So what’s should i do? Do guys have any suggestion or recommendation to choose a good shrink? Do i even need to go to shrink? If i have the choice not to drink med, i prefer not to do the treatment.
7 comments
first off: dont go to that doctor again, especially if you are confident you don’t have bipolar. whatever country you may be in, if they dont recognise mental illness as a problem, than there are many doctors willing to exploit that lack of information. whether intentional or not, you will most likely not get the right medication.
provided there is the option to outsource in your country, try that. other than that, look to close friends to talk to about your problem. you would be really surprised to see who is in the same boat as you, and they may help you get the right medication so you can start feeling better. hope you get help soon.
@who_even_cares Thank you for your quick respond. Yes, i’m agree with you, I didn’t go back to that doctor. And for the option to outsource, i think my country didn’t have it.
Actually, i do really want to talk with my close friends. But most of my friend is people whose underestimate mental illness or they think it’s a taboo-talk or they belittle people who has mental illness. I’m afraid to talk to them. I have tried shared a little bit to one of my best friend, how that i’ve often felt hard to concentrate or hard to remember things and stuff (i think it’s because of my depression). When i reveal to her that maybe i need to go to shrink to get check, she’s freaks out. She think it’s too much for me to go to psychiatrist because she think i’m not crazy. She think people who need to go to psychologist or psychiatrist is just for crazy people. What she mean by crazy is people who has mental illness like schizophrenia. At that moment i felt so disappointed and ashamed at myself. I don’t know why. And i decided that i didn’t want to talk about it with her.
The only one who knows about my problem is my sister who also has similar illness. But whenever i felt depressed and share it with her, she also became down and depressed. She often told me that she can’t stand to hear me out because it too much for her since it’s also affect her. And it’s makes me more depressed to know that i am one of the cause of her illness. 🙁
But, not long ago, i accidentally found acquaintance who has similar problem with me in FB. I’ve talk a little bit with her, but i don’t feel comfortable yet with her since she’s not from my circle of friend. But maybe i’ll try to talk it out with her.
And once again thank you for your suggestion 🙂 sorry if blabber around to much
The pyschiatrist should listen to you. Really listen. Ask you thoughtful questions. Explain treatment options, not just force something on you. You should never feel a mental health professional is judging you. Just like you should never feel your family physician is judging you if you have diabetes, multiple schlerosis, etc. It might take a few tries to find the person right for you. Don’t settle. You deserve to be treated with empathy and respect.
Thank you @theWhispersOfMySins i will tried find another shrink.. a better one..
Hmm, I can’t help but wonder what your country is. Language has always been very interesting to me. I’d hazard a guess at Eastern European or possibly Asian, giving myself a wide berth. If I’m entirely wrong, my apologies.
As far as shrinks go, I couldn’t say, never had one. Though I’d certainly be interested to see what questions they’d ask.
@TheRiver you almost correct my friend. I am from south east asia.
if i may ask, Why didn’t you try to go to the shrink if you interested to talk with one of them?
Well, I just meant that it would be an interesting experience. To see the process, the questions they ask and so on. From an almost academic perspective. But certainly not interesting enough for me to pay for it, or to go through the trouble of setting it up.