What's wrong with psychiatric healthcare?

[MiamiJacket84]

Honestly, a lot.As someone who has been to countless psychiatric clinics and hospitals of the course of a decade and ironically also studying medicine in general, I feel like I'm at least somewhat qualified to speak out against all the bs in this field.

Issue "1": Psychiatry is fundamentally flawed. Guess what the main goal of psychiatry is? Well it's not actually making you happy! It's keeping your pulse. That's it. Actually helping you enjoying life is more like a cool bonus they might as well get from time to time. But they're not professionally obligated to do so. Yes it's the moral thing to do but this brings me to my next point.

Issue "2": Malpractice. It's not like in other fields of medicine. With anything else, it's always clear how your work is affecting your patient through easy monitoring, so malpractice is usually very difficult to get away with. Psychiatry however, no one gives a damn. Their job is keeping you alive, that's it. Oh you're too numb to every emotion? Meh. Oh you're having horrible side effects? Trade them for another medication with slightly more tolerable side effects. Oh your doctor broke confidentiality with your family? It's okay he can do that "fOr yOuR SaFeTy". Oh your doctor is basically milking you for money while keeping you drugged like a zombie? Eh, sounds like a you problem. It's a disgrace how much most "professionals" can get away with. But can you blame them? My next point is...

Issue "3": It's expensive, very expensive. I may not be from the US but it's expensive worldwide and rarely covered by insurance or minimal coverage at best. Maybe they'd get you a psychiatrist with a waiting time of 6 months or some bs. And that's just seeing the psychiatrist, medications are their own whole other level of expenses. And since most psychiatrists like to zombify you by drugging you to the limits of human consumption, the bills add up. And that brings me to...

Issue "4": The medications are crap. Firstly, most of them just make you numb to the point you can't have any thoughts, technically "fixing" you negative thoughts problem. Oh you have bad thoughts? Let's take away your ability to think then! It's like going to a doctor with a bad cut on your hand and he just amputated it. Problem solved right? Then of course there are the side effects. Almost all of them have so many side effects and the worst part is that it's so normalized. Imagine taking a paracetamol for headaches for a while and then suddenly feeling like you can't sleep less than 12 hours a day and when you mention it to people, they just say "oh that's normal you get used to it" why am I supposed to get used to it? Why am I forced to trade one issue for another? And then you constantly change medications back and forth and back and forth, until you just get an ounce of normality for a couple weeks and then it stops working.

So tldr, psychiatry is a load of bs and I doubt that'll ever change.

[Hidden]

Yes I feel the same. They really using you for their next paycheck and don't care about side effects or your mental health state. I am in bad way and feel so bad but they don't change my medications. I really wish the complaints procedure would work or there was responsibility over health and mind of patient

[fauxartist]

Wow... very intelligent and pointedly written...spot on. Medication dolled out like candy and is nothing more than like throwing spaghetti on the wall and seeing what sticks. When your young and dealing with depression, and your put on an antidepressant that depletes your sex drive, causes weight gain, and is the basis of a looming head fog, so you supposedly don't ruminate as much,...is basically doing nothing more than throwing you into an even worse situation in my book.

I'm old, I don't care about that stuff...because I've lived my life...but if I was young and zombified during my prime, that would be very tough to deal with and still isn't addressing my depression. There just simply are not any perfect medications that address mental illness without side effects, or simply don't help at all . And most are like putting a band aide on a gaping wound. Medicine isn't there yet. And it's just not a viable monetary advantage for insurance companies because no one really is cured it's an undesirable expense, and because of the expense of health care, it's also a cash cow for pharmaceutical companies to keep producing the next 'best' band aide.

Money talks and B.S. walks....mental health just doesn't benefit the corps to cure...or really help. Why would you cure the common cold when so much money is being made by leaving people sick.

[Hidden]

I’m sorry you had to cope with so much but glad you found a friend in your counsellor and feel bad about your health problems on top of that. Sometimes it works out self help works out. Being seriously ill is the worst. You were good as you determined to get through and actually did seek help counselling that shows true self that you good to yourself and willing to try for yourself. The best to you and you will succeed.

[Hidden]

that’s better you and husband found strength to take them on and won. Sorry to hear was such serious condition and hopefully when they found out was blocked arteries did the best they could. Finding right doctor and right treatment so helpful

[Hidden]

having such good mother is blessing and finding your way through this life by guardian angels and people struggling but helping you and themselves such bonus to making the right steps. please keep strength to continue living safe and better looking after yourself is such good way to be. your awesome and your strength and heart and mind shows what wonderful person you are x

[Hidden]

please take great care of yourself and may your friends be well and better xxx

[Dolphin14]

I don't agree that every psychiatrist practices this way. Mine doesn't, I guess I'm lucky

I don't agree that meds don't help, they helped me.

Counseling has helped me.

I'm the outlier I guess

🐬

[MiamiJacket84 in reply to Dolphin14]

You are right, not every psychiatrist behaves this way, some actually do their job right and try to help. The problem is that it's not the norm and unfortunately it's not even encouraged to be the norm, quite the contrary even.

[Dolphin14 in reply to MiamiJacket84]

I know many people have issues so I wasn't sure I would even come on the post. But I felt the need to say if someone has a good Dr ( and there are bad in every field) there can be a successful outcome

What field of medicine are you studying?

[MiamiJacket84 in reply to Dolphin14]

Yeah if you're very lucky I suppose, and don't have damage that's too irreversible.

I'm just trying to be a GP for now.

[Dolphin14 in reply to MiamiJacket84]

That's wonderful!

Now there's where I had an issue. My GP doesn't believe in mental illness. We used to get along so well until I had my breakdown. She was not helpful to me at all. She told me to " flip the switch" I told her what she should do with her switch

Oddly enough I work for her now. There have been a couple of instances where she's asked me to go in a room and talk with a couple of patients. She stated " you know more about this than I do"

When you get out there in your practice you will be so supportive to your patients. You can make a difference

[MiamiJacket84 in reply to Dolphin14]

If I make it that long, maybe. Thank you though.

[Dolphin14 in reply to MiamiJacket84]

Try hard

Then change your user name to

MiamiJacket84MD

[fauxartist in reply to MiamiJacket84]

I have CPTSD....a mental injury that adds to my pre-existing condition of a Dual Diagnosis that includes depression, and that damage is so far not completely irreversible or curable....your best hope is a managing and coping strategy that at it's best can help you pull out of the rabbit hole abyss a bit quicker and you can recognize when your starting to circle the drain. Nobody can fix me, there's no magic pill, and I have to do the foot work, you have to work at wanting to get better and keep trying.

[fauxartist in reply to Dolphin14]

I had some that did and some that didn't....and thankfully the ones that actually helped me were there for the client, and not the money....few and far between are there therapist's that fit your needs all around....but if you do the work....eventually you will find a way. Like with any profession....some are good, and some not so good, but it's the individuals needs being met that are the most important.

[Dolphin14 in reply to fauxartist]

Hi faux

I agree. It's not a cookie cutter illness so it isn't one size fits all treatment plan.

I've been fortunate to have 2 therapists and one psychiatrist for 10 years. I know how lucky I am.

Bottom line is.... providing the care that meets the needs of the client.

❤️🐬

[fauxartist in reply to Dolphin14]

agreed .... we were lucky.... but we also are survivors and did the work....and always will be.... our stuff doesn't define us, it's just part of us we learn to accept....it just is what it is....

[blackcat64013]

Hi Miami,There is nothing wrong with psych care per se. Community acceptance is much better than it was 10-20 years ago.

The issues seem to arise when the patient needs mental health care and it isn't readily accessible or doesn't meet the patient's need.

Telehealth and helplines have offered an alternative to consulting psychiatrists for patients who visit the ED in crisis.

Specialist walk in centres are going to be deal breakers. Google the urgent mental health centre (UMHC) in Adelaide, Australia or Safe Haven cafes which are springing up around the world.

Perhaps your perceptions are clouded by your lived experience as a client of a mental health service or as a practitioner 🤔 🐈‍⬛

[MiamiJacket84 in reply to blackcat64013]

Just because it's better than total lobotomies that used to be done ages ago doesn't mean it's actually good. There are so many more issues I didn't even mention because they're too many to list. When I go to an ENT specialist for sinusitis, I expect to get proper treatment first try, or at worst case scenario maybe the second or third doctor I see max. Can you say the same thing about psychiatrists? Hell no, you have to go through a dozen to find someone who actually tries to help and even then, you still go through all the issues I mentioned above.

Also I don't know how being a client "clouds" my perception. Isn't that the whole reason you base a perception on anything? Actually experiencing it first hand? And I'm definitely not the only one who was failed by what's supposed to be the only "proper" help.

[Arymretep]

Hi M , reading your post reminded me so much of my relationship with my Mother, we were more like sisters , Iv also been through lots of tough times in. my life and never needed counselling either as my Mum was always there for me , I miss her so much,❤️

[Arymretep]

Yes And i think as we’ didn’t have any kids we were closer to our Mums, I was anyway, we’ve been so lucky though , I have wonderful memories of both my Mum and Dad and a blessed childhood as you have, i only wish they were with me now, though like you I believe they are alway with me, I hope you will also be as lucky as me too and find someone one day , you are still young , to me lol , have a good night , yes leave the wines there you don’t need them , I’m having my chamomile tea , sleep tight 😘xx

[Arymretep]

I’m the same if I don’t try to sleep straight away that’s it, I always use decaf tea anyway, have you got any chamomile I’ll send you some LOL 👍☕️ Hope you can get off, listen to some music , I wear my headphones to bed .xx

[Arymretep]

Morning M , you’re up early lol, glad you got off ok, it’s a nice day here again but not so sunny as yesterday yet, I love chamomile tea , have you tried the twinings SLEEP tea its a bit expensive but ALDI do one too much cheaper .

Hoping to get down the garden centre this week to get some bedding plants, I’ll keep them in my new shed until frost goes, I love going to the garden centre we’ve got a great big one about half and hour away that sells everything, you could spend a fortune !, and get a nice cream tea 👍 I’m so looking forward to this summer after such terrible weather , and you too in your new garden , have a great day😘xx