I'm really sorry that this happened to you, Brig. It can be particularly damaging for people because we often go to seek help from these people when we're at our most vulnerable and put a lot of trust in them.
The person who founded Heal My PTSD, Michele, actually developed PTSD as a result of a doctor being negligent, so you're not alone in having been let down by people in the healthcare profession.
I wanted to make you, and other people reading, aware of what you can do to protect yourself from this and what to do if you experience misconduct from a doctor.
In the UK, you can speak to the Patient Liaison Advice Service (PALS), and they can give you advice on how to make a complaint against a doctor.
In the US, you're covered by the Health Insurance and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and you can report it to them if a doctor were to behave inappropriately - for example, if they broke patient confidentiality.
I don't know about what's in place elsewhere but hopefully other people will have information on this if there's anyone in another country who is affected by this.
It's a good idea to document each consultation with a doctor - with the time and date, and what was discussed. Maybe have a notebook specifically for this. It isn't fool proof, but it's a good way of holding a physician's behaviour accountable and reducing the chance of being medically gaslit, which one can be more vulnerable to if there's a imbalance of power.
Gaslighting is where a person will attempt to make you question your own perception or memory of something, for example, by denying they said or did something or through suggestion. That's why it's helpful to have written documentation so you can identify whether there's a pattern of inconsistency between the account of a situation a doctor is giving you, your memory of that same event, and the written documentation.
They can also assert their authority (power) by use of medical terminology that the patient may not understand or be familiar with. Someone linked me an article to this on an old post of mine. I have linked the article below in case anyone is interested.
This is another reason note taking is a good idea, in case there's a medical term you need to look up. The person who sent me this link also advised getting a medical (drug) dictionary, to look these up on.
As someone living in the UK, I know that here you can also request a chaperone to accompany you to a medical appointment. That's another way in which they can be held to account. (I'm afraid I don't know if this is the case in other countries.) If you have a trusted friend or family member, you could bring them along with you to a doctor's appointment.
In the UK, it's illegal for a healthcare professional to discriminate against someone based on something like their gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or disability. This is covered by the Equality Act (2010). Each example I have given is known as a "protected characteristic". As PTSD would be considered a disability, I have linked some information on the Equality Act regarding disability below if anyone is interested.
Mind, the UK mental health charity, also has a lot of good legal information regarding mental health treatment, capacity, discrimination, etc. I have linked the list here below. (You can probably find information here about PALS.)
I think I've just about covered it then. If anyone has anymore information about how this would work in any other country, that could be helpful, but, in the meantime, I hope you and other people can take something from this.
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clarification
Immobilized by panic
I hate this, still triggered and suffering
DID is painful
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