Email Check ins' with Psychiatrist

[SammyKitten]

Hey there guys;

I'm new to the forum and I've posted in the introductions section if you need more info. Brief overview - BipolarII (11 or 12 year history of this) plus some other fun comorbid disorders (OCD, Panic Disorder, etc.).
I recently spent 42 days in voluntary inpatient care after a severe crash and burn scenario (sorry if I'm not supposed to state days in reference to inpatient - my understanding was that the no numbers rule apply to triggering things, edit at will if need be).

After spending seven years with the same psychiatrist I was brave and made the move to a new one. I'm a tiny bit resentful as my last psychiatrist could have prevented the events leading up to inpatient, he was made fully aware of my situation and perhaps it was poor judgement or he assessed me as low risk but he chose to have me attend fortnightly five minute appointments where as I feel an adjustment in the medication combo (say holla everyone now!) would have made a more positive change.My new psychiatrist is a lot younger and he has me on six weekly appointments with email check ins' every fortnight in regards to the extreme overhaul of my medication.

My issue is that although I keep a daily diary that is far too much information to scan and send to him - I'm not his only patient and I want to respect that. So this finally leads me to my questions; Does anyone else do this? If so how do you accomplish this - Do you have a template (or know where I can get one?) or do you just wing it?

This is important more than ever for me because I've crashed over Christmas quite badly and I need to discuss symptoms to try and figure if it's a non triggered downward swing or if it's medication related. I'm quite OCD about formatting so I want to save myself the pressure of creating a template if there is one floating around somewhere.

Ta all;
Sammy

[Ellu]

Dear Sammykitten,

First, congratulations on having the guts to leave a psychiatrist you were not happy with and finding one with whom you can work together. In the end we have to take responsibility for our own care, and you did just that by finding another psychiatrist who suits you better.

I am not sure that there is such a thing as a template for contacting your psychiatrist, as every situation is different. Sometimes you may have a lot to discuss, other times not so much. The best I can suggest is that you draw up a series of headings, for example 'medication' 'mood stability' 'overall feelings' and jot down what you want to say under those headings. This will be easier for a doctor to reply to than dealing with a confusing account of the past weeks.

My psychiatrist has given me his mobile phone number - I don't want to abuse that, so I only use it in emergencies. I leave a message on his phone and he calls me back when it is suitable for him. It sounds like a similar arrangement you have with email. I know you are not your doctor's only patient, I feel exactly the same, but sometimes when things are not going well you may have to write a longer message in order to get on top of a difficult situation. Your doctor is there for you, after all he gave you his e-mail address, and while things are going relatively well a "template" of headings might be enough don't be afraid to talk about frankly if you run into trouble. It sounds like you have found a good psychiatist, make the relationship work for you.

If you need to discuss Christmas and what happened to you then don't hesitate - your doctor is there to help you, and the sooner you can deal with issues the sooner you can get on with life. Best Wishes,

Ellu

[White_Rose]

Dear Sammy

Hello and welcome to Beyond Blue. Thank you for sharing your story.

I used to email the psychologist I was seeing. In many ways it was good because I got whatever was upsetting me off my chest quite easily. Sometimes it was enough to write the words and push send. I found the biggest problem was if the psych did not reply to an email about something that was very distressing. Have you discussed the boundaries of writing with your psychiatrist? He can help you be comfortable about the length of your emails and the content.

For me it was simply a dump of whatever was happening. The haphazard responses caused more distress than not writing. Has the psych said he will respond or not? I think this is important because it acknowledges the receipt of your email and shows he thought about your situation. In my opinion it is important to know you will get a response, even just to say email received.

I did not have a template or format. It never occurred to me. I simply wrote what I was feeling. However, you have been asked to write about your medication. This can include how you are feeling and any adverse effects you have noticed. May I suggest that you simply start writing and if the psych feels your emails are too long, no doubt he will let you know.

When you say you are keeping a journal, is this electronically or handwritten? The former is easy to send to your psych, a simple cut and paste, or attach the document. I have done this several times.

If there are any other questions you need to ask, please do so. Meanwhile checkout this forum for relevant information. I understand from another of our Champions The Black Dog Institute has lots of information on Bipolar Disorder. Love to hear from you again.

Mary