medical psychiatry

[damnit]

Hi I was just wanting to ask if anybody has had the same issues as me when it comes to the medical side of psychiatry. To start off ill tell you a bit about myself. I was badly injured 10 years ago and have been unable to find work since. I suffer from multiple health problems including chronic pain along with damage to multiple organs that restrict my life. I have had 6 operations in the last 18 months and there are more planned. About 4 years ago I was diagnosed with depression by my GP. I was tried on a couple of different medications without success so I was sent to see a shrink. I was tried on a multitude of medications (Approx 20) and every time they didn't work my "Diagnosis" was changed. After around 18 months to 2 years and having been on a couple of trials, one being for TMS and the other for a randomly assigned drug I was dumped by my shrink and kicked off the drug trial. I had a meeting with a very prominent Psychiatrist who was involved in the trials who told me the reason I couldn't find work was because "I didn't try" I had worked my backside off to finish my advanced diploma and I couldn't believe what I had heard. I had been told that the reason I had dizzy spells and was always tired was due to depression. This diagnosis was later changed to vertigo due to nerve damage in my ears due to childhood infections and sleep apnoea which was not helped by the 40kg's I put on taking antidepressants. I was not tested for these things despite a family history and they wanted me to have ECT. After being told for years that I had a chemical imbalance in my brain I had a look into the science behind this claim on the advice of a neurologist and was shocked to find that this theory has never been shown to exist. I cant believe I was sucked in like this. I was also appalled to find that my psychiatrist has been on the payroll of three different drug companies and didn't disclose it to me. I am not suggesting that depression and anxiety aren't real, I live with them every day but as far as I can see the medical side of things is wrong. The reason I feel like I do is because I have no prospect of ever getting work, I am in constant pain and I am isolated from the real world by my health. I have been trying to get proof that I had an illness from my psychiatrist and have now had to go to the ombudsman to gain access to my records. I cant be the only one that has dealt with this

[lzeukial]

Hi,

your problems - depression, anxiety, chronic pain, etc. - sound psychogenic. You would do well to read "The Divided Mind" by John Sarno (available at Amazon, etc.). It will explain the problem, present a treatment program, and also provide some historical background to the medical and psychological understanding of the issue.