muliple diagnosis fear. Help!

hamington · ‎06-01-2016

I have fought depression for many years but very recently have been diagnosed with bipolar 2, G.A.D, B.P.D and ADHD. Its taken so long to diagnose my conditions because from age 9 I took medications for epilepsy which are also used to treat many mental health issues and from my early 20's I self medicated heavily with drugs. Its only after 12 months clean and a lot of therapy that I've been able to get to the real problems I ran from for so long. I'm feeling positive that there is some hope of getting my "disorders" under control but am also still a bit gobsmacked by it all, I know little about these illnesses and where to link into the right services. whilst my psychologist and interim psychiatrist have been great I'm very fearful that my G.P and new psychiatrist in charge of my medication review and treatments may focus too much on my former substance use and base decisions on that rather than the mental health issues at hand. I realise this may all sound a little paranoid but I live in regional Australia where unfortunately this does happen (it took letters and calls from a psychologist to get my G.P to put me on a basic antidepressant after he refused because I "didn't need more drugs" and needed to "just get moving". Has anybody had similar problems and or know of advocacy groups etc?. This is all rather new to me so any feedback would be much appreciated

Neil_1 · ‎07-01-2016

Hi there hamington

Firstly I’d like to welcome you to Beyond Blue and to thank you for coming here and providing your post.

I’d also like to congratulate you on being clean for over 12 months – that is something I think that can be swept under the carpet too easily and really it should be acknowledged as one hell of an achievement. I do hope that you feel very good within for what you’ve achieved there.

I also do like your outlook on all of this – the feeling positive in getting your disorders under control – I again can’t speak too highly about how brilliant it is to have such a positive attitude towards beating these issues you’ve got.

The issue of being in regional Australia and not being able to access professional help as you would if you lived in a larger population/city is definitely something that could be a bit of a hiccup for you and at this point in my response, I really wish that I knew of the kind of advocacy groups that you thought might be in existence. I’m absolutely sure that there would be such organisation, but unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of information.

I do hope I’ve said something that might be of use – and also hope that you’ll receive “other” more helpful responses.

Kind regards

Neil

White_Rose · ‎07-01-2016

Dear Hamington

Hello. I join Neil in welcoming you to Beyond Blue. Congratulations for staying clean for a year. I can only imagine how hard that must have been. One thing is certain, you have great determination and this will help you in the future.

I am disgusted with the attitude of your GP about your medication. I don't know much about the situation of drs and psychiatrists in regional Australia. Is it possible to find another GP? Is there a reason why you cannot continue treatment with your current psychiatrist and/or psychologist? Will you have a private psychiatrist, not one attached to a public hospital? I think it is important to see a private psychiatrist for continuity of treatment and regular sessions. Hospital psychs tend to change often which does not help the patient.

I also suggest you get a copy of your medical history. That way you can see if the GP has properly recorded all your history and you can request full details be added if any are missing. You are entitled to this under the Privacy Act which states all patients can have a copy of all information on file with their private doctor. In this case your GP. The only exceptions are when the file contains info about someone else, which is unlikely, but this can be blanked out before you receive it. Or it would pose a serious threat to the patient or someone else. I think this is also unlikely, but you would know better than me. Consider this before you ask. I only suggest it as your GP appears uncooperative.

There is a medical complaints board in all states, so if you feel you are being wrongly or unfairly treated you can complain to the appropriate board. Ask Mr Google. There are advocacy organisations in all states. Find one in your state using your search engine. I looked up Mental Health Advocacy.

Ask your current psychologist and psychiatrist to give you a report on your treatment to date. If they are in private practice they also come under the Privacy Act. However, your psychologist seems to have your best interests at heart so may be happy to write a report for you anyway and include a copy of each letter written to your GP.

Start your sessions with your new psychiatrist with an open mind. It's not good to be suspicious and/or uncooperative because of what may or may not happen. ATM you have no way of knowing. If you do know your new psych's name perhaps you can ask either your current psychologist or psychiatrist about him/her. They may or may not know.

I hope this is helpful.

Mary

hamington · ‎08-01-2016

thankyou for your reply rose, it was very helpful

I'm confident that with the help of my psychologist I have found a good private psychiatrist and I've made an appointment with a different G.P working at the same practice as my current doc who I once saw and found very good. I have made formal complaints about a doctor who refused to prescribe my epilepsy medication because "this drug is not used for epilepsy". even after providing years of prescription reports from the practice and neurologists documentation. the real reason was that the medication is a scheduled benzodiazepine which he assumed I would abuse and he didn't know the extremely basic procedure for obtaining an authority script. as a result of my complaint to practice management and the board none of the dr's in the practice would see me and I only avoided having seizures with the help of my chemist who understood and dispensed my medication until I found a new g.p. I also made a formal complaint against the towns only methadone prescriber (now 4 years off methadone) after being kicked off the program immediately after I brought up my concerns about a nurse joking about my penis with other staff and patients when I had difficulty producing a supervised urine sample and the issue of her discussing my treatment with her friends which due to small town gossip almost cost me my job. since these incidendts I have had trouble finding a doctor in town so have to travel, hence my anxiety about treatment in regional Australia. long winded rant aside (sorry) I appreciate your advice and feedback, particularly about approaching my new dr's with an open mind instead of doubt and a defensive attitude which I have done in the past. Thankyou 🙂

White_Rose · ‎08-01-2016

Just a quick reply. Thanks for sharing your journey with us. You have traveled a rough road in your quest for wellness and I once again applaud your determination.

Too many people believe it's OK to gossip about the personal life of others. Professional ethics should stop medical professionals discussing your medical treatment and making personal comments about you. I think it comes as a shock to people when they are challenged about their behaviour. Many people in your position would simply keep quiet because of embarrassment. When your privacy is violated and your job put at risk it is time to stand up and be counted. Unfortunately the victim often gets victimised again.

I'm glad you are getting yourself in order with psychs etc. Great stuff.

Mary