Panicking about Independent Medical Exam

[Ovait]

I am scheduled for a psychiatric IME tomorrow and I’m extremely anxious about it.

I’m currently suffering from depression, anxiety and maybe PTSD. To make this appointment I have to catch a 2hr train to Sydney then brave the craziness of the city to get to the IME office..... I’ve been avoiding crowds so this is anxiety provoking by itself! My brain tends to turn off when I’m feeling particularly stressed so I’m worried that I’ll say the wrong thing or forget to mention something else, or worse still mention something in my past that they can turn against me which will lead to being cutoff. Although I have ample medical reports to backup my history since my accident, the spectre of being labelled a “malinger” is hovering in the background.

I know the best course of action is to be truthful, not embellish etc but I’m hyper aware their job is to dispute my claim. Is taking a notes into the exam allowed or frowned upon? Should I audio record the appointment?

Thanks, Ovait

[white knight]

Hi Ovait,

I'm sorry your post isn't answered yet and past the day you are off to the exam.

• Can you let us know how it went?
• Was it all as bad as you anticipated?
• Were the crowds as terrifying as you expected?
• How did you go at the exam?

I'm asking all these questions as I'm interested in a/ your welfare and b/ whether your anxiety was justified or you found it all more relaxing than you thought.

TonyWK

[Ovait]

Hi Tony,

Thanks for your reply.

After 3 hours sleep I managed to catch the train alright & got there with plenty of time. Sydney CBD at lunchtime is a zoo though. I kept trying to find a quiet cafe to wait in but that was an impossible task so got to the appointment feeling completely overwhelmed.

The exam only took 30 minutes ... not sure if that’s a good thing or not. He didn’t ask any tricky questions & I wasn’t given the opportunity add anything extra. I took notes with me & told him otherwise I’d forget things with the stress. Typically, I cried through most of it. He kept dropping the usual lines like “things will get better” & “it just takes time” ... it’s been almost 2 years!

Now I just have to wait for his report....

Amanda

[white knight]

Hi Amanda, glad you made it.

Your comment about finding a café resonated with me. I used to get flutters if hungry so eventually I used to take a muesli bar and a fruit drink with me everywhere. Food and drink can settle your nerves not only because it fills your gut but it actually distracts you somewhat.

He/she was right, it will get better however at this time with your symptoms you can feel that it will. It will.

Bare in mind many mental illnesses/disorders are lifelong. Better to try to accept your condition and not have expectations of cure.

Your day proved that it wasn't all as bad as your predicted. That's why I asked your feedback of the day, it is like this, not quite reality and anticipation for the worst.

Thanks for your posts.

TonyWK

[Beetle]

HI Ovait

I just had a Psych IME

It was very exhausting and I found it humiliating. Its no point for me to talk it all down. its not a nice thing to go to. period.I was very truthful and I did take notes in and handed them to the doctor to make myself clear.

even though I needed days to recover from it , it had a positive outcome.

Take someone with you if you can. The questions are brutal. Brace yourself.  It's tough. But just answer the questions and make sure you tell them honestly how much you are struggling and how much your life has changed since the work accident.

I trust you will be fine. You got it.

xx Beetle

[Over1t]

I organise Psych IME's constantly in the course of my employment.

I'm assuming yours was for a workcover or motor vehicle claim.

I hope it went well for you, there are a variety of reasons the insurance agency will organise them...

Wait until you get a copy of the report and then speak to your case manager.

[Ovait]

Hi Over1t,

The IME was for a workcover claim ... nearing the 2 year mark. Fully expecting to be cut off & not entirely sure how I’ll cope at work since not much has changed in that time. Nothing I can do about it though. My case manager isn’t that helpful ... she hadn’t even given the IME Dr copies of reports from my last 3 hospital admissions for depression & suicidal ideation (& apparently isn’t able to send them to him after the exam either). There’s nothing about that exam that is nearing independent.

[Over1t]

Hi,

You can forward documents to the IME assessor as well.

You can also organise your own IME with another assessor

[Ovait]

Thanks for that information. I’ll see what his report says in a couple of weeks. How do I arrange my own IME (& does W/C take it seriously as I’m sure they’ll consider it “not independent “)?

[Ovait]

So got a call from my workcover claim manager ... psychiatrist agrees I have major depression & am not fit for work. Now my GP has said he’s going to recuse himself from my management as I didn’t follow his instructions & tell the IME they’re now suspecting I have PTSD. How was I meant to do that & not risk having my claim cancelled when the accepted injury is post concussion syndrome / depression?

Guess I have to find a new doc & bring him/her up to date on 20 months of psych history & hope they take me on ... that’ll be fun.