Professional Malpractice - The need for greater accountability

[Spiltbean]

Having been battling with a pervasive and complex personality disorders for over a decade now, I feel more like a guinea pig, rather than a patient receiving the appropriate level of health care. I feel that clinicians are guessing as to how to treat my illness, to my financial detriment, and I'm sure I'm not alone.

I understanding that mental health is a tricky area, but it is not existential, it is a science! As such it does not justify why patients have to continually pay for services that are ineffective, that we receive no benefit from. The financial loss should be shared equally, between therapist & patient. As a society would we tolerate surgeons who were 'guessing' as to how to perform an operation? Would we pay them if an operation was not performed successfully,  and our suffering continued without explanation, other than 'this is tricky'.   

  If a therapist claims they can assist with a complex disorder, but then several months later on, you find out that they are clearly out of their depths, they should refer their client on to someone else, and at the very least offer partial/full refund for services they did not deliver. Is this not a breach on consumer law?

 I would really like to gather support for this issue, any thoughts?

[Jacko777]

Hi Spiltbean,

I hope you are well. I understand what you are saying and if there is evidence that a therapist is 'clearly out of their depths' then it makes sense that there should be an appropriate measure to move forward. Of course we would not tolerate an unsuccessful surgeon however they have the use of X-rays and MRI's, they can see what they have to do. The mind unfortunately, as you know, gives no clue so I can understand that there is no  guarantee of a time for recovery.

However, I do share your frustration and I wonder where you can go from here. Perhaps some legal advice on the matter might help to clarify your position? I am guessing that a therapist won't be liable if their assistance is not useful. So...are you looking for a new therapist?

Jack

[Spiltbean]

Hi jacko77,

 I agree its difficult to treat but not without measurable and quantifiable results. I think the lack of accountability is just as much a threat to recovery as the illnesses themselves. How do we know a therapist is actually doing the correct therapy? Until we've spent countless hours and thousands of dollars, only to find out later that they were guessing? If it's such a grey area, and no guarantees of effectiveness, that's fine, return the money we spent, or at least half of it. 

 after all you engage with a therapist because you need help, if the fail to deliver, then that's fine, they tried, but why should they receive full financial benefit for a problem they tried to fix but couldn't?

 who gets paid for 'trying to work?' Or near enough is good enough?  I get paid for the work I do, I don't get paid on the basis of what I 'attempt' to do.

[Jacko777]

Hi Spiltbean,

You raise damn good questions mate, I would love to hear them put to a psych. I think you are right, surely a psych is responsible to find the best possible treatment for each person, obviously this takes into consideration all the aspects of disorder and conditioning, no mean feat. And of course the other defining aspect would be the sufferers speed and ability to partake in recovery.

Where can you take this next Spiltbean? I think your question deserves some proper answers. And if I only 'tried to work' I reckon I would be unemployed in a week. I think mental health is very different to most jobs though but I agree there could be more defined accountability.

Jack