Allison Strong
The Radioactive Patient
My psychiatrist is very important to me, or let’s say, my relationship with him is crucial to my mental stability. I’ve had bipolar disorder (that I know of) since 1989, and I’ve always been under the care of a good psychiatrist. Sure, there have been long depressions, some of which lasted a year, but we never lost faith that we’d eventually find the right combination again and get me back on the planet. I also have ADHD and tardive dyskinesia from taking Geodon back in the 2000s, and not everyone wants to treat such a complicated patient. With this psychiatrist, I thought I’d found the perfect match.
Ok, so my shrink merged with a larger company. Essentially, this means he sold his practice and is now an employee of the purchaser.
New boss, new rules.
New Rule #1, because I’m on a controlled substance for ADHD, I have to be seen every 30 days. Previously, I was on a pretty long leash, only going to the office every 90 days. I worked hard for seven years in dialectical behavioral therapy to achieve mood stability, and to be pulled into the office every thirty days feels punitive. It’s easy to be skeptical about their motivation for seeing me more frequently. They will prosper, because I’m upfront and reliable, which is to say I always show up. But that also means I can’t be doing something else I’d rather be doing, like writing.
New Rule #2, I will not always be able to see my psychiatrist because they cut his hours and he’s overbooked. The new company is doing everything in their power to get patients to instead see their licensed nurse practitioners and other psychiatrists, most of whom are quite young and probably inexperienced.
Ok, here’s my “reframe” of this situation. Because being aggravated, while it’s an appropriate response, doesn’t help anything. I’m open to seeing other psychiatrists and psych nurses within this practice, because it’s good backup for if and when my psychiatrist retires or is otherwise unavailable. I’m also viewing the increased frequency of visits as a plus (for now, at least) because, in session, we can go further than just medication management. We can talk about other things that concern me, like my flagging memory or possibly decreasing the milligram amounts of some of my meds as I age.
I shared these “reframes” with my psychiatrist, and he smiled. “Don’t stop going to DBT,” he said. “That really helps you.”