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My doctors are idiots

Weezer

Weezer

Active Member
I received my diagnosis a while back and I still keep getting appointments scheduled for therapy, etc. I am starting to have a problem with having 3 (three) different doctors and appointments with each of them per month. Here's where things get sketchy. One of them says ASD, one says OCD with mood disorder and the other just talks non-stop for 50 minutes while thinking ASD, Schizoid personality disorder and mood disorder unspecified. They do not communicate with one another. I raised a question to the only one with an MD and he had no clue what I was talking about until he logged in to my case. Keep in mind these appointments average 1.5 to 2 weeks apart.
My official diagnosis reads Autism Spectrum Disorder. Why am I seeing 3 doctors? None of them specialize in ASD but have not referred me. This is a circus. Has anyone else had this kind of...........(I guess I'll call it) "health care"?
 
This is a stupid situation, but please don't call your doctors idiots. That is no way to get good cooperation.

Right away, stop going to the one who talks non-stop for 50 minutes. That's crap practice. (Even though I just said don't call them idiots.)

Of the two remaining people, select the one you actually want to do therapy with, and have the other one be a consultant (or maybe phase them out).

You don't have to be a victim of these people making appointments. Just cancel the ones you don't want! Or decline them in the first place! Don't blame the "health care system" for your own failure to control your own destiny.
 
GadAbout said:
This is a stupid situation, but please don't call your doctors idiots. That is no way to get good cooperation.

Right away, stop going to the one who talks non-stop for 50 minutes. That's crap practice. (Even though I just said don't call them idiots.)

Of the two remaining people, select the one you actually want to do therapy with, and have the other one be a consultant (or maybe phase them out).

You don't have to be a victim of these people making appointments. Just cancel the ones you don't want! Or decline them in the first place! Don't blame the "health care system" for your own failure to control your own destiny.
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Of course. I have been through this many times in my life and should be very experienced with how this type of health care works. That would be precisely why I came here to ask.
 
GadAbout said:
So what did you make of my suggestions?
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Don't listen to the doctors and dictate my own outcome? I did get that this is a stupid situation. The rest, my own fault. I'll come back in six years with an MD with a psychiatry specialty so I won't have to ask if this is an abnormal situation or not. Please do not reply again. I come here for help, not blame
 
Why are you seeing three doctors? Good question. Were you referred? Did you choose to see all three? Were there different reasons for going to each one? Have to agree with Gadabout. Unless you're underage, you don't have to see anyone you don't want to see.
 
Weezer said:
Don't listen to the doctors and dictate my own outcome? I did get that this is a stupid situation. The rest, my own fault. I'll come back in six years with an MD with a psychiatry specialty so I won't have to ask if this is an abnormal situation or not. Please do not reply again. I come here for help, not blame
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Sorry, I meant to have a discussion, not to blame you.
 
I am doing what they are telling me to do. I have questioned it and was told "this is how the process works". I am beginning to find the "process" excessive and unnecessary. Shouldn't one doctor be enough? I don't know how this works. Am I at a clinic that operates poorly or is this normal for newly diagnosed ASD? These are the questions.
I should mention that they had gotten defensive when I suggested only seeing one of them.
 
Seriously, doctors can be full blown idiots. My ex is a M.D., and one doc was telling him something, second doc told him something completely different. First doc- you will be on insulin for your lifetime. Second doc, if you lose weight, you maybe be able to kick insulin. He did lose the weight, he kicked it to the curb. Maybe 20 years he is on insulin pills, but that's 20 years later. So l strongly suggest you question what is told to you, ask questions, trying researching a little yourself. Great you came here, hope you fine some answers and none of us would ever judge you.
 
It seems they are padding the bill, the more experts in on your dx the more they can charge insurance. Lawyers in giant firms do this all the time.
 
The process? The process for what? Are you asking for their help to get on disability or something?

It is true that a psychotherapist (non-MD, non-prescribing) may require you to see a psychiatrist (MD, with prescribing privileges) to evaluate for both diagnosis and prescribing of meds.

But you have a complete right to know and understand why.
 
Have you tried asking for a referral to an ASD specialist?
I apologize if this a stupid question.
Which ones do you think are giving you anything useful and helpful?
If none of them, can You shop around for another opinion?
Seeing as you already have your ASD diagnosis, you are well within your rights to just go ahead and do some research to find someone who specializes in ASD. You wouldn't even need a prior referral, I'm surmising.
To me, I think your are a little fortunate in getting an ASD diagnosis, I'm not able to get to that, and trying to will cost me far more than I have.

It took me many, many years to get a more comprehensive diagnosis of a comorbidity that I have. Prior to that I got a misdiagnosis and some partial diagnosis, bu this I mean I was misdiagnosed with borderline personality disorder, and partially diagnosed with depression and anxiety many years before I eventually got the proper diagnosis of complex ptsd.

I figured it out before doctors and psychiatrists did. Now I am again having to get the full picture via adequate diagnosis of ASD and CPTSD because all the doctors and health professionals I have apoken to about ASD didnt know enough about it to validate me when I told then I thought that might be what's going on for me.

At last I have a GP/MD who isn't dismissing me about it, but he can't diagnose me with it and he says it's not worth the expense of paying $1000 - $2000 to tell me what I already know. It's very frustrating.

That's why I say, you are fortunate that you have your ASD diagnosis and why I understand your frustration about your doctors not meeting your needs adequately and knowing enough to proceed in a way that gives you confidence in their knowledge and expertise.
 
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I'm not sure if those questions are relevant. Whether or not it's normal doesn't matter--if you're unhappy, it's not good. Trust yourself more and do less of what they tell you to do. You don't need a PhD to know if you're comfortable or happy or satisfied.
 
Usually you get referrals to different specialty doctors. What are these three's specialties? Knowing what they are might clear some things up.
 
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One is a psychologist, one is a psychiatrist and the other is a "fellowship" psychologist. I did ask that they refer me to someone familiar with autism. I was told that this clinic does not have anyone that handles autism and that I'll have to go to another clinic for that type of specialist. I guess this problem solved itself. A little disturbing that I had to ask though. They were just going to keep taking money. I feel I am the one who is the idiot for allowing this to go on for three months.
Thank you all for the replies.
 
GadAbout said:
The process? The process for what? Are you asking for their help to get on disability or something?

It is true that a psychotherapist (non-MD, non-prescribing) may require you to see a psychiatrist (MD, with prescribing privileges) to evaluate for both diagnosis and prescribing of meds.

But you have a complete right to know and understand why.
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I am not after disability or anything like that. I am just learning to deal with a diagnosis I did not expect.
 
Weezer said:
They were just going to keep taking money. I feel I am the one who is the idiot for allowing this to go on for three months.
Thank you all for the replies.
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Don't feel bad about that. You did the right thing by asking a question that was in your best interest. Accept that referral to a specialty clinic.

It is a lot to digest, and I think it will take you a year or more of personal reflection to get used to your diagnosis. Remember that you are the same person you always were ... and remember that knowledge is power.
 
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