Posted by SLS on July 14, 2002, at 15:55:04
In reply to I'm going to ask for advice- ok?, posted by judy1 on April 17, 2002, at 17:32:52
Dear Judy,
I'm afraid I have only the vaguest of recollections regarding your incident. I'm guessing you made sexual advances upon your Pdoc. Did he say "yes"? If he did, end of story (of course).
Did your clinical relationship with your doctor change in a way that became counterproductive? Did you feel embarrassed? Can you get past the embarrassment, or will you need to seek a new doctor after each manic epidode that produces hypersexuality? I doubt you will be able to control the behavioral urges once some threshold level of mania has been reached. In other words, you can't blame yourself for being sick and in what ways you are sick. You are no more responsible for your hypersexual behavior during a manic episode as one would be responsible for failuring to prevent their red blood cells from exploding during an attack of hemolytic anemia. I think a good doctor would set your mind at ease as soon as is possible. During one of my manic episodes, I asked my doctor a very personal question. I couldn't help but to apologize once my head cleared up. He simply said that these are the illnesses he treats. Although no apology was necessary, I thought it was very important for me to apologize and acknowledge the event within the context of a continuing working relationship.
Maybe the second easiest way to address the problem is to emphatically state your behavioural tendencies when you become manic to a new or prospective doctor. As a professional, he will already be prepared for such possibilities, as they are common features of the illness. You can discuss in advance how such events will be treated.
Perhaps the easiest way to address the problem is to choose a Pdoc based on gender.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:9
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/2000/20020416/msgs/456.html