Posted by blueberry on April 24, 2006, at 19:42:35
In reply to My diagnosis...help, posted by curtm on April 24, 2006, at 12:02:31
The first psychiatrist I ever went to spent 3 hours asking me all sorts of questions in order to make a diagnosis. At the end he did make a diagnosis and suggestions for the appropriate meds.
The second psychiatrist I ever saw spent 50 minutes with me asking questions to make a diagnosis, and then 10 minutes going over which meds we would try for that diagnosis.
The third psychiatrist I had did the same as the second.
So why your psychiatrist does not make a diagnosis is a puzzle to me. I thought that was part of their job.
Honestly though, things are not black and white in psychiatry. So even if there was a diagnosis, the appropriate meds for that could end up being all wrong. Lots of people feel better with meds that really don't have much to do with their diagnosis. For example, someone here has had bad anxiety for a long time. Antidepressants and benzos didn't work. But the antipsychotic seroquel worked wonderfully and at a tiny dose. That particular anxiety didn't have much to do with GABA or serotonin, but had something to do with blocking some serotonin receptors and some dopamine receptors that were probably just too sensitive to normal conditions. A diagnosis I don't think would have helped figure that out.
I guess a diagnosis does help to get started in defined direction with some sort of plan and strategy. But just treating the symptoms without a diagnosis probably gets to the same result.
Just an opinion.
poster:blueberry
thread:636477
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060423/msgs/636684.html