Not sure what to tell my Psychiatrist Monday!! !!

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I started seeing him back in July and mentioned perhaps having AS he said perhaps I could and here's another pill to "level my mood" Since then I tend to just say I'm fine etc. take my prescription and leave. I made a topic earlier about if pills could make you more depressed since I remembered in April after having SEVERE stomach pain/Galbladder surgery I actually fealt better without the pills more relieved and FOR ONCE in YEARS, not thinking of the school issues DAILY. (at times leading to crying although I tell family I'm "tired" since they are sick of hearing about the school issue). So basically I was going to mention the April Surgery experience but wasn't sure if I should and also that I still think of the school issue daily (and it'll be 5 years February) (BUT the 1st Psychiatrist I dealt with I mention this depression over the school issue and they said up the dose of the pill) (After 3 months of this I kept my mouth shut only to be yelled at WHY AREN'T YOU TELLING US WHAT'S WRONG! Nothing I'm fine FINE THEN LEAVE fine I will I then walked out of her office) So basically I'm not sure how to approach my current Psychiatrist since mentioning AS lead to perhaps I had it and here's another pill (what then ANOTHER pill to help me deal with the school issue?! !! ! Or talk to a therapist AGAIN about the school issue SHEESH!! !! !! !! !! !! !!) (Also I'm an example person so I thought of a couple examples but not sure if they'd take up too much of her time or even what she'd think of me mentioning the surgery expereince)


(Sure I upset that Psychology teacher BUT FOR GOD SAKE I GOT BETTER ADVICE OUT OF HER IN 5 MIN. THAN ANYONE WHO'S ACTUALLY ANALYZED ME SHEESH!! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !

I am a firm believer in two things:

1) Care is a partnership--your psychiatrist has the expertise, you have the experience. Your psychiatrist can help lead you to therapies, but you have to be the one to commit to them.

2) A partnership requires honesty.

In your case, the post-surgery experience may be important in that it may point to factors that can contribute to a mitigation of your issues without the need to rely on drugs.

On the other hand, this kind of approach might require a long-term commitment, and you might still need other therapy in the short term.

I would encourage you and your psychiatrist to try to lay out a road map for what you want to achieve, and how you intend to get there. You won't instantly feel better after one visit--but with a goal, and maybe some interim objectives, each visit will provide you with a sense of progress.

If I were you (I'm not, but let's assume), I would probably say that I have trouble communicating, and ask if she would be willing to read what I have written instead of talking out loud. Conversations can be difficult to keep on top of; but your writing, even casual writing like on this forum, is quite understandable.

It's interesting to me that you got a lot of relief from painkillers--I mean, that's the point, obviously; but the mental effects seem interesting. Many people feel "good" when they take narcotic painkillers, but there's a specific biochemical mechanism that does that, and there might be a safer way to activate it than taking painkillers. This is a psychiatrist, and most likely she has done a decent amount of study on how these things work, especially because narcotic painkillers are a common drug of abuse and psychiatrists are trained on how drugs affect your brain. Like I said, she may know of a safer way to achieve the same effect, without the impairment and risk of physical illness that would come from using the painkillers as psych meds.

Oh, and you should probably be specific that you don't intend to self-medicate with painkillers. Psych professionals have seen addictions before, and for the most part they tend to be pretty desperate to stop somebody from developing one.

Re. AS: You could ask whether you might have problems associated with AS, and if so, whether you could have a referral to somebody who can teach you to deal with them. Psychiatrists are, for the most part, medical doctors, and deal with the physical aspects of mental/neurological issues; so she will probably not have an in-depth education on therapy and other non-medical options, but she will probably have enough training to decide whether it makes sense to pursue this, and know a lot of people she might refer you to.

Write. This is my standard advice to Aspies who are scared they won't be able to communicate with their doctors: You can write just fine, and you can do it ahead of time and make sure it says what you meant to say; and when your conversation skills are iffy, that can be a good work around.

I'd add to what the previous posters said. Telling in some way about how you felt much better than you have in a long time when you weren't taking your usual medication. Explaining the problem that you had with your previous Psychiatrist and if there's an attempt to give you another pill, explain that you don't want another pill.

I don't know the best way to explain about it but I do think that things won't change much unless the person/persons treating you can see where you're coming from. Good luck with your meeting.