Psychiatrist/Medication Success Stories? Anyone?

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I see a lot of frustration vented and warnings given about unhelpful psychiatrists and medications, but even partial-success stories are uncommon.

I'm at a crossroads now and too exhausted to even think about ways out of my situation most days, and my girlfriend has suggested perhaps it's time for me to consider professional help at 26 years of age and 7 years of undiagnosed but unequivocal awareness of my AS.

I saw a counselor for maybe an on-and-off cumulative total of 3 years when I was an adolescent, but while well-intentioned, the best the man could do for me was offer some common-sense advice on situations I struggled with (AS itself I had to discover on my own). Last year I went to a campus psychiatrist complaining of stress. At the time I didn't equate this with and therefore did not mention AS to him, but was nevertheless given Wellbutrin that didn't effect me either way as far as I could tell. My own history concluded: my experience with the profession has been brief and neutral.

Again, I've read thread after thread of stories ranging from disappointment to outrage at their treatment, but here I'd just like to see what people have to say about the successes that are far less frequently mentioned.

And as I like to say on the infrequent posts I start, I always do so for a reason other than sharing for sharing's sake, and I really am looking for solutions here. If you have anything even tangentially related to my inquiry, I'm in a pretty gloomy situation now and looking far and wide for reference points to guide my decisions and would appreciate every word you care to give.

Thank you all for your support,

Ben

Hello Ben,
Your profile & your thread does not mention which country you live in, I think this is very useful, as there are different models and practices in different countries.

I have learned that if you go in informed with information you will be taken more seriously and receive more quality support targeted to your needs.

I live in London and the support I got from my GP and the mental health team was excellent, both had the attitude that they knew little about AS & that it was my job to teach them. BUT GOD help me if I went in disarmed with ignorance and complete confusion.

I have a history of being hospitalized and mis-diagnosed with mental health problems and so I can relate to many WP members on this.

There are no easy solutions, and at this moment in time you have to find your own. But I would suggest continuing scanning the threads here at WP as this is an excellent way of discerning what is right for you.

If you live in London, you might wish to consider keeping in touch with me as I am contemplating starting a weekly 12 step meeting for people with AS

Go well out there

I am quite sure that good psychiatrists and psychotherapists are still out there although my experiences with this branch of medicine are from the 1980's.

1) A psychiatrist ensured that I was kept in the secure mental unit for the minimum amount possible, he then ensured that I was released on the the general mental health wards by issuing specific orders to the staff.

2) A psychiatrist introduced me to a group therapy system that was incredibly effective.

3) A team of psychotherapists spent (literally) hours with me outside the hospital retraining me in the social skills needed to get on in life.

I have the utmost respect for this profession, these folks work wonders and I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for their efforts.

Ed Almos

You gotta find the good ones. I've only been exposed to the mental health docs for about 10 months, but so far I've already met two good ones. One in NC and one in TX, of all places.

I got put on Effexor, Invega and Adderall. And I feel a million times better than I did before. My experiences with psychiatrists has been nothing but positive. Now, counselors on the other hand, bleah. I think I do better with p-docs, because they're more logically minded. But that's just a theory.

The only thing I have to offer is to ask for recommendations from your doctors for psychiatrists who have experience with AS people. If your general practitioner can't point you in the right direction, you may be able to get help from various Behavioral Health organizations in your area.

Our experience with our young son and meds is that all meds affect people differently, AND they work for a while, and then you have to switch around to find a new med that works when the old one wanes in effectiveness. This is common, and to be expected. As long as you know that there's a sort of "shelf life" in effectiveness, you can kind of plan ahead.

It's very good to hear positive experiences of others with psychiatrists. Often, in forum situations, people are more inclined to write when they have negative things to talk about. Your idea to ask for POSITIVE situations was a wise one.

Kris