Bere G
1/5
Joyce was my psychiatrist since I started medication. At the time, I came to her with a vague suggestion from an old therapist that I had generalized anxiety disorder (no formal diagnosis). I never had issues with getting my medication for what I later discovered Joyce had diagnosed me with (Major depressive disorder), and when I brought up side effects, she would prescribe me something different and start me off on low dosages I could handle.
However, I consistently felt ignored and dismissed once I started bringing up my suspicions that I had been misdiagnosed.
It started with OCD. I mentioned to her why I thought I had it, she tried to explain it away, then gave me a few resources and told me that whatever it is I have, the medication I was on would work. I continued like this for 2 more years until I finally decided to seek a diagnosis during a particularly intense time in my life. As soon as I brought her the official diagnosis, she changed my medication to one that has "the most success with OCD"-no questions asked.
My final straw came when I told her that my new therapist thinks I am autistic. Joyce told me not to "jump on the bandwagon" and claimed she "doesn't remember saying it" when I told her that was very dismissive a few minutes later. She then gave me a pretty invalidating "apology" and abruptly asked me the name of my new therapist. Given the rest of our interaction, I assume she wanted that information to try to discredit my therapist.
I understand that an official diagnosis carries more weight in these matters (although that wasn't an issue when I first started working with her). However, most diagnoses start with patients self-reporting.
Why is my lived experience, my research, my family history, and the professional opinion of my therapist meaningless enough against some diagnostic test, for someone to tell me I'm jumping on a bandwagon? Why would I rely on an expensive test based mostly on research done only on little white boys (none of which applies to who I am) to tell me what I've known about myself for years?
Needless to say, I have a new psychiatrist, because although I can understand someone suggesting I get formally diagnosed for something, I'm not willing to allow others to be so dismissive and unprofessional, and in the process discourage me from what has been live-saving information to have.
