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I've been trying to help a friend find a psychiatrist. He has better-than-average health insurance and keeps leaving messages with doctors who list specialties that are related to the issues he wants help with. Even the ones who call back initially never follow up again to set up an appointment.
Is his only option to go to the ER? That can't possibly be his only option? But what is he supposed to do when these so-called "professionals" won't even return phone calls??? How does the AMA or psych equivalent even allow that sort of behavior for their membership? Don't they have professional standards? We're talking WEEKS of no substantive response from every relevant doctor accessible to him from where he lives that accepts his insurance - and he lives in downtown Chicago, not the middle of nowhere. It's absurd.
I've been trying to help a friend find a psychiatrist. He has better-than-average health insurance and keeps leaving messages with doctors who list specialties that are related to the issues he wants help with. Even the ones who call back initially never follow up again to set up an appointment.
Is his only option to go to the ER? That can't possibly be his only option? But what is he supposed to do when these so-called "professionals" won't even return phone calls??? How does the AMA or psych equivalent even allow that sort of behavior for their membership? Don't they have professional standards? We're talking WEEKS of no substantive response from every relevant doctor accessible to him from where he lives that accepts his insurance - and he lives in downtown Chicago, not the middle of nowhere. It's absurd.
My family has faced the same thing. Sometimes it has taken months to find a new psychiatrist that is in the correct field and is taking new patients and is covered by my insurance.
Can your friend try to see a clinical psychologist? Unless he is sure that he will need medication, it is a rare psychiatrist that spends a lot of time talking/doing therapy.
Psychiatrists generally have a (psychiatric) nurse that you can call to set up an appointment. If they work in a place with more then 1 psychiatrist, they will have a single phone # to call to set up an appointment with any doctor who works there. If they don't accept the insurance plan for that patient, call the county or state for help in finding a psychiatrist who accepts any insurance. As a rule, psychiatrists don't make phone calls, but their nurse should be able to schedule an appointment.
Also, a warning about psychiatric meds: many pills for depression & other psychiatric problems usually don't work very well , if at all , for a high %. Pill cos. even admit that some anti-depressants don't work very well if at all & may make user more likely to commit homicides & other violence & suicide. This is because pills were based on theory not proof for 60 years. Some mental health pills can be fatal to stay oh them & some can be fatal if quitting. Pill cos. have paid Presidents & most in Congress billions for their rights to kill millions & be protected from competition. Most Democrats & most Republicans.
Cannabis works almost always, this was known in 1800s. But IL has very limited medical program, almost nobody can get in. AK/CO/OR/WA it is legal for all adults & many states have more conditions allowed in their medical program, see details norml.org/ Best wishes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by emathias
I've been trying to help a friend find a psychiatrist. He has better-than-average health insurance and keeps leaving messages with doctors who list specialties that are related to the issues he wants help with. Even the ones who call back initially never follow up again to set up an appointment.
Is his only option to go to the ER? That can't possibly be his only option? But what is he supposed to do when these so-called "professionals" won't even return phone calls??? How does the AMA or psych equivalent even allow that sort of behavior for their membership? Don't they have professional standards? We're talking WEEKS of no substantive response from every relevant doctor accessible to him from where he lives that accepts his insurance - and he lives in downtown Chicago, not the middle of nowhere. It's absurd.
My family has faced the same thing. Sometimes it has taken months to find a new psychiatrist that is in the correct field and is taking new patients and is covered by my insurance.
Can your friend try to see a clinical psychologist? Unless he is sure that he will need medication, it is a rare psychiatrist that spends a lot of time talking/doing therapy.
He's sure he'll need meds for auditory hallucinations.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GJJG2012
Psychiatrists generally have a (psychiatric) nurse that you can call to set up an appointment. If they work in a place with more then 1 psychiatrist, they will have a single phone # to call to set up an appointment with any doctor who works there. If they don't accept the insurance plan for that patient, call the county or state for help in finding a psychiatrist who accepts any insurance. As a rule, psychiatrists don't make phone calls, but their nurse should be able to schedule an appointment.
Also, a warning about psychiatric meds: many pills for depression & other psychiatric problems usually don't work very well , if at all , for a high %. Pill cos. even admit that some anti-depressants don't work very well if at all & may make user more likely to commit homicides & other violence & suicide. This is because pills were based on theory not proof for 60 years. Some mental health pills can be fatal to stay oh them & some can be fatal if quitting. Pill cos. have paid Presidents & most in Congress billions for their rights to kill millions & be protected from competition. Most Democrats & most Republicans.
Cannabis works almost always, this was known in 1800s. But IL has very limited medical program, almost nobody can get in. AK/CO/OR/WA it is legal for all adults & many states have more conditions allowed in their medical program, see details norml.org/ Best wishes.
I've never known cannabis to be claimed to treat auditory hallucinations.
I appreciate your suspicions about pills, however the truth is that most psychotropic pills known until the past 30 years or so don't have a working theory as to why they work, they are used only because in extreme cases they do offer some relief of certain symptoms, based on actual observed effect in clinical settings. They often come with unwanted side effects but, in one case I personally know, being able to live without hallucinations of anyone and everyone whispering negative things about the person in question is worth the downsides. Meds aren't always the answer, but they are sometimes the best choice.
Contact the psychiatry departments of the major medical centers. Since he lives downtown, start with Northwestern, RUSH and University of Chicago. Search their websites for psychiatrists with the area of expertise you are looking for (or see my links below). Just call their contact numbers and set up an appointment. Do not hang up the phone without making an appointment. As you can see, leaving messages and expecting calls back does not work. Doctors do not have time to call back and talk unfortunately. Psychiatry is a sellers market. Call every day, every morning, first thing in the morning if you are having a hard time reaching someone. As the patient, you have to be persistent.
Do not encourage him to go down the self-medication route with recreational drugs. It is a vicious spiral downward, and makes it very difficult to get on to appropriate treatment.
There are newer medicines with fewer side effects that can be very effective for auditory hallucinations. It sounds like he needs a diagnosis, as hallucinations are just a symptom.... Depending on his
I also agree that he should be going through his primary care doctor for a referral. Although it is true that sometimes primary care doctors don't know people either. Where does he get his care normally?
But finding a good psychiatrist that accepts insurance and has openings for new patients can be difficult. It is fortunate he is in Chicago, as at least he has more options than in most of the country.
And if your friend suddenly gets worse, he absolutely should go to the ER. I would favor Northwestern or RUSH. They will help him get hooked in with a doctor, or even more immediate care if he needs it.
Here are some links to Chicago doctors at Northwestern and RUSH that are experienced with diagnosing your friend's problem and starting treatment. They have a pretty broad range of interest, which will be helpful, and list a specific interest in the type of disorders that have hallucinations associated with them.
Are you sure you're leaving good messages? I find most people are awful about leaving thorough messages. I mean, something specific like, "Thank you for returning my call. John was hoping for an appointment as soon as possible, preferably Thursday or Friday afternoons."
Or maybe it's a factor that your friend isn't doing it himself? That might make a doctor suspicious.
Are you leaving a complete message? Its amazing how many people simply don't know how to leave a message anymore. Don't forget to leave a complete call-back phone number as well. Don't just assume they can look it up, or its on caller ID Realize how many phone messages they get in a day and how much time it takes to return them. If they have to go extra steps to dig out your phone number, well, they might just go on to an easier call.
Leave your full name, and date of birth. Don't just assume because you've gone there for years they have you memorized!
leave a call-back number, and say all the numbers! don't just mumble the last few digits. I've had to replay messages over and over to figure out the last digit, finally just tried all combinations 0-9!
Especially with a doctor, state they may leave a detailed msg at that number, or that could be what's holding things up! Especially with a psychiatrist!
Are you sure you're leaving good messages? I find most people are awful about leaving thorough messages. I mean, something specific like, "Thank you for returning my call. John was hoping for an appointment as soon as possible, preferably Thursday or Friday afternoons."
Or maybe it's a factor that your friend isn't doing it himself? That might make a doctor suspicious.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MaryleeII
Are you leaving a complete message? Its amazing how many people simply don't know how to leave a message anymore. Don't forget to leave a complete call-back phone number as well. Don't just assume they can look it up, or its on caller ID Realize how many phone messages they get in a day and how much time it takes to return them. If they have to go extra steps to dig out your phone number, well, they might just go on to an easier call.
Leave your full name, and date of birth. Don't just assume because you've gone there for years they have you memorized!
leave a call-back number, and say all the numbers! don't just mumble the last few digits. I've had to replay messages over and over to figure out the last digit, finally just tried all combinations 0-9!
Especially with a doctor, state they may leave a detailed msg at that number, or that could be what's holding things up! Especially with a psychiatrist!
I've tried leaving both detailed summaries of why I'm calling and simply asking for a call back, and with both repeating my phone number twice to be sure it's easy to find. They simply don't call back with any reliability. A few have, but then they say they need to call me back again, or ask that my friend call them now. I give them his number and actually watch him call and leave them messages and they don't return his calls.
It's ridiculous. I don't think it's a problem with phone manner because I'm a 41 year old professional who doesn't have a problem getting any other class of person or business, from normal people to C-class executives to non-psych physicians, to return my calls.
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Realize how many phone messages they get in a day and how much time it takes to return them. If they have to go extra steps to dig out your phone number, well, they might just go on to an easier call. 
