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Well, duh, it's my opinion. Just like yours is yours. But, it's also my experience. For what it's worth. I learned it the hard way.
Once there is any kind of notation in your medical record of some bad therapist's definition of you - it follows you wherever your medical record goes.
And every nurse or physical therapist or primary care physician or counselor or psychiatrist in the future, will start off their meetings with you with a pre-ordained idea in their head about you.
It's just easier for them. They only have so much time, and if they can look at your chart and peg you as this or that, they will just go along.
Kind of like primary care physicians just prescribing high blood pressure medication or high cholesterol medication, rather than take the time to talk to you about your stress level or diet or exercise or lifestyle. It's easier to say, "Ah ha! High cholesterol, here's a prescription for statins. Come back in 6 months. Next."
Same thing happens in the psychiatric world. They're in a hurry, they need to fill out their forms and boxes, it's the way they get reimbursed by insurance providers. if it's in their best interest to peg you as a such and such, in order to justify seeing you regularly without a fuss, that's what they'll do.
And if someone is still in the employment world, it should be kept in mind that many employers require physicals now. if there is anything in your medical record you don't want a future employer to be able to deny employing you over - as in a supposed substance abuse problem or mental health problem - it better not be in your record. So, if you can avoid getting something that can possibly be viewed as a negative in your record, you're much better off.
Let alone the possibility of anything being viewed as a pre-existing condition when trying to find healthcare in the future.
Let's be clear: If the OP sees a psychologist or LCSW, the notes from his sessions will not "follow him around" like a felony conviction.
Let's be clear: If the OP sees a psychologist or LCSW, the notes from his sessions will not "follow him around" like a felony conviction.
Stop spreading misinformation
How so? If you use your insurance to pay for a psych or an LCSW, like you would for an MD, doesn't it go on your insurance record? In which case, future specialists will have access to it, HIPAA nonewithstanding. Walk me (and other therapy skeptics) though it, please.
Different thing, but same concept. I heard that psychiatrists don't like self-diagnosers. The main danger of treating them is that they often do it to abuse the system and score drugs.
But I also heard that therapists don't like self-diagnosers, either. Why don't they? I mean, there are no prescriptions chancing hands; it's just talk therapy. Inquiring minds want to know.
Quote:
Originally Posted by elhelmete
Just. Stop.
The OP came here looking for advice on getting help. No need for personal pollution.
I couldn't agree more with elhelmete.
MU....You obviously have had a very negative experience at some point with therapy. Your views, while your perspective may be valid to you....is not the norm, and certainly not helpful.
OP....Relax, therapist are there to help you help yourself. Being honest and telling about your feelings and concerns helps the therapist to identify what you need help with.
I hope that you find therapy to be a helpful and supportive tool. I certainly have during my lifetime.
But, as others have said....If you do not feel comfortable, or for whatever reason this therapist doesn't seem to be a good fit....Please look for another therapist.
How so? If you use your insurance to pay for a psych or an LCSW, like you would for an MD, doesn't it go on your insurance record? In which case, future specialists will have access to it, HIPAA nonewithstanding. Walk me (and other therapy skeptics) though it, please.
Sorry, I'm not going to do that because every insurance plan and every state has different rules.
Just because you had a bizarre experience doesn't make it a universal experience.
Thanks to revisions of HIPAA laws, there are many more ways than ever before to keep your information private. I can't possibly post each citation then every state exception here. I don't even know which state the OP lives in.
Just because you had a bizarre experience doesn't make it a universal experience.
Thanks to revisions of HIPAA laws, there are many more ways than ever before to keep your information private. I can't possibly post each citation then every state exception here. I don't even know which state the OP lives in.
It's readily available on the APA website though.
But, my experience is not bizarre. And why are you now qualifying by saying my experience must be universal for it to exist or be a valid concern for anyone else?
If you get a notation in your medical record, and it's incorrect, good luck getting it corrected. And if you move somewhere new, into a new system, they will request your old records. Voila! Now, were any regulations violated? Probably not. But, that record did follow you - as I said.
I don't understand why you are so adamant that this doesn't happen and shouldn't be a concern.
And what's happening now, is there are scribes that follow the doctor around, and they are the ones entering info into the digital system - not your doctor. Then, that digital info shows up whenever you go to any other doctor or specialist within that system. If your record has a notation about mental health or possible substance abuse, and you go see the physical therapist - they will see that notation. Or the dietician or the opthalmologist. Or the dermatologist. It's not just in your mental health file anymore, where the original notes were written by an intake counselor you may never have seen again. So, did that stressed out scribe type "no substance abuse" or "substance abuse." Forgetting to type that little "no," is a HUGE mistake and an easy one to make.
And maybe at some really low point in your life, you mentioned to your counselor you were contemplating suicide, as many people do when they go through something horrible or sad. And now there's a notation that you may be suicidal in your record.
Is any of that against regulations? Probably not. Does that equal privacy? I don't think so. And I think people really need to be aware of this and be very careful about what they share to anyone who may enter what they say into some digital system where it will probably never go away and will probably follow you forever.
It's just not like it was in the good old days, where your info was in a paper file locked up in a doctor's office, and you saw one doctor who kept everything you said to him/her confidential.
So, really, if you need to talk about something you don't want following you around, choose carefully who to talk to, and be very aware of what records may be kept and where they may end up. And if you could end up being considered a person with a pre-existing condition, etc.
Which is why I suggested thinking seriously about talking to a priest or rabbi instead of a medical professional in your healthcare system. I guess another option might be talking to a professional where you pay them out of pocket. But, even still, do your homework about where your records could end up. It's a sad but true problem.
Last edited by NoMoreSnowForMe; 10-25-2017 at 08:26 PM..
But, my experience is not bizarre. And why are you now qualifying by saying my experience must be universal for it to exist or be a valid concern for anyone else?
Once again, I did not say your experience didn't happen. Your experience is not UNIVERSAL. Not everyone will go through what you have gone through.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe
If you get a notation in your medical record, and it's incorrect, good luck getting it corrected. And if you move somewhere new, into a new system, they will request your old records. Voila! Now, were any regulations violated? Probably not. But, that record did follow you - as I said.
I don't understand why you are so adamant that this doesn't happen and shouldn't be a concern.
And what's happening now, is there are scribes that follow the doctor around, and they are the ones entering info into the digital system - not your doctor. Then, that digital info shows up whenever you go to any other doctor or specialist within that system. If your record has a notation about mental health or possible substance abuse, and you go see the physical therapist - they will see that notation. Or the dietician or the opthalmologist. Or the dermatologist. It's not just in your mental health file anymore, where the original notes were written by an intake counselor you may never have seen again.
Is any of that against regulations? Probably not. Does that equal privacy? I don't think so.
You obviously need to read the HIPAA regulations thoroughly. There are things you can do to make your notes more private. And AGAIN, NOT EVERY medical group or physician does things the way you describe. I have seen plenty of docs myself, and have taken my son to more than our share this year, and not one has even had a scribe.
The situation is entirely different for drug addicts, obviously, and that is, fortunately, not even one of the OP's concerns. It's obvious that reading his thread brought back some bad memories for you and caused you to project this bizarre unrelated rant.
And if you want privacy, a priest is the LAST person you should go to LOLOL. My years in Catholic school taught me that.
I realize I might have ranted somewhat, when I posted earlier. But I very much sympathize with NoMoreSnowForMe here. Something needs to be done about therapists who don't believe their client's answer, when it's against their personal agenda or not found in their textbook. That just smacks of gaslighting, which is an abuser tactic. Because it's bad enough when a therapist doesn't believe you when you tell a subjective truth (e.g. about feelings). It's even worse when he/she thinks you're being honest when you pull a wild, outlandish answer out of your butt.
If anything, this site has been far more therapeutic for me since I joined it, than any idiotic therapist ever was. I can get concrete feedback from people in similar situations, and even be challenged at times, rather than have some quack ask me rhetorical questions or feed me naive platitudes. Oh, and I'm an atheist. In which case, priests, ministers, rabbis, and imams are not an option.
Last edited by MillennialUrbanist; 10-25-2017 at 09:57 PM..
Location: The Land Mass Between NOLA and Mobile, AL
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Quote:
Originally Posted by heythere999
My first real therapy session is in a few days.
In the past year I've done a LOOOOOOOOT of introspection. I was also debating on majoring in psychology. As a result, I'm pretty familiar with some disorders/mental illnesses.
Would it be ok if I tell my therapist that, aside from my diagnosed ADHD, I feel like I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder, along with Avoidant Personality Disorder?
I wrote on a sheet of paper (front and back) about specific things that I think and do that indicate an issue. Would it be ok to read off of this?
I just don't know where to start. I feel like an hour is too short.
But any tips?
First of all, good luck! Therapy can be a wonderful thing. I'd go in to a first session with some examples of things that concern you. Remember, saying "I don't know" is fine. Taking notes about what the therapist says is also fine. The therapist's job is to help you. Think of a first session as a mutual stock-taking: are you two going to be able to work together as people? I've had professionals I've jibed with to lesser and greater degrees; years ago when I was a grad student, for example, an in-network MLSW would routinely fall asleep during our sessions. This habit (we'd often meet at 1:00, so maybe post-lunch slump) of hers disconcerted me, so I got a referral to someone else.
I can joke about it now: am I really that boring? One of my problems at the time was over-thinking things, so having a "snoozey" therapist was not good. It turned out fine, though. Be yourself, and voice your concerns.
Good luck!
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This habit (we'd often meet at 1:00, so maybe post-lunch slump) of hers disconcerted me, so I got a referral to someone else. 
