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would a therapist worth their salt diagnose a diagnose ... - 8/19/2014 9:28:17 PM

LittleGirlHeart

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Im skeptical about that. Seems to me a little to convenient and shoot first know someone later

Say someone goes in for th very first time, says i am clinically depressed, have been my whiole life, Im apathetic, I'm un intested in anything but laying in bed, watching tv or playing video games. I dont want to get up to get food or fix food. I only want to leave my room to pee an go to work and there's a whole host of other funcions i have zero interest or will to do, and they say oh you have annadonia. It's a very serious condition.

And yes. Thats a real example and really what they said. The meds dr also told him with out a doubt he was bipolar the first meeting too. Seems like this clinic is very quick to diagnose on the first meet.

When he was in the pych hospital, they tried to say he was autistic, or had aspergers.

< Message edited by LittleGirlHeart -- 8/19/2014 9:39:40 PM >

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RE: would a therapist worth their salt diagnose a diagn... - 8/19/2014 9:47:48 PM

RareByrd

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It's anhedonia, and it's a symptom (of depression, but not exclusively of depression), not a "very serious condition".

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual is pretty cut and dried for most "diseases" (I put that in quotes because frankly I think some of it is entirely invented by the psych profession--decades ago even being gay was a psychiatric "disease"). So even though you think you're a complex special snowflake, if you exhibit N number of symptoms out of X, you get diagnosed, it's that simple.

A good psych professional should also list possible differential diagnoses in many cases. But for something like bipolar disorder, if you have a responsive client who answers questions well, and they self-report that they have exhibited the required number of symptoms, then yeah, a tentative diagnosis can absolutely be made after the initial session.

(in reply to LittleGirlHeart)

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RE: would a therapist worth their salt diagnose a diagn... - 8/19/2014 9:55:59 PM

LittleGirlHeart

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Thank you. I spell phonetically, when it's a big word i don't know. She said a very serious condition. Maybe she means if you refuse to eat or bathe, or , i dunno.

See he didn't say tentatively, the dr said he absolutely was.

quote:

ORIGINAL: RareByrd

It's anhedonia, and it's a symptom (of depression, but not exclusively of depression), not a "very serious condition".

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual is pretty cut and dried for most "diseases" (I put that in quotes because frankly I think some of it is entirely invented by the psych profession--decades ago even being gay was a psychiatric "disease"). So even though you think you're a complex special snowflake, if you exhibit N number of symptoms out of X, you get diagnosed, it's that simple.

A good psych professional should also list possible differential diagnoses in many cases. But for something like bipolar disorder, if you have a responsive client who answers questions well, and they self-report that they have exhibited the required number of symptoms, then yeah, a tentative diagnosis can absolutely be made after the initial session.

< Message edited by LittleGirlHeart -- 8/19/2014 10:15:37 PM >

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RE: would a therapist worth their salt diagnose a diagn... - 8/20/2014 7:17:26 AM

DesFIP

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Actually anhedonia tends to be resistant to SSRIs so it is a serious condition. That low level depression does not lift easily. Oddly enough it can be easier to treat suicidal depression.

Some cases of bipolar I can be evident. If the person switches from depressed to manic, it's hard to overlook.

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RE: would a therapist worth their salt diagnose a diagn... - 8/20/2014 9:35:26 AM

LittleGirlHeart

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And anhedonia on top of severe chronic depression, would be a double whammy.

quote:

ORIGINAL: DesFIP

Actually anhedonia tends to be resistant to SSRIs so it is a serious condition. That low level depression does not lift easily. Oddly enough it can be easier to treat suicidal depression.

Some cases of bipolar I can be evident. If the person switches from depressed to manic, it's hard to overlook.

_____________________________

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RE: would a therapist worth their salt diagnose a diagn... - 8/20/2014 12:53:17 PM

DesFIP

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Look, ADHD could be diagnosed within half an hour. So could depression and many other things. There are diagnostic tests. Say yes to 6 or more and you're most probably suffering from that. After 50 years or so, it's not that hard to diagnose the more common ones.

If a doctor can diagnose strep throat in 5 minutes, why do you think they can't diagnose depression in that time?

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RE: would a therapist worth their salt diagnose a diagn... - 8/20/2014 1:15:20 PM

Gauge

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This is a fast reply.

Mental illness treatment is not an exact science, people believe that it is, but it is not. A doctor diagnosing on the first visit is not uncommon, if for no other reason than it is a diagnosis based on the initial information. They have to put on their billing what you are being treated for and therefore must give it a name. I wouldn't put too much stock in what the doctor initially diagnoses you as. One of my first doctors diagnosed me as Bipolar 1, mistaking my severe anxiety for mania. My diagnosis is Major Chronic Depression, Anxiety Disorder with Panic Attacks. I have had that diagnosis for the past 12 years.

What you should not stand for when being diagnosed is someone who is railroading you into a diagnosis. For instance, you have X, Y, Z, symptoms and you tell the doctor that and they come up with a completely unrelated illness. It happens. Somewhere out there in the world is the worst doctor in the world. The scary thing? Someone has an appointment with them. I have found that it is very important to get proactive in your treatment. Learn about your illness, do all the reading that you can and ask questions... copious questions. I usually have to wait a few hours to see my doctor even though I am on time for my appointment. The reason for that is that my doctor listens to the patients and really wants to do what's right for them. I am lucky to have a doctor like that. I went through having doctors that pencil-whipped my paperwork and spent 5 minutes with me, threw medication at me and told me to come back in 3 months to tell them if it was working. That, to me, is not treatment.

The entire point is that doctors have got to start somewhere as far as a diagnosis goes. It doesn't mean that they are incompetent, it means they are starting with a new patient.

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RE: would a therapist worth their salt diagnose a diagn... - 8/20/2014 2:05:49 PM

LittleGirlHeart

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Just seems a bit hasty. My therapist hesitated to slap lables an me when we were just starting, because we were just starting.

quote:

ORIGINAL: DesFIP

Look, ADHD could be diagnosed within half an hour. So could depression and many other things. There are diagnostic tests. Say yes to 6 or more and you're most probably suffering from that. After 50 years or so, it's not that hard to diagnose the more common ones.

If a doctor can diagnose strep throat in 5 minutes, why do you think they can't diagnose depression in that time?

_____________________________

We'll fight, not out of spite
For someone must stand up for what's right
'Cause where there's a man who has no voice
There ours shall go singing

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RE: would a therapist worth their salt diagnose a diagn... - 8/20/2014 3:03:50 PM

Gauge

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quote:

ORIGINAL: LittleGirlHeart

Just seems a bit hasty. My therapist hesitated to slap lables an me when we were just starting, because we were just starting.

A therapist is different than a doctor. A therapist has the luxury to get to know you well before making up their mind about what is wrong with you, but I can guarantee if they are billing insurance, there is a diagnosis there already.

_____________________________

"For there is no folly of the beast of the earth which is not infinitely outdone by the madness of men." Herman Melville - Moby Dick

I'm wearing my chicken suit and humming La Marseillaise.

(in reply to LittleGirlHeart)

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RE: would a therapist worth their salt diagnose a diagn... - 8/20/2014 4:00:28 PM

Musicmystery

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quote:

would a therapist worth their salt diagnose a diagnose th first visit?

Would you pay/trust a therapist who just kept saying "Well, I don't know" and charged you for it?

(in reply to LittleGirlHeart)

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RE: would a therapist worth their salt diagnose a diagn... - 8/20/2014 4:07:38 PM

LittleGirlHeart

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I laughed in rea ife. But no, long term i woud not.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Musicmystery

quote:

would a therapist worth their salt diagnose a diagnose th first visit?

Would you pay/trust a therapist who just kept saying "Well, I don't know" and charged you for it?

_____________________________

We'll fight, not out of spite
For someone must stand up for what's right
'Cause where there's a man who has no voice
There ours shall go singing

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RE: would a therapist worth their salt diagnose a diagn... - 8/20/2014 4:45:06 PM

RareByrd

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Good to see people misinterpreting and then running with it as usual. Sigh.

I did not say, nor do I believe, that anhedonia is not serious. It's not a "condition". Depression is a condition. Anhedonia is a symptom.

(in reply to LittleGirlHeart)

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RE: would a therapist worth their salt diagnose a diagn... - 8/20/2014 8:05:14 PM

MistressDarkArt

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quote:

ORIGINAL: LittleGirlHeart

I laughed in rea ife. But no, long term i woud not.
quote:

ORIGINAL: Musicmystery

quote:

would a therapist worth their salt diagnose a diagnose th first visit?

Would you pay/trust a therapist who just kept saying "Well, I don't know" and charged you for it?

Remember, any good therapist worth their salt has had access to the person's prior medical/psych records and therefore has a lot of background information to help form an opinion.

(in reply to LittleGirlHeart)

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RE: would a therapist worth their salt diagnose a diagn... - 8/21/2014 2:02:46 AM

LittleGirlHeart

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She only has info from when he was in the pych hospital, that hes depressed has been his whole life, and has been suicidal. And his depressions not managed.And of course what hehas said about being un uninterested/ apathetic/ unable to in functioning properly Still,one could maybe gather enough to go on from there.

quote:

ORIGINAL: MistressDarkArt

Remember, any good therapist worth their salt has had access to the person's prior medical/psych records and therefore has a lot of background information to help form an opinion.

< Message edited by LittleGirlHeart -- 8/21/2014 2:12:42 AM >

_____________________________

We'll fight, not out of spite
For someone must stand up for what's right
'Cause where there's a man who has no voice
There ours shall go singing

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RE: would a therapist worth their salt diagnose a diagn... - 8/21/2014 2:22:03 AM

wittynamehere

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Yikes. OP, you sound extremely ignorant on these topics. This appears to be important to you... but not important enough for you to familiarize yourself with the basic terms and definitions involved?
Also, yes, it is completely normal for a doctor to diagnose a condition (or in your case, a symptom) the very first time they see the patient. Even psych conditions and symptoms. If you don't like his opinion, you should consider getting one from another doctor.

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RE: would a therapist worth their salt diagnose a diagn... - 8/22/2014 12:39:00 AM

LittleGirlHeart

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So,how is oe supposed to trat this symptom.

quote:

ORIGINAL: DesFIP

Actually anhedonia tends to be resistant to SSRIs so it is a serious condition. That low level depression does not lift easily. Oddly enough it can be easier to treat suicidal depression.

Some cases of bipolar I can be evident. If the person switches from depressed to manic, it's hard to overlook.

_____________________________

We'll fight, not out of spite
For someone must stand up for what's right
'Cause where there's a man who has no voice
There ours shall go singing

(in reply to DesFIP)

Post #: 16

RE: would a therapist worth their salt diagnose a diagn... - 8/22/2014 1:19:28 AM

stef

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quote:

ORIGINAL: LittleGirlHeart

So,how is oe supposed to trat this symptom.

That's a question your friend be asking your friend's doctor, rather than solution shopping from complete strangers on a BDSM forum.

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RE: would a therapist worth their salt diagnose a diagn... - 8/26/2014 1:21:05 PM

DesFIP

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Look, if someone spent multiple days in a psych hospital, then they aren't being diagnosed in five minutes. There were days worth of observations which all together come out with a diagnosis.

My daughter spent six weeks in an outpatient adolescent psych hospital. The social workers and therapists wrote down all the observations and the head psychiatrist diagnosed her from all that. She was spot on and having that diagnosis allowed us to go to an adolescent psychiatrist for experimental treatment. As such, she's the first successful case of her rare diagnosis. The textbooks still say anyone with this is dead by age 20. But even at 14, she wanted things to get better and she worked with her therapist and her psychiatrist. At age 25, she still does. And for bipolars she's almost unique because that's the only time she's ever spent in a psychiatric hospital.

For me, if the SSRIs didn't working, I'd have begged for ECT. But I also don't drink because alcohol in a CNS depressant and makes any depression worse. I worked hard at therapy. I showed up at the first psychiatrist's appointment with a family history of problems because genetic disorders need to be identified as different than situational depression.

Is your friend in compliance? Does he use alcohol and illegal drugs to self medicate? Is he in therapy with a good therapist and is he dedicated to fixing his problems?

Because if not, then no doctor can help him.

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RE: would a therapist worth their salt diagnose a diagn... - 8/26/2014 6:39:53 PM

FelineRanger

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There's a great deal of missing information and a lack of understanding from the patient and family side here. There may well have been an initial diagnosis based on patient history and presenting symptoms. That is very likely to change based on continued observation, treatment, or both. I suspect the OP may be misinterpreting that initial diagnosis and, combined with her lack of knowledge of the entire process, may be misinterpreting the events occurring.

Disclaimer: I don't work in the psychiatric or psychological fields, but I have an uncle who is a teaching and practicing psychologist. We got into a pretty deep discussion comparing and contrasting our methods of diagnosing problems.

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RE: would a therapist worth their salt diagnose a diagn... - 8/28/2014 4:59:29 PM

LittleGirlHeart

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Nope , No illegal drugs, he does not drink cuz you're not supposed to on the meds he's on. Plus any time he mentions maybe I'd like to get a drink I start nagging him about how it's not ok to drink on the meds he's on and it's a depressant and he has no business drinking.

He was in the pych hospital for a week.

I'm not doubting the Depression and that stuff.

, I am skeptical about a one time first time ever meeting with a therapist, and meds dr, and them saying oh you're definitely............ Bty he asked her how you're supposed to treat ahnedonia, and she said work on your depression, that's all she said. Makes sense i guess.

Therapy is expensive and he doesn't have the money to go to a therapist, but he takes his meds, he just never remembers to take them on time a lot of the time.

Depression runs in the family, his mom has depression and was suicidal at one point, but likes to pretend there's no problem, and his brother also has deep depression issues, and likes to pretend he does not.

He is the only one out of the two who admits there's a problem and tries to deal with it.

quote:

ORIGINAL: DesFIP

Look, if someone spent multiple days in a psych hospital, then they aren't being diagnosed in five minutes. There were days worth of observations which all together come out with a diagnosis.

.

Is your friend in compliance? Does he use alcohol and illegal drugs to self medicate? Is he in therapy with a good therapist and is he dedicated to fixing his problems?

Because if not, then no doctor can help him.

< Message edited by LittleGirlHeart -- 8/28/2014 5:10:34 PM >

_____________________________

We'll fight, not out of spite
For someone must stand up for what's right
'Cause where there's a man who has no voice
There ours shall go singing

(in reply to DesFIP)

Post #: 20

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