Public Comment

ON MENTAL WELLNESS: Psychiatrists Can Be Difficult People

Jack Bragen
Monday March 27, 2023 - 01:18:00 PM

The current psychiatrist I have in comparison to previous ones is more authoritarian toward me, but he is also thick with excuses. He is a stickler for the rules. He doesn't allow any bending of dosage guidelines (put forth by the AMA) --and he gives 'doctors orders' to that effect. But he will find ways to avoid being put on the spot. He is, actually, an RNP, a Nurse Practitioner. The psychiatrist who supervises him is a person whom I will probably never meet. I could have seen him or her in passing, and I would never know it. These authorities are making things uncomfortable and difficult. Other psychiatrists have not been as strict, and they gave credit for me having a modicum of intelligence. 

However, this treating professional is only doing his job. He is providing medication to treat my psychiatric condition, and he asks pertinent questions. He does the things that a psychiatric professional should be doing. Therefore, I would have no justification of raising any significant objection. He is better to deal with than many. 

You cannot trivialize your psychiatrist. For one thing, your psychiatrist has a substantial legal authority over you. If he believed that you are a risk on the road, he could get your license suspended. If he believed you posed a threat to people, he can get you put under physical restriction, including but not limited to inpatient psychiatry, wherein you'd be locked into a mental hospital. If he believed you met the criteria for an involuntary hold, he is the one to do it. 

And I need to tell you that while I am using the word "he", many psychiatrists are female. I've been in treatment by several female psychiatrists. Because of gender inequality, a woman could have more motive than a male, to become a full M.D., so that they can be treated with due respect. I'm using the word "he" here simply because the one I have currently is a man. 

A psychiatrist can be difficult to deal with. They have power and they use it. They tend to disbelieve in anything that can't be proved with science. Many psychiatrists are atheists. Atheism is also a belief system. It is where you believe that only things that you can see and/or measure are real, versus believing in the unseen and the unknown, for which atheists don't give any credence. You can't prove the existence of God with science. 

I'm transitioning to a new medication. I have taken olanzapine for decades and its effectiveness has lessened. And I have been branded as paranoid and delusional. And to an extent it is probably true. Yet the new medication has yet to show me its superior ability at making me better. 

New medications involve a lot of unknowns. Until you try them, you don't know if one of them will be a resounding success or a complete failure at helping you. This RNP tried to convince me to go inpatient while trying the new medication. This is the con artist approach. Some doctors love it when they can exert more control over you. There is no justification for me going inpatient at present. 

However, currently a psychiatrist would not be able to put me on an involuntary hold and would not be able to force involuntary treatment on me, because I am well enough, and I am functional. When we start to get fearful over the power of treatment professionals, we should realize that if we can demonstrate basic sanity, there is not that much they can do. Secondly, we should soften our beliefs, some of which are likely paranoid, such as a belief that a doctor is out to get us. Usually, they aren't, and they are just trying to keep us safe, and keep others safe. 

And, this morning, after a good sleep that was hard to initiate, I'm doing better than I was the other day, and I think I can probably adapt to the new medication. 


Jack Bragen is a writer who lives in Martinez, California.