Who Diagnosed You?

[becvan]

Hi, after reading through some other threads, I became curious as to how people have been diagnosised. I think this poll will tell us a lot about where we come from and trends for diagnosising!! You can explain further if you like!

Bec

[cookie]

my therapist and my psychiatrist both came up with it within a day of each other. 2nd visit for each. i was really surprised, i thought ptsd was a military issue only and that i was having trouble with depression only.

[becvan]

I was diagnosised three times (age 15,23,32) all by a therapist!! LOL

Bec

[anthony]

I understand counsellors and therapists having the ability here in Australia to diagnose, though they cannot provide the overall clinical diagnosis, which must officially come from a psychiatrist.

I believe the USA is the same, not sure about Canada or the UK though. Can someone clarify the official process for me please?

[Nam]

I'm not sure Anthony. I know that therapists or social workers that specialize in mental health can diagnose but cannot prescribe medication. In my situation, I saw the therapists for therapy sessions once a week. I saw my psychiatrist everytime I ran out of meds, like, once a month. She would only ask if I had any side effects from the medication and about my physical health. So for me, a therapist is a mental health counselor and a psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes in mental health meds. I'll have to look that up...got me curious.

[becvan]

It's the same here as Nam. Social Workers, who are trained, can diagnosis but the meds must come from a physician or psych. In our area, there is only one psych for two seperate (and huge) districts. He's available once a year only. He just does the med thing. No therapy whatsoever. We need like 5 more psych's for this area!

Bec

[YoungAndAngry]

Hmmm.... I was diagnosed by:
- Therapist
- Neurophyschologist
- Psychiatrist

In that order....

Currently, my therapist keeps my psychiatrist up to date.
He books the appointments when needed (he can get me appointments the same day!)
And he always attends the appointments with me.
So he knows exactly whats going on at all times.

It's uncomfertable to have my doctors talking about me (while I'm waiting in the hall, etc.)
But in the long run, I'm so glad someone took charge.
There is no need to repeat the same thing to each doctor, as they are always in sync with eachother.

[bornjoyful]

I am in the UK and as far as i know, only the psychiatrists can diagnose although the otehrs can make a guess and refer for the oficial naming ceremony! i self diagnosed the second time i becasme debilitated and 2 psychiatriss and two psychiatrict nurses missed it as it was not really really bad even although i told them i had a previous diagnosis. i think ther eis a lot of snobbery around diagnoses -i was diagnosed in Israel wher eone in ten of the population is medically qualified but i suspect that my telling the health professionals meant nothing to them until someone in the uk diagnosed. in the end a consultant psychologist diagnosed but when it cmes to things like court or compensation , yes a psychiatrist is needed for the all important diagnosis. in reality the local psychiatrist is not likely to challenge the diagnosis the local consultant psychologist anyway and it is the psychologits and specialist nurses who treat and do therapy whilst the psychiatrists mainly prescribe. hope that is clearer or is it now more confusing!!??LOL

[kers]

I guess I don't have an "official" paper diagnosis. My therapist told me it was PTSD after I had been seeing him for six months--it took that long for me to feel comfortable enough to reveal (some of) what happened. My psychiatrist just diagnosed/treated the depression with an anti-d. I don't feel comfortable enough with her to tell her what happened or what my symptoms are.

Trust? Who has a problem with trust? :rofl:

[Claire]

Hello, yes in the UK it is has to be a psychiatrist. I was diagnosed officially when I had to see a psychiatrist for a car insurance claim. Before that my doctor and therapist also came to the same conclusion. From my experiences the UK seems a bit behind the times with everything, including the diagnosis process. Probably our stiff upper lip mentality!

[anthony]

No, I think its about right actually, in that only a psychiatrist should be officially diagnoseing PTSD because of the true potential it implies. Therapists often have a good idea based around criteria they ask, but a Dr. should be able to tell much more without the written assessment tools needed.

[batgirl]

I thought it had to be a psychiatrist here in Canada too? I was diagnosed by a psychiatrist in 2002 or 2003, then confirmed by another psychiatrist and a neurologist a couple of weeks ago. I had to be diagnosed before I could qualify to see a psychologist, therapist, go to support groups, etc. I mean those connected with the health region, mental health services... I couldn't afford anyone in private practice.

[becvan]

LOL, that is the way it is supposed to work.. however, in remote regions like mine it just doesn't happen that way. We have one pysch to service from the Manitoba border to Thunder Bay Ont. That is it, one. I'm on the waiting list just for the "paper" diagnosis (even though it is written all over my charts?) but services are provided if available with or without a diagnosis. Most people around here get a diagnosis from a doc or therapist as the pysch can be a year or more wait and he doesn't do anything but the diagnois. Gotta love remote areas...

Bec

[batgirl]

Oh I wasn't thinking of remote areas, sorry Bec. I live in a city with a teaching hospital, and they train psychiatrists here, so there's over 20 practicing psychiatrists in the city, plus several residents. But yeah people from all over the province have to travel here for services. Some even fly in from the far north. I guess I'm lucky.

[faerieevenstar]

I pretty much diagnosed myself by coming here and seeing everything fit. But I have since been diagnosed by my Psychiatrist too, so I ticked both boxes :)

[Lisa]

Haven't been diagnosed by a psychiatrist because I dont trust them and never told them enough (bad experiences). But a clinical psychologist (friend) first told me about 2/3 years ago. Have been told by a couple of therapists too.

[Thornbird]

I was diagnosed by a psychiatrist. I had to fight like crazy to get into see one. My doctor kept insisting I was just depressed. I finally went to counselling just to see the psychiatrist. I was with him for half an hour and I was diagnosed.

[starshine]

My psychotherapist.

I only saw a psychiatrist a while to suss out the right meds. He wasn't really interested in diagnosing me in detail, because I'm in private psychotherapy, and he was NHS. I've since been discharged by the psychiatrist [mutual agreement].
The closest the psychiatrist seemed to get was saying I had 'depression, anxiety, panic attacks and other problems due to things that happened to me in my past'. I wanna see my medical records. Even then he didn't know the full story of all that has happened to me.
My therapist has diagnosed me with, and treats me according to, Complex PTSD.

[slhlilbit]

when i was in the service a phyciatrist said i had situationl adjustment disorder. becouse i was having trouble adjusting to being raped and harrassed while i was pregnent. then in 86 my family dr. said he thought i had ptsd i got my offical diagnosis by the va in 98. but not my service conection until 2004

[doobie]

hi all
Well i was diagnosed by my Psychiatrist who i call my confidant and he sent me for second opinion to another leading Psychiatrist to confirm it and who was impressed with me trying to act all professional and correct..didn't work though...not to mention the government departments with their Psychiatrist when they put me on my disability pension...who took all of 2 seconds...and to think of the people i come accross that so you are so confidant and strong..

[9Lives]

I was "ordered" to see a military psychiatrist after a rape & he saw me at least 1x a week for a year before diagnosing me with PTSD, depression, & a few other problems.

[cactus_jack]

Hard call to make. The first time I knew of it, was when I self-diagnosed it. But then I found medical records that was showing I was diagnosed as early as 9. And all the schools and doctors did is drug me with Atarax, Ritallin, and Lithium. They could have removed me instead, but they didn't.
So they may not have caused the injury, but they allowed it to get far worse by their lack of action.

[GRUNT11B]

I had to supply my military discharge papers, any awards received during combat, and provide written background information as to the individual events. After all of the aforementioned was completed I was diagnosed with PTSD by a psychologist who worked for the Veterans Administration. I now see a therapist every other week and a different psychologist prescribes my meds.

[Shinigami_Shimai]

I've been seeing doctors since I was very little and they all had some other explination as to what was wrong with me, all were rather messed up in my opinion. When I was 22 I started having intense flashbacks dealing with myself at a very young age and another young girl, when I say young I remember being maybe 5 or 6. I took this to my current doctor at the time and he said I was a pedophile for having those flashes so I left his office pissed off as ever and told him to go to hell. Then went to another psychotherapist that dealt with childhood abuse and asked him about those memories. He told me that I was likely to have been abused and he wanted to see more of me if I would allow him too. He was the first doctor to tell me I had PTSD and explained to me what it meant. He got me to open up about alot of things and I saw him for many years before he just vanished. Now I see a new psycho therapist that is very understanding. I am rather leery of doctors after the amount of torture I've go through with them. I'm glad to finally find a couple of doctors that I can trust.

jaa ne

Kat

[She Cat]

I was diagnosed by a psychiatrist, the head of our local psych ward. I had attempted suicide(again) and Phil finally got me to open up in his office one day. His tactics are to not let up on you until you talk. I finally blurted out that I just can't stand the shit in my head, like pictures that keep poping up, or a movie that keeps showing just one clip over and over again.

He asked if I had ever had a traumatic event? I looked at him and answered, "Yeah which one would you like to hear about? The beatings, the mental abuse, the emotional abuse or the molestations? All created by my loving family."

I was dx'ed then. That was about 13 yrs ago, but have had flashbacks, anxiety, panic attacks since I was around 10 yrs old. I am 53 now. Fun, fun fun.

[skyward_falls]

Perhaps in the U.S. it varies state-to-state. I was living in FL when I was diagnosed. My therapist at the rape crisis center told me she believed I had PTSD but she could not officially diagnose me that a psychiatrist had to do it - which is why I had a therapist and a psychiatrist mainly for the medications.

[Marlene]

Diagnosed by a psychiatrist the first time. Began seeing a psychologist who specializes in PTSD and received my second diagnosis.

[Sean]

Right now, the only solid evidence I can use is the false heart-attack reports I have
read. Although they are not pleasant at the time, it is some consolation to learn that
there may not be some strange cardiac abnormality, or a broken rib still sticking into
the aorta. This has been the greatest gain of joining the forum. I'm not dying at the
rate I previously imagined. Hallelujah! Thank you, world.

To learn this means that perhaps, I can stop fearing for my life in these events, and
perhaps some PTSD symptoms remain. Whatever a medical staffer might diagnose is
unlikely to be based on the reality of the pain. Set them off on the wrong track if
anything, I'd predict. I'll listen to the heart first, and trust that it knows what it is
trying to achieve, in the long term, but time will tell. There's always therapy if all
else fails, eh?

[map9]

It was in October of 1979. My best friend at work went to a psychiatrist after the Easter Flood that had devastated much of our city. We had had many discussions regarding all the traumatic incidents I had gone through. She said she trusted this woman psychiatrist, as she too had experienced childhood molestation, and believed it would be in my best interest to go see her. It was a hard task to face my personal demons. It was a long and arduous ordeal. Psychiatry has changed along with many of the medications.

The most valuable input I recieved though was from a nonprofit group for childhood abuse victims. It was there that I learned through a twelve step program how all the abuse and the traumatic incidents, as well as my family history, had a hand in shaping me into who I was. I went through it once for my childhood abuse and the second one was for the adulthood abuse. They actually gave the answers I wanted and needed all along that the psychiatrists and psychologists never gave. I feel that any persons wellness hinges upon their own awareness of all of the aspects. Little by little if need be, but don't allow these poor souls (like myself) to live lives of delusions that can easily be dispelled by sharing information.

[ptsd_cracker]

2 psychologists and 2 psychiatrists. I should say that they have tried to diagnosis me with everything under the sun. From Bipolar, BPD, schizophrenia etc, etc but they all finally agreed on Extreme PTSD one of the severest cases that they have ever seen. Don't you just love second opinions.

[nobody]

I've never seen any doctor for anything other than an injury. They all seem rather useless and opinionated...

[mightsurvive]

Hi i want to answer this one but have a question first. what category would a psychologist come under? they arent as highly trained as a psychiatrist and cant prescribe meds but they are more highly trained than a counsellor or therapist as they have a degree in psychology. I have been told that the only person who can be certain that they are making a correct diagnosis is a psychiatrist not a psychologist. My Psychologist didnt say this but told me she thought i almost definitely had PTSD. Maybe my problem in not being sure which category a psychologist would come under is becasue there psychologists only exist in the Europe? Not sure.

[sunnydaze]

clinical psychologist first for awhile than sent me to a phy for meds this is how it workes in USA for last 30 years with me. Only saw phy for med changes.
sunnydaze

[lrs]

The first time was at a rapid detox center. 2nd time was by a psychiatrist mandated by board of pharmacy, 3rd time at the rehab I was sent to. 4th time was at 2nd rehab.
I was also in 2 psyche hospitals, I do not remember if they did any evaluations at the hospitals.

[TaraJ]

I diagnosed myself, after seeing a neurologist, who told me that he would test me for epilepsy if I could afford it; but that he's just about certain that my seizures are all caused by extreme trauma.
I researched it on the web, and found PTSD. The symptoms all seemed to match, except that I also have 'stress-related seizures'.

[anthony]

Tara, I would suggest you seek a physician for correct diagnosis as matching symptoms is not a match for PTSD. PTSD actually has criteria beyond theoretical, it extends to behavioural and physical symptoms, which only a physician can assess face to face. You may find your telling yourself you have something that you just may not, which means your going in the wrong direction. Maybe you do have it, but self diagnosis is not even close to accurate. If you read the criteria for acute anxiety disorder, which is PTS, you would say the same thing, that must be me. The same goes for lots of disorders.... you could match yourself to many symptoms, but they are just a theoretical model to help a physician assess an illness, often there are many other elements which are not listed in the theory context as they must assessed.

[Chissi]

I have been diagnosed by a couple of psych's over the years and every therapist and counselor that I've ever been counseled by. I've been told that I will always needs to see a therapist for talk. It runs in cycles, though. Sometimes I go for a few months and really feel fine and then I get so low, I know when it's time to get some help. I try not to beat myself up mentally. When I actually make the call for the appointment I get relief because I have made a positive step toward helping myself. It always works.

Chissi