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Mental Health (Expert Forum)
Any suggestions?
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD), bipolar disorder, dementia, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic, personality disorders, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, stress, transitions, and work problems.
Any suggestions?
by Dodiad71, Sep 28, 2003 12:00AM
Dear Doctor,
Thank you for the opportunity to post my questions to this board. I have only two.
1) I have a terrible time with expressing my true feelings in writing. Verbally I seem to be okay, but for some reason I am having difficulty with expressing myself through written means. I seem like I have to use a dictionary frequently for most of my sentences, and even when I do, I often convey the wrong message anyway to the recipient of my correspondence. I also feel like I think much more complicated than what I can put in writing, like what I am thinking gets blocked--like a very persistent case of writer's block. Is there a mental condition that causes something like this?
AND
2) I suffer from reactive depression from unrelenting personal setbacks. I cannot begin to tell you everything that has happened to me; all I can say is that I have had so much happen to me I feel like I don't even have time to grieve before something else comes along and wallops me. I also suffer from PTSD from situations that unfortunately, continue. I am not sure how to mention this, but my PTSD is from how I have been treated by doctors. I feel like a patient who has been kicked around "the system" a few too many times whether it's for insurance or other reasons. I feel like my care has been neglected. I am exhausted from trying to navigate the system. My personal physician of many years has known about my situation, and I recently tried to tell him about how the system was affecting me mentally because of the stress. His response? He wrote me a letter dumping me without warning. And he knew I suffered from PTSD and depression. This has not been good for my condition and I am not sure if I can go back to an internist any longer. (I also have multiple physical conditions as well also). Because of my prior experiences with doctors, it took me years to get comfortable again going to them. I was with my now former internist for years. I am devastated. I have cried about this for now over two weeks; the grief is terrible. Do you have any suggestions on how I can discuss this with my next physician? Your feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot!
Thank you for the opportunity to post my questions to this board. I have only two.
1) I have a terrible time with expressing my true feelings in writing. Verbally I seem to be okay, but for some reason I am having difficulty with expressing myself through written means. I seem like I have to use a dictionary frequently for most of my sentences, and even when I do, I often convey the wrong message anyway to the recipient of my correspondence. I also feel like I think much more complicated than what I can put in writing, like what I am thinking gets blocked--like a very persistent case of writer's block. Is there a mental condition that causes something like this?
AND
2) I suffer from reactive depression from unrelenting personal setbacks. I cannot begin to tell you everything that has happened to me; all I can say is that I have had so much happen to me I feel like I don't even have time to grieve before something else comes along and wallops me. I also suffer from PTSD from situations that unfortunately, continue. I am not sure how to mention this, but my PTSD is from how I have been treated by doctors. I feel like a patient who has been kicked around "the system" a few too many times whether it's for insurance or other reasons. I feel like my care has been neglected. I am exhausted from trying to navigate the system. My personal physician of many years has known about my situation, and I recently tried to tell him about how the system was affecting me mentally because of the stress. His response? He wrote me a letter dumping me without warning. And he knew I suffered from PTSD and depression. This has not been good for my condition and I am not sure if I can go back to an internist any longer. (I also have multiple physical conditions as well also). Because of my prior experiences with doctors, it took me years to get comfortable again going to them. I was with my now former internist for years. I am devastated. I have cried about this for now over two weeks; the grief is terrible. Do you have any suggestions on how I can discuss this with my next physician? Your feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot!
Doctor's Answer
by Roger Gould, M.D., Sep 29, 2003 12:00AM
, Sep 29, 2003 12:00AM
I would suggest you ask for a consultation with a psychiatrist who is better equipped to talk you through these things than an internist alone. You can get some help immediately at www.masteringstress.com
