Bipolar Disorder Psychiatrists and Con Artists? A Closer Look
Published: Tue, 03/23/10
Hi ,
How are you today?
I hope you are having a good day.
I've been reading the comments on these and other blogs, and I have seen
the same type of comment over and over again.
In this type of comment, a person will begin ranting about their
psychiatrist, and end up saying that all psychiatrists are con artists and that
no one should go to them for help.
There are so many ways I could address this.
To begin with, you cannot say that all ________ is ________ in any
situation.
You cannot say that all people with this color hair are this way
or that way, or that all boys are this way and girls are that way.
That sort of thing can never be true, because even if something is common
there is still always the exception to the rule.
In this case, I am not even sure it is common.
I don't know how many of you are aware of this, but becoming a
psychiatrist is a long process that takes a lot of hard work.
A person has to achieve a doctorates degree in medicine with a specialty
in mental illnesses before they can be given the label "psychiatrist."
It isn't just given to anybody.
The sorts of people that are con artists usually look for the easiest way
possible to achieve their goals; that is why they became con artists.
I don't know about you, but I hardly think that the easiest way possible
would be to go through and complete med school.
That being said, let's assume I'm wrong.
What sort of thing would a con artist do if they bothered to become a
psychiatrist?
I would imagine that they would write "do not substitute" on all the
prescriptions that they write, telling the pharmacists to give only name-
brand medicines instead of generics.
That could potentially benefit them, earning them points with the major
drug companies.
But I have never heard of a psychiatrist doing this, unless a patient was
allergic to the generic or had some other problem with it.
Another thing a con artist might do is to over-charge for visits.
Now, of course, each doctor comes up with their own fees per visit, but
usually they are within a certain range.
If you believe that your doctor is pricing his visits outrageously, then I
would suggest calling around to check other people's prices, and if you
are right then change doctors.
Most of the time that is not the case, though.
Another thing that a con artist might do is to put as little effort as is
humanly possible into the work they are supposed to be doing.
This might look like the doctor that asks you what medication you need to
be taking, or that takes your suggestion as the final word without further
questioning.
There are certainly doctors that do this, unfortunately.
If you have a doctor like this, then I would suggest changing doctors.
Another thing a con artist might do is to run up the credit card bill of the
people who have used a card to pay them previously.
I have yet to hear a news story of a psychiatrist doing so.
But, if for some reason you suspect this to be the case, then I would
suggest contacting your card company to debate the charges and to ask
them for further advice on how to handle the situation.
Here's another thing to consider:
Psychiatrists have to be licensed.
One of the things that they have to do to obtain or keep their license is to
remain in good moral standing.
This means that if there were any serious complaints about them that
could be looked into and proven true, that their license would be suspended
or removed altogether.
So the simple fact that a psychiatrist has been working for more than a
year, is still in business, and has a license number that you can verify,
means that the psychiatrist is probably not a con artist.
Now, there are certainly doctors that are not what they should be.
I'm not even trying to suggest that all psychiatrists are good and perfect.
Remember what I said about saying that all of anything is something?
So even saying that all psychiatrists are good doctors would not be true.
I would certainly hope that most of them are, but without having visited
all of them it's hard to be sure.
I've heard of some psychiatrists who give out free samples and do their
best to make sure that everything is covered by their patient's insurance.
That certainly doesn't sound like a con artist.
In fact, it sounds like an honest person trying to be helpful.
Most psychiatrists are out to help you, not to hurt you, that's why they
went into the medical field to begin with.
Another thing to be considered is how much we need them.
Most primary care doctors that I've heard of will not prescribe psychiatric
medications.
They generally want you to go to a psychiatrist for that.
So if a person needs to be on psychiatric medications, then a psychiatrist
is generally necessary.
Now what do you do if you end up with one of the doctors that is really
bad after all?
To begin with, I would suggest switching doctors.
If you believe that they have done something wrong that needs to be fixed,
depending on what it is you may need to file a lawsuit.
This may or may not always be possible, or even the best thing to do, but
it is an option to consider.
Another thing you can do is to get their name and license number, and to
call the agency that maintains their license and complain.
You might even get their license suspended or revoked, in which case
you would be doing the next person a favor.
But one thing I would always suggest is to try to work out the problem
with the psychiatrist first.
It would be a shame to get their license revoked over a misunderstanding
or an accident.
If the issue can be resolved by talking to them, then great.
One thing to do to make sure that you are dealing with a genuine issue is
to make sure that the person with bipolar disorder takes in their supporters
to make sure that everything is being understood correctly and that the
person with bipolar disorder is not being irrational.
If the issue still cannot be resolved by talking to them, then it is probably
time to switch doctors, and may be time to take further actions against
them.
Always try to use your better judgment, and to remember that psychiatrists
are human too.
Not all psychiatrists are con artists, and if you happen to have found one
that is, you have my sympathy.
Does all of this make sense to you?
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Well, I have to go!
Your Friend,
Dave
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