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When your primary care doctor refers you out for psychiatric
treatment the
overall view of all those around you may change. Even that of
your primary care
doctor.
All of a sudden everything is in your head. The complaints
that once seemed
to be taken seriously by your doctors are now seen as a somatic
symptom.
Now you are accused of seeking drugs as opposed to needing
them. You are
accused of exaggerating your symptoms and anything and everything
that the doctor
cannot find a cause for through preliminary testing becomes a
psychiatric
problem.
It is insulting and demeaning to be treated this way but it
seems that now
even your primary care physician doubts your complaints.
This is the common stigma attached to psychiatric care. This
is exactly why
many people will not seek psychiatric care. Often, the people
most affected
by this, are people with chronic pain or things that cannot necessarily
be seen
in an MRI or Xray. If the doctor can't see it then it isn't there.
Or at
least that is the way many doctors think.
Even when a psychiatrist comes back with a finding that they
believe the pain
is physical and not psychological, doubt still lingers in the
minds of those
doctors treating your symptoms.
These are things I have personally experienced as a patient
under psychiatric
care.
So now I say to you: do not let the stigma outweigh the benefit
of
psychiatric care.
Psychiatric care will benefit you as long as both you and
your
psychiatrist/psychologist have a positive outlook and reasonable
expectations as to what you
hope to accomplish in therapy. Often, it takes both medications
and
counseling to help you realize the full benefit of your treatment.
You may feel that others are looking down on you because you
have agreed to
psychiatric treatment. This does happen a lot. Please do not
allow that to
stop you from getting the treatment you need. The true benefits
outweigh the
stigma attached.
Through therapy I have learned to reduce my level of pain
by the way I think
about it.
I have learned that getting all tensed up or mad only increases
the pain
level. I have learned that thinking negatively not only increases
my pain but it
also diminishes my ability to live a happy life.
I have learned that helping others replaces some of the voids
in my life. I
have learned that sharing my experiences not only helps others
but it also
makes me feel productive.
I have learned that fighting the comp system relieves some
of my pain.
Fighting for what is fair and what is right is much better than
complaining about
how bad things are. At least I feel I am accomplishing something.
Finding possible solutions to the problems in the comp system
is as important
as pointing out all that is wrong with the system.
I have learned all of this and have grown into a new person
through
psychiatric treatment. I have found more out about myself than
I ever thought
possible. I have a new outlook on life and I have found that
all the negativity I
used to put all my emphasis on was strangling the life out of
me. I still have
my problems but I have learned how to deal with problems better.
I have
learned that positive thinking does improve my quality of life.
Please, do not allow the stigma that comes with psychiatric
treatment to stop
you from benefiting from the treatment. It can make all the difference
in
the quality of the life you live. The treatment cannot take away
all your hurts
or all of your pain. It can teach you how to better deal with
it though.
Know that it is not unusual for people with chronic pain to
become depressed.
It is not unusual for people who have been injured on the job
to be
depressed. Anyone who loses control over their life is bound
to be depressed.
In the world of comp, your whole life will change. Either
temporarily or
permanently. You will go through a grieving process over your
losses. This
would include your ability to earn a living or your ability to
go back to your
line of work as well as any physical or psychological impairment
you may have as
a result of your work injury.
Do not be ashamed of this. Accept your disability and try
and move on with
your life in a positive manner. Do not turn away psychiatric
care. It can
make all the difference in how you think and how you feel.
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