New member Dealing with Therapist Abuse

Hi I recently had a really stressful and frightening apointment with a mental health professional, I thought there might be some here who have experienced something similar.
I'm sorry this is so long.

I was seeing a NP for a med review, it was the first time I had an appointment with this person, and he began acting bizarrely part way through the appointment.

He had asked a medicine history and very briefly asked what brought me there and then suddenly said to me "you don't have Bipolar I". I responded to his statement by saying "no I have bipolar II". He replied in a unkind voice "That's Debatable!"
I was stunned by his suddenly saying I didn't have Bipolar, a diagnosis I have had for over 15 years agreed upon by multiple psychologists and therapists, but he has talked to me for 15 minutes and is deciding I don't have Bipolar! I said to him "that's been my diagnosis for years" He replied "I don't understand why you are Defending your disorder! Most people would be glad to hear they don't have Bipolar!" I responded "I wasn't happy when I first got diagnosed, but I learned to accept it and deal with it".

He stopped responding to me and just started repeating over and over "we are not doing this!" I had no idea what he was talking about and my mother who had accompanied me to assist me at my appointment had no idea what he was talking about. I tried to ask what is happening.. But he just kept waving his hands in front of himself and repeating "we are not doing this" "we are not going there" it was very alarming! He seemed like he totally changed to a different person! He wouldn't respond to us asking him what was wrong he just kept repeating "we are not doing this!"

At some point My mother said what is her diagnosis? And he stopped, looked at his computer and sharply said "Personality Disorder! You don't deal with stress and events." I said to him "isn't Bipolar a personality disorder?" But then I imedatly said "oh I'm sorry it's a mood disorder."
He then started saying "you aren't attacking my diagnosis! Your attacking me!" I'm not going to sit here while you gang up on me!"
I said "we aren't" but he cut me off and said "WE ARE NOT GOING THERE!" I began to cry. My mother firmly said to him "Sir, the way you are acting is not appropriate! It is the way you are responding that is upsetting her." But he just talked over her and said "WE ARE NOT GOING THERE!" "WE ARE DONE HERE"

He got up abruptly opened his door pointed out and Said "WE ARE DONE!"
We were totally in shock and as we followed him out towards the waiting room we were saying to one another "what just happened in there?" And my mother said to me "you need to talk to [therapist I'll call 'A']" right then we passed "A's" door and it was opened she was just sitting at her desk. I was so distressed that I stopped and said to her "I don't know what just happened in there" But the NP swung around stepped between me and the open door and put his hands up as if blocking me and said "this isn't how things are done here!"

I was really frightened by that and just wanted to get away from him so I went out to the waiting room, and immediately told the receptionist "somthing very wrong just happened in there!"
They got me forms to fill out and arranged an appointment with my therapist for a couple hours later.

But even worse is the fact that the NP then put 2 new diagnosis in my charts! Personality disorder and Factitious disorder! I had to look up what that was and was shocked, it is where people knowingly fake having illness to get unnecessary medical treatments.

Later when I received the records of the appointment, as I requested, I found that he wrote lies and defamatory statements about me and my mother!

He made no mention of his behavior and offered no evidence for his extremely confrontational comments about me. Saying I was berating him attacking his diagnosis refusing to accept a different explanation of diagnosis... And saying I was defending having Bipolar in order to cover up my behavior and to receive monetary benefits! That I was creating illnesses to get sympathy and maintain my role as the sick individual needing care! And that my mother was a co facilitator in this behavior and should be barred from all future appointments!
He made it sound like he had tried to explain all of these things to me and had repeatedly expressed his willingness to help me work through things!
All lies!

It took over a month to have his false diagnoses both taken of my files, and still his notes are in my files! Although to someone honestly reading them they would realize how exremly bizarre the notes are and that he arrived at those opinions after 1 visit and without any health history to back up his "diagnosis". But at the same time I worry that there could be some healthcare providers who may see his notes and just assume they are true without reasoning on them.

I have reported all of this to the state mental health department as well as the hospital running the clinic.

I'm just so afraid to go to any healthcare providers after this because it was so traumatic! I have been continuing my therapy and a new NP was assigned to me to handle my meds. But I even feel afraid with them even though they have been very nice. I just keep fearing that somthing like that will happen again.

Also I feel like what he did isn't being addressed. He is still practicing because I saw him there several times since, and he was calling patients in from the waiting room. I am now stuck with having apointments only on the one day that he is in another office so that I don't have to go through being re-traumatized every time I see him around the office! And the hospital and clinic only say they can't discuss any of it with me!

I feel so alone with this! My mom has complex PTSD has been traumatized by his actions, and therefore I decided to not allow her to read his notes in my records as I feel like it would traumatize her more. But that leaves me feeling alone with getting everything fixed. I usually need her help with understanding how to fill out forms because I don't always understand the questions and I have a hard time expressing myself in speaking with others and get frustrated as my thoughts rush by too fast to be able to get them out at therapy.

I'm so sorry you had to deal with this. Good for you for reporting it and making sure the diagnoses get taken off your record. What a strange and bizarre thing to happen. I can imagine that you and your mom were traumatized by this.

Thank you @velcro003 Yes it was so bizarre and really traumatic!
The only time I have seen someone act remotely like that (although not even as bad) was when I have seen persons I know who have dissociative episodes. And those persons could still be reasoned with to some extent. It was like he had a total break with the reality of what was going on.
The really disturbing part is that he "diagnosed" me while in that state! I just really hope the facility is reviewing his other patients records and diagnosis to be sure he hasn't or isn't doing this to others who have been too confused or afraid to come forward!
Honestly if I had been in there alone and he hadn't acted like he did in the hallway in front of the therapist, I would have probably assumed no one would believe that could have actually happened.

That’s really horrifying and I’m so sorry that happened to you! I just wanted to say that people are here for you. Hugs.

How very frightening! Glad you have reported this, but sorry to hear he is still practicing. Has your therapist been able to help any or are they a part of the same clinic?

Thanks so much. It's good to talk about this with others. It helps process it all I think.

Hug's that's a very horrible scary np. I am so sorry you had to go through that. I am glad you reported and kept going to your therapist. I have had lousy t's but not this bad. We are here for you. Welcome to pc. Hugs

Thanks so much.

One thing that has made this harder for me is not being able to figure out the words to describe what happened right away. I knew how it made me feel but I couldn't figure out how to convey that to others in a way that really seemed to express everything.
Now after searching and search online I'm grasping words to explain it all. Like at first I knew his behavior was inappropriate and harmful, but I couldn't really get the word I was looking for to explain his behavior. It ends up that word is "abusive", such a simple word and it is exactly what I felt like, but no one was using that word in talking with me about it all and I just couldn't draw up the word from my brain. It's such a weird thing that happens to me where I can't find a word to express things.. Even though I know the word already! So frustrating!

Welcome to the forum. I'm so sorry you've experienced this , very traumatic for you and your Mother. We are an experienced , understanding and supportive community here , so I'm glad you've joined us and hopefully posting will allow you to express how you're feeling and process a little. ( Safe Hugs )

I'm sorry you experienced this (it was appalling ) Good for you for reporting it and for having the wrong label taken out of your notes. Welcome to pc, I hope you find it helpful here

Thanks everyone,
I'm going to talk with my therapist some more about this tomorrow. I journaled what I'm feeling and my fears so I can talk about them with her tomorrow.
Hope it goes well.

I am so relieved, my appointment with my therapist went so good yesterday. I discussed with her exactly how I was feeling about what the Nurse Practitioner had done, and I asked her what she had thought about his actions that he displayed outside her door. She told me that she was absolutely appalled by how he had treated me and that she had made known exactly how she felt about the situation to the supervisor.

I can't even describe how much releif just hearing that brought to me!

To just hear another person express how much they felt disturbed by this event really validated my emotions.

She let me talk about all the fears and uneasiness i have with being in the same building, I cried a lot and that really felt like a lot of weight releasing from my shoulders.

She also really seemed to understand my explaining how difficult it is for me to express myself during the appointments, because of how my thoughts run through my brain too fast and I get confused.
I had written down everything before the appointment so that I could get all the thoughts down and then read it to her, she suggested that I may benefit from doing that in between appointments so that I dont get overwhelmed during the appointment and shut down and not get out what I need to talk about. I think that is a good idea for now at least.

Hello iSurvive, Welcome to Psych Central, Thank you for sharing. I was incredibly touched by your story. If you ever questioned whether or not you were alone, I want to reassure you that, you are definitely not alone! What I know about our mental health profession would normally knock your socks off, but I have a funny feeling that after your experience, you have an inkling into the kinds of hypothetical scenarios that might unfold in the therapeutic setting... I want to say first and foremost, how very happy I am that subsequent professionals who you have met with have validated and supported you. This is paramount to healing from traumas such as yours. All the best, Thanks, HD7970ghz

I am also glad for you that subsequent professionals validated your experience. I have not found this from professionals in my forest. (irl) My experiences were and are real

I am so sorry that happened. How terrifying! he was very, very wrong.