Q about whether therapy is helping or not

WastingAsparagus · Feb 22, 2020 at 12:19 AM

My therapist seems to just echo what my psychiatrist says, though she is a distinct professional. Is there something wrong with this?

She helps me with certain things, but also makes me doubt certain things, like how I look when I go down on medication (even though my psychiatrist said I could go down on the medication).

I am just worried she is kind of calling the shots even though I know I should be the one in charge.

There seems to be no objectivity in her judgments of how I seem. She said two sessions ago I looked "different" in the morning, and convinced me to go back up on the medication I was trying to go down on. I am wondering, is this bad? I feel like it's kind of pseudo-medical advice that she's giving me, even though she's not an MD. I don't really understand how she is qualified to give me that kind of advice. And even though I felt better on a lower dose of that medication in terms of my creativity and feeling of well-being, she said I should go back up on it. That is concerning to me.

Out There · Feb 22, 2020 at 02:50 AM

You know best how you feel and what you need and what the best decisions for you are. Sounds like she's telling you what to do?

WastingAsparagus · Feb 23, 2020 at 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Out There

You know best how you feel and what you need and what the best decisions for you are. Sounds like she's telling you what to do?

Yeah, you're right. I think she is telling me what to do.

Elio · Feb 24, 2020 at 08:54 AM

While I agree she is telling you what to do, she is also giving you valuable feedback. I don't know how your mental health issues manifest for you. For some, they don't realize what they maybe doing that looks to others as struggling because internally they are feeling something different. I know for me, I didn't realize how I was sinking when I decreased my meds. Day to day felt pretty much the same; however, those on the outside caught that I was isolating more and becoming more black and white in my thinking.

So, I guess I'd be cautious in totally disregarding her comments. Take it as information and talk to her more about what she is seeing and why she might be seeing it from a non-medicine perspective as well as a medicine perspective. If you have others in your life you trust, do some reality checking with them. Maybe you just hadn't slept well that one day... maybe... maybe (lots of possibles) and maybe it is just an adjustment to the medication change and might level back out.

WastingAsparagus · Feb 25, 2020 at 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elio

While I agree she is telling you what to do, she is also giving you valuable feedback. I don't know how your mental health issues manifest for you. For some, they don't realize what they maybe doing that looks to others as struggling because internally they are feeling something different. I know for me, I didn't realize how I was sinking when I decreased my meds. Day to day felt pretty much the same; however, those on the outside caught that I was isolating more and becoming more black and white in my thinking.

So, I guess I'd be cautious in totally disregarding her comments. Take it as information and talk to her more about what she is seeing and why she might be seeing it from a non-medicine perspective as well as a medicine perspective. If you have others in your life you trust, do some reality checking with them. Maybe you just hadn't slept well that one day... maybe... maybe (lots of possibles) and maybe it is just an adjustment to the medication change and might level back out.

Thanks, and I appreciate all of the feedback in this thread. I think that I am still going to take her advice, though she was commenting that I looked bad when I jumped from 5mg olanzapine to 0mg of the same, and that was actually bad. So now I am on 2.5mg olanzapine, and am going to see my therapist tomorrow and see what she says. I know that ultimately my psychiatrist is the one who makes med decisions, though I understand as well that my therapist can (and does) give me valuable feedback on how I seem, among many other things.

Shotokan · Feb 27, 2020 at 02:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WastingAsparagus

My therapist seems to just echo what my psychiatrist says, though she is a distinct professional. Is there something wrong with this?

She helps me with certain things, but also makes me doubt certain things, like how I look when I go down on medication (even though my psychiatrist said I could go down on the medication).

I am just worried she is kind of calling the shots even though I know I should be the one in charge.

There seems to be no objectivity in her judgments of how I seem. She said two sessions ago I looked "different" in the morning, and convinced me to go back up on the medication I was trying to go down on. I am wondering, is this bad? I feel like it's kind of pseudo-medical advice that she's giving me, even though she's not an MD. I don't really understand how she is qualified to give me that kind of advice. And even though I felt better on a lower dose of that medication in terms of my creativity and feeling of well-being, she said I should go back up on it. That is concerning to me.

Psychologists should not be discussing meds with patients. The brain does not exist in a vacuum. There are contraindications to consider; there are health issues when it comes to prescribing. This should only be discussed with a psychiatrist or primary care physician. She needs to stick to boundaries in this case which is therapy and NOT meds.

You can tell your psychiatrist that your therapist noticed changes in your presentation at certain doses. But she should stop discussing meds.I

And I say this as a former medical student.

vultureculture · Feb 27, 2020 at 11:01 AM

THERE ARE PATIENTS RIGHTS YOU CAN ASK FOR. Please ask her to show you a dx's, then ask that your T kind of agree, but leaves it to the dx'er so that there is less confusion especially if you need to remain in therapy. Ask about information on what it means and for an example a statement used to validate it.

vultureculture · Feb 27, 2020 at 11:14 AM

Disordered thought try not to argue they are trained to help. I'd say and be defensive just say you misspoke in my personal experience it helped me solved life age old question!

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Out There Legendary Member Since Oct 2015 Location: England Posts: 11,355 (SuperPoster!) 8 14.6k hugs given	Feb 22, 2020 at 02:50 AM #2 You know best how you feel and what you need and what the best decisions for you are. Sounds like she's telling you what to do? __________________ "Trauma happens - so does healing "
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vultureculture Account Suspended Member Since Oct 2019 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 144 4	Feb 27, 2020 at 11:01 AM #7 THERE ARE PATIENTS RIGHTS YOU CAN ASK FOR. Please ask her to show you a dx's, then ask that your T kind of agree, but leaves it to the dx'er so that there is less confusion especially if you need to remain in therapy. Ask about information on what it means and for an example a statement used to validate it.
	Reply With Quote

vultureculture Account Suspended Member Since Oct 2019 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 144 4	Feb 27, 2020 at 11:14 AM #8 Disordered thought try not to argue they are trained to help. I'd say and be defensive just say you misspoke in my personal experience it helped me solved life age old question!
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