In a message dated 5/27/2004 1:19:41 PM Central Daylight Time,
keara786@... writes:

Dear Keara:

I feel I should make a few comments based on my experience. Please don't take
this as criticism but look at it more as someone who has been there before
and would rather you didn't make the same mistakes I did while seeking out
treatment.

<< I saw a previous psych once in Oakbrook-Dr Benezra and he scared the sh%^
out of me...I literally ran out of his office to my car on the other side of
the Oakbrook mall.>>

I am curious as to why you felt he scared you?
Most adults will have differing opinions on the same topic and reasonable
adults will disagree, sometimes vehemently. But hardly ever does it get to the
point where a rational person would be scared.
If you were looking at this as an outsider and a person ran out of a doctors
office what would you think?

<<He wouldn't give me back my records after I demanded them back and I hda to
literally repeat everything I said to him over and over>>

There MAY be some legal reason as to why he didn't return the records.
Usually records are requested in writing to protect everyone involved. This
prevents
a patient from saying something in a court of law like "I never requested my
records and now they are missing." There are liability issues and he's
protecting himself and his practice.

<<and he took phone calls about a stupid watch repair during my appointment
w/o appologizing... just completely forgetting that I was there.>>

No excuse for that at all. Unless it was some sort of "test" to see how you
would react.

<< Then he brought my mom in and tried to convince her that I was seriously
mentally ill and needed to be in a hospital b/c I was mad at him for taking a
phone call during my appointment that lasted 10 minutes!>>

In his assessment he may have thought that you were ill and was covering his
ass if you hurt yourself in the future. That may be why he suggested
hospitalization. It was a judgment call and reflects nothing more than one
person's
opinion. there are 6 billion people in the world and everyone one of them has an
opinion. His opinion was one of 6 billion, nothing more, nothing less. He may
be right or he may be wrong. This is why any and every competent professional
will encourage someone to seek a second opinion. That is unless they feel that
one is an immediate threat to ones self or to others.

<>

Just hang up if he calls. Follow it up with a letter requesting that he has
no further contact with you in the future. He will stop. Changing numbers
because you're afraid of what someone MIGHT do is not rational unless he has
repeatedly called or threatened you, then it should become a Police matter. You
should not have to change your life because of what someone else does.

<<Would another type of MD treat ADHD too? Manage medications? What about a
Neurologist? >>

Depends what type of treatment you are seeking or need?
ADHD/ADD rarely exists in a vacuum, there are often other situations; such as
depression, relationship problems, anxiety, and employment issues to name a
few, that are present.
The progression of treatment is usually as follows.
You must get a diagnosis by a recognized professional in the field.
He/She will recommend a Psychiatrist for you to see. When that person feels
comfortable they may prescribe medication. The medication of choice is usually
some type of stimulant. It may take a while for the Doctor to get to that
point because those medications are abused by some members of society. Another
factor is your age. Unfortunately that is working against you when it comes time
to write a script. Someone younger is more likely to abuse the medication than
someone older. At least many people believe that, true or not. It shouldn't
matter but in reality it does. I can walk into a doctors office and request
Desoxyn (Methamphetamine) and probably get a prescription, someone 20 years old
would be sent on his/her way so fast... it's not fair and it shouldn't be like
that. Then again war and hunger aren't fair either, but we have them.
Anyway, after the Psychiatrist sees you for a while, maybe 6 months to a
year, you can talk with your PCP about getting on medication management, tell
him/her you're going broke from seeing the shrink (which wont be far from the
truth). At that point they MAY feel comfortable just giving you the medication.
It
would help if you were to save your old prescription bottles to show your
doctor, no doctor want to be the first to prescribe a medication that he/she is
not familiar with.
I went through all of the above and it took years to get to the point where I
was just able to call my doctor and request another months supply of
medication. "Hello, it's Ron and it's controlled substance Monday."
Since I have finally managed to get that down to a science, I changed
insurance carriers ... oh well.
Getting the proper treatment isn't easy and you have to be your own advocate,
running out of an office and getting upset at a doctor hurts your ultimate
goal IMHO.
Sometimes one has to bite their tongue, which for us people with ADD is most
difficult.
You will also have to be patient. For people with ADD that's almost
impossible.
Good Luck,

Ron