More advice needed: Having problems with therapist's business place.

[AuroraGyps]

I seem to be having a problem with the place I go for psychiatric therapy (therapist and shrink both at the same place). Over the last 1 1/2 -2 weeks, I've left 2 messages on my therapist's voicemail (one saying I'd run out of meds, one canceling an appointment due to an anxiety attack, my 6 or seventh in a couple of weeks, and asking if she could call me during our appointed time, to give me some advice), a message with the office manager, and have talked to the receptionist twice (first my mentioning that my therapist doesn't reply to my voicemail messages and the second being told that my therapist was returning messages just at that moment). Also, my mom has left a message or two and talked to the receptionist. Sat around all day, everyday since Tuesday (and stayed off the phone) and no one has called. Also, I sent them paperwork to be filled out for temp. disability around the middle of Nov (I haven't worked in 3 months) and they sent me back both forms, not filled in, except for someone's (I can't even tell who's) signature and the date they signed it the middle of Dec.
These people know that I am suffering from a social anxiety disorder and depression (which is getting worse and worse.... I'd say I could probably call it severe), that I need my meds, not only to function, but because the withdrawel symptoms are awful, and that I am currently going through a very rough time with work, and my life, and a lot of important paperwork (SSI, medicaid, foodstamps, etc... and I'm having an extra hard enough time with those without other people stressing me out too) which regularly stresses me out. I've been so bad sometimes that I've mentioned suicide. My question is, what do I do?
I owe some money from some previously unpaid sessions, but they haven't sent me a bill saying what I owe (which I couldn't even start to paying off since they messed up my disability forms). Also, I've missed three apointments since I got back to Buffalo (twice due to anxiety, once do to oversleeping... & they still get paid for a missed visit that's canceled under 24 hours before). Would these people actually be taking this stuff out on me? Is that ethical? It would be nice to just get a quick call saying they got my message, are really busy, and will get back to me ASAP. Ad I know I sound a bit paranoid, but that's the social disorder, always wondering what people are doing and why, feeling like no one hears what I'm saying or doesn't care, plus making phone calls are one of the bains of my existence.
I'm trying to get better and back on my feet and back to work, but I'm being hampered by people that are supposed to be helping me. I don't know what to do anymore and don't kow how much more I can take. If anybody has any ideas or advice, please post, cause I really have no idea what to do and I'm getting desperate. Thanks.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

That doesn't very professional of them.

I'm certainly no therapist, and I can't fathom the implications of your disorder, but could their nonchalantness (is that even a word?) be some kind of "therapeutic" strategy? They (I say "they" but I really mean your therapist) would be forcing you to live a stressful situation, that they sort of control, to see how you react (some sort of "tough love" therapy?)? It seems highly improbable, of course. Some might even say "Inconceivable". But it's a question that you could ask them.

I wish you the best, and hope things pick up fast.

AR

 

[Wycen]

Perhaps you can go to the office and talk to the office manager to clear things up?

 

[AuroraGyps]

I have an appointment with the Shrink on Feb 4 and I plan to talk to everybody. It's just that, from where I live, this place is a 20-30 minute bus ride downtown and then a short ride on the Metro Rail (the Buffalo subway). I could go there, but I have no idea who'd be there without anyone calling and telling me. Plus, I haven't been doing so welll with the "going out" thing since I got back from my parents. I've only been out of the house twice in the last 2 1/2 weeks.
Well, we'll see if anyone calls tomorrow morning. I left a long ( I ran out of room for my message), upset message on my therapist's voice mail. I was in tears and I kept saying that I hated sounding angry and everything, but that I really need help.

 

[Turanil]

I left a long ( I ran out of room for my message), upset message on my therapist's voice mail. I was in tears and I kept saying that I hated sounding angry and everything, but that I really need help.

I do a therapy myself, although I am in much better condition than you it seems. In the light of the therapy I am following, I would say you must go to their office and cry and beg for their help. This is certainly not the thing to do anywhere else! But reading your posts I wouldn't be surprised that one of your problems is about having felt (in your childhood) not helped, nor listened to, etc. And now you must again go through that horrible feeling, and feel again the fear and suffering.

I would say: it could be possible that they treat you like this intentionally (despite I think it is improbable and a bad method) to provoke your unconscious feeling and have them "surface". They could also be uncaring and incompetent, but it amounts to the same result in the end: you are alone with this predicament and they don't help you.

You can only feel your despair and cry.

Sorry, I cannot help you. :\

 

[Turanil]

For those who would think I am rude: I don't intend to. The therapy I follow (Primal Therapy) hold that one must go back to the feelings of pain, fear, etc. (in his forgotten memories) to feel them again in order to deactivate them. The idea is that such feelings must not be repressed (the natural way of brain's proceeds) and kept locked in your unconscious where they will affect your life without you being aware of why you feel so bad. In the Primal Therapy sessions, the only thing is to go back to these feelings and relive them. So the therapist guides you toward such bad feelings. However, the therapist I do see would never act as described in Aurora's post. But who knows what other would do, and if they are not really uncaring and incompetent? In any case, these feelings of being not helped, not cared for, etc. (if it really that of course) will have to be felt again... No other way around.

 

[Tanager]

Hi, not a therapist or in any way qualified to give advice on this. But I've been in therapy for an anxiety/panic disorder myself for about 6 months, although my situation doesn't seem as severe as yours. I'd like to ask a couple of questions:

Other than the meds, what form of therapy are you using?
Also, how do your panic attacks manifest themselves?

If you don't want to go into it here, or you just need a sounding board or someone to vent to feel free to email me at: (removing the (no.spam) of course)

ddyer(no.spam)@sympatico.ca

 

[Umbran]

But who knows what other would do, and if they are not really uncaring and incompetent? In any case, these feelings of being not helped, not cared for, etc. (if it really that of course) will have to be felt again... No other way around.

It seems important to warn you, Turanil, that in the US, Primal Therapy does not have a a good reputation. A few children have died in this country under the care of practitioners of one variety of the theory, and the whole theory has been brought into question.

Their practice may not have any real similarities to your therapist's, but soem folks may frown at you pretty hard for suggesting it.

In general, EN World is not a good place to look for or give suggestions on medical or psychiatric treatment. If nothing else, the liability issues are nasty.

 

[Turanil]

It seems important to warn you, Turanil, that in the US, Primal Therapy does not have a a good reputation. A few children have died in this country under the care of practitioners of one variety of the theory, and the whole theory has been brought into question.

Very interesting. Have you an URL I could get a look at on this specific subject?

In general, EN World is not a good place to look for or give suggestions on medical or psychiatric treatment. If nothing else, the liability issues are nasty.

Since Aurora sought advice I gave mine, from my own experience of which I am much satisfied with. But well, I will never bring back this kind of subject here, especially if a moderators suggest against it. (By the way: my advice is just that: a suggestion on the Internet, and the relation of my experience, nothing more.)

 

[Abstraction]

It might help you to remember that people in the psychiatric profession are quite often desperately unhappy themselves. A healthy person is not drawn to a profession that mostly entails hearing people suffer while being able to offer very little (very slow) help. Add in to that financial difficulties if you are going to a "sliding scale" therapist.

What you are experiencing probably has nothing to do with you personally and very much to do with your therapists and her businesses problems.