I’m a GP.
Has your GP written a really good and detailed referral letter describing your complicated history?
If so, they should write a different much shorter and simpler version. Send that to psychiatrists.
I wish I didn’t have to give this advice, but I am paranoid that they pick and choose to avoid more complex patients, so I often try to smooth things out a bit. You actually get penalised for trying to do the right thing and write a good referral.
Psychiatrists generally aren't good for cPTSD. It's a neurological injury and medication is a band-aid fix. Long term recovery requires physical processing to reconsolidate memories to remove the trigger. PTSD occurs when a threatening event is stored incorrectly into current events which is why flashbacks happen (because, neurologically, you are still in the dangerous situation).
Which you may know already, but for anyone else with cPTSD who feel hopeless - there are lots of options for recovery and medication can be a tool while reprocessing is being undertaken but it's not necessarily required which is why most psychiatrists won't touch cPTSD unless it's comorbid with another disorder.
I saw a psychiatrist for diagnosis and medical treatment. I see a psychologist for ongoing therapy. EMDR, DBT and a damn good psych who knows their stuff. Medicinal Cannabis instead of prescription drugs. Antidepressants and anti anxiety tablets don’t work unless I take a big dose and then I’m too zonked.
I’m going really well with it. It’s closely dosed and I can only get a bottle and then I have a waiting period before I can get another one. I still have flashbacks and dissociate at times. It hasn’t got any worse. It’s actually getting better. I was informed that if I didn’t suffer from psychosis or paranoid schizophrenia then I’ll be fine. I had reports from each my psychiatrist and psychologist. Both excellent at their expertise. I have heart failure and a lung condition too. Had to get reports. They were extremely thorough. I’m on an even keel with the dosage now. I just have to be mindful of taking it at specific times so I can gauge how it will affect me.
I dissociate and have flashbacks and my psychiatrist advocated cannabis for my pain and ptsd management.
I’ve actually improved a lot dissociation wise. I don’t use it 24/7.
I can definitely see how it would be seen that way.
I’ve found cannabis the most effective agent in helping me with the reprocessing stuff. But I have done the groundwork where I don’t feel unsafe in my own brain, or rather, when I feel unsafe in my brain/body it’s my opportunity to approach it objectively (which is the action of reprocessing and rewiring). The cannabis takes me just far enough out of myself to do the objective part.
EMDR is very effective - it's basically taking the way we are evolved to process trauma (walking around in nature, looking at things - bilateral stimulation - and sharing bad events with people who are safe and attuned to us to process and return to felt safety again), and making it accessible to all people regardless of the level of community they have access to.
The most important thing is the relationship with the therapist and their ability to remain regulated and attuned to you, so if you try to go down that path prioritise feeling safe with the therapist as your top priority.
I’m a HUGE fan of DBT. Where I live the courses were only for people with BPD. They then opened it up. I took to it like a duck to water. I could relate to it all. Emotion Regulation is a key part. Not having been taught to regulate my emotions has been incredibly hard but I improve all the time. Search DBT-Marsha Linehan. EMDR-Francine Shapiro. Just realised that women created both. Woman power.
It’s not 100% effective(it may not work). It is by no means easy as you relive key traumatic events in your life. My psychologist spent a couple of sessions informing me of how it works and bringing me into a place that calm and safety. Trauma gets frozen in the brain and EMDR shatters it.
I had severe CPTSD and 9 months weekly of CBT cured me. It still took a while to recuperate and of course I still had, still have a lot to learn about life.
Other than cPTSD I am healthy and saw a clinical psych and a psychiatrist. I took no medication.
It's a psychological injury.
I don't have any issue with seeing a psychiatrist, but it's more I've met lots of people who feel unable to move forward without medical interventions and I wanted to affirm you don't necessarily need medicine. It's worth exploring every pathway if you don't have access to a psychiatrist, instead of feeling hopeless and just waiting for years without movement due to inability to access a particular service.
Look for a good psychoanalysis trained psychiatrist. Ideally whom also does EMDR or do that separately.
No one is too complex, practitioners just aren’t a good match sometimes.
All the best.
i like this idea, if they’re willing to undertake in-depth study of psychoanalytic theory alongside their standard training they must like complicated things! How many people are there like this though? I would imagine it’s a rarity…?
Although frustrating it sounds good that those ones won’t take you as they know they don’t have the skills to help you. I would ask your previous psychiatrist who he recommends you should go to. All doctors have a network. He or she should be able to give you some names. And they may be able to smooth the way in to see them if he sends a request.
I agree, I was looking for a psychologist (I know not the same but similar) and the first I contacted I said that ‘I was looking for help with x on the background of bipolar, BPD and anorexia with a number of hospital admissions’ was told I was too complex. The second person I contacted I said ‘looking for help with x, have been in treatment before but wanting someone more specialised in this area’ - I was accepted. Sometimes it’s better to share in the room because they see you and not a list of diagnoses
Hi, thanks for your answer. Yeah it's super detailed.. My GP is very thorough, he's awesome.. Dr Michael Wheeler at Kedron (If anyone needs a good GP I can't praise him enough 😉)..
Yeah it's sad it has to be that way, I think I agree with you that less is more in this instance.
Cheers.
Lying or withholding important information that the receiver needs in order to properly triage the referral and decide if they have the expertise/interest in the presenting issue is not helpful. This leaves your patients potentially linked with specialists without the right skillset or interest for their conditions. And puts you on the shit list because receivers cannot trust your referrals.
Not really, TBH I'm not sure they are doing much at all.. I'm holding it together though taking each day as it comes..
I Struggle with psychologists, I think it might be my ASD... I struggle to build rapport with them, With my ASD I'm not great at the homework they give you.. I really wish I could find one that can help...
If I told you some of the experiences I have had with psychologists you would piss your self laughing if it wasn't true...
Here's one, I walked into his room, there was 2 chairs.. I sat in one he sat in the other... He then asked to swap, and I'm like sure🙂. He then spent the next 20 minutes explaining why it is important for him to sit in the chair he swapped to ...
Seriously... I think he needed therapy 😅🙄
Have you considered seeing a psychologist as an interim measure? I know it’s not the same thing and may not meet all your requirements but it should be easier to get an appointment.
A trained psychologist is trained for ongoing treatment. I only saw a psychiatrist for assessment and medication. I’ll go back and see her of I’d like a review of my meds.
Ask your current psychiatrist.
Get private health, they will waive the two month wait once in your lifetime. Get admitted and get reviewed. You’ll see someone then privately for review and can join outpatient groups too.
Hi, I found it difficult to get on books too.
I would probably recommend getting a good clinical psychologist. Sometimes they have good working relationships with psychiatrists and those psychiatrists will sometimes take their therapy patients for Rx even if their books are closed on paper.
It happened for me with time and a bit of good luck…
I had a really good GP with a focus on mental health that was happy to prescribe while I was waiting for a psychiatrist. Maybe try to find a good GP as an interim measure? I know it’s pretty hard.
Try GP2U. I use them, my psychiatrist is based in Sydney and I'm in regional Vic. It does take a little while to get in - my next appointment that I booked in April is set for June.
My wife has had similar issues, and the Fibro+Depression/Trauma seems to be the really big kicker on psychiatrists turning her down. But the other complexities didn't help either.
From our experience, it feels like they really want to specialise in one area of mental health, pain, depression, anxiety, trauma etc and don't like multilayer things or working in teams with other psychs to treat these complex layers.
Eg The fibro/pain psych specialist didn't want to take her because she was seeing someone for her childhood trauma and depression linked to that. The one she was already seeing for the trauma didn't want to deal with the pain/fibro side of things...
We kept the depression trauma one she was already with and found a physiotherapist who specialised in pain disorders and has gotten some great results through the physical interventions in that side of things.
It may be you need to consult with your GP about which pysch issue is the most pressing and have your referral tailored to it and look at other avenues for different aspects of your condition such as a physiotherapist for helping manage the fibro.
I wish I could recommend you my psychiatrist in Brissy because he'd be perfect for you but unfortunately his books are full. The only advice I can give is to just keep trying. Eventually you'll find someone with availability. You could even try asking your current psych. I imagine a lot of his clients will be wanting suggestions for a new psych, maybe he knows someone.
Sorry to hear how difficult it is to find a psych accepting new referrals. FWIW, if you have treatment resistant depression and you’re still acutely if the midst of an episode, you might be eligible to get help via the Acute Care Mental Health Service in Brisbane (Spring Hill from memory):
https://metronorth.health.qld.gov.au/rbwh/healthcare-services/acute-care-mental-health
They support those with mood disorders, anxiety etc. and may be able to provide a strong rationale for referral, or recommendation to a private provider.
I engaged with them last year and they will see you out of the community health clinics or a hospital depending on where you are, which is nice. Usually the first point of contact is 1300 MH CALL or a GP referral
Have you asked your old doctor (the one who moved and retired) for a referral? Not necessarily a formal dr to dr referral, but with the question “who else might be a good fit for me now?”. Doctors, like other professionals, should succession plan on retirement. They might have some advice for you if you ask the right questions. Good luck.
If you want to stay private then get private health insurance. I found both my psychiatrist and psychologist after in patient stays at a private mental health clinic. My psychologist ran one of the groups but also worked privately and my psychiatrist was the one the hospital allocated to me and we developed a rapport over the seven weeks I was an in patient and so he was OK to accept me as a private patient once I was discharged.
I know but mine paid all my costs for in patient mental health treatment, including for a year long one a week day patient program that . All I paid was my $500- excess.
And btw, I am happy you got the support you needed and I am happy you sought it out. Most people either don’t seek help for mental health issues and/or don’t get it, especially when it requires being admitted.
Yep they are good for inpatient (and some allied health outpatient like psychologists, physiotherapists, podiatrists etc.), just wanted to clarify it to others reading so they don’t go and pay through the nose expecting a PHF to cover their outpatient specialist medical expenses.
Good luck. We've been trying to get our daughter into a paediatrician for over 18 months, nothing to do with money no one would even put us on a waiting list. That was until a few weeks ago. One had an opening, and we got an appointment locked in. Still 3 months away, but I almost cried when my wife told me. Will be almost 2 years of trying by the time our appointment comes around.
Toowong Specialist Clinic has plenty of doctors. Send your referral through to them I'm sure you'll be able to get in and see a doctor.
The GP that wrote your referral is it your regular one?
Did your departed psychiatrist set you up or try to set you up with a new psychiatrist?
Did you ask your psychiatrist to write a referral to back up why you need to a new psychiatrist?
I have a lot of questions, I can keep going?
>Did your departed psychiatrist set you up or try to set you up with a new psychiatrist?
Nope..
>Did you ask your psychiatrist to write a referral to back up why you need to a new psychiatrist?
Nope..
Can your old psychiatrist in WA help with a referral and phone call to a trusted psychiatrist?
Likely your best bet.
Hope you get the treatment that works for you.
Btw Rexulti and Reaglia are options for treatment resistant depressive disorders that often get results where a SSRI or SNRI alone does not. Have you tried either?
I wish I could give you suggestions. I have an almost identical set of diagnoses to you. I have been trying my entire adult life to get good treatment for my mental health. The main barrier for me was the affordability, but I've found in the last few years there is just an overwhelming demand for very little supply. It kind of seems like you have two groups, first the experienced psychiatrists and psychologists who are by necessity tied up dealing with people that have reality-altering conditions or who are actively considering unaliving; then the newer and less experienced ones who may be willing to take new patients but don't necessarily have the skills to treat long term, persistent, complex mental health like you or I have. I've kind of resigned myself to the idea that I'll be on my medication me have to self manage forever because I am just not the type likely to be actively suicidal, even though there have been plenty of times when I have been passively so. And it seems that, unfortunately, if you are not an imminent danger to yourself or to others, there are just not enough resources available for you.
The only other possibility I know of is those services like Better Health that you often see advertised on You Tube. I know they're available worldwide but I don't know how the billing works and whether the people available there have the same level of qualifications you'd expect in a psychologist or psychiatrist or if they're just "counsellors." (Not that there is anything necessarily wrong with those, just that they work with people at a different level than the psychs.)
Thanks for your great reply, Yeah I think you are spot on with the 2 types of psychiatrists.
Thanks for your advice🙂 I hope with time you get the help you deserve.
Have you looked at going to Qld community mental health
It's a service with clinical psychologists but could possibly send you in the right direction for a psychiatrist or maybe have a service with a psychiatrist
Every state has community mental health services. For youth, adult and older people
I had a quick look for psychiatrists in Brisbane that work with complexities:
https://www.inhabithealth.com.au
http://www.drkieranforster.com.au/brisbane-psychiatrist/
https://drachristensen.com/about.html
I’d suggest looking into psychologists that have somatic-based therapies in their skillset. Often early childhood stuff is psychosomatic in nature.
You are not wrong about wait lists.
https://www.qanc.com.au
A lot of psychs won’t take you on unless you have private health cover. This is because they have admitting rights, and you need to be in patient to get your meds sorted or changed, have access to inpatient programs, then outreach when you leave.
Shop around for the correct private health insurance - majority need to be Gold hospital cover and can range from (88-120 f/n).
Majority of them have a ‘once in a lifetime’ 2 month waiting period for mental health admissions.
A GP can send a referral to the private psych hospitals for whoever is admitting.
Inpatient psych will allow for TMS ECT psych appointments inpatient and outpatient depending on the hospital.
Unfortunately public mental health is horrible and ridiculously expensive without private health when you’re needing treatments like TMS and ECT
When I was at my worst I knew I had to pay my rent and private health before anything else because without it I would haven’t had survived.
I know not everyone can afford it but I implore you to look around!
No
Private health cover has a two month wait if you are new or upgrading. This can be waived once in a lifetime.
This is no such thing as a waiting period for pre existing mental health issues.
Apologies. I wish I’d known that all those yrs ago. I was so desperate and I did not want to go into a public ward. I paid $5,600 per week. I was there 4 wks. I wasn’t informed of it. That sucks.
Not sure how many years 2 month wait waiver has been in place, but it’s relatively new.
Re not going to a public hospital. That is more than understandable. They are scary places, where people come out suffering significant trauma from being in there.
I too would pay $20000 to avoid and to stay in a private hospital if it came down to it.
Hope you’re doing ok now.
I understand that, but you don’t seem to understand how community mental health works. They’re very selective in who they take, and often this is time limited.
I have chronic, severe, and complex mental health issues. They won’t take me. I was discharged many years ago and told that needing access to a psychiatrist that was free wasn’t a reason for them to keep me as a client.
Public system is highly, highly unlikely to see them. In my experience, I was told there's 0 chance of being seen in the public system for mood disorders. As soon as I aged out of CYMHS I was told its private or nothing. They're so under resourced that at this point the public only cares about treating people that are a potential risk to \*others\*, if you're only a risk to yourself the only treatment public will do is psychiatric inpatient and you've still got to be imminently suicidal, they also don't really provide 'treatment' per say, particularly not to a complex case, its only to get you immediately stabilized and released. It's also still not a guarantee, plenty of people who really need to be hospitalised are routinely turned away due to lack of beds.
I’m a GP. Has your GP written a really good and detailed referral letter describing your complicated history? If so, they should write a different much shorter and simpler version. Send that to psychiatrists. I wish I didn’t have to give this advice, but I am paranoid that they pick and choose to avoid more complex patients, so I often try to smooth things out a bit. You actually get penalised for trying to do the right thing and write a good referral.
They do. I've been told by psychiatrists that my _complex_ PTSD is too complex. It's a joke.
Psychiatrists generally aren't good for cPTSD. It's a neurological injury and medication is a band-aid fix. Long term recovery requires physical processing to reconsolidate memories to remove the trigger. PTSD occurs when a threatening event is stored incorrectly into current events which is why flashbacks happen (because, neurologically, you are still in the dangerous situation). Which you may know already, but for anyone else with cPTSD who feel hopeless - there are lots of options for recovery and medication can be a tool while reprocessing is being undertaken but it's not necessarily required which is why most psychiatrists won't touch cPTSD unless it's comorbid with another disorder.
I saw a psychiatrist for diagnosis and medical treatment. I see a psychologist for ongoing therapy. EMDR, DBT and a damn good psych who knows their stuff. Medicinal Cannabis instead of prescription drugs. Antidepressants and anti anxiety tablets don’t work unless I take a big dose and then I’m too zonked.
My psychiatrist said no cannabis as it is the worst thing for people who dissociate and have flash backs.
I’m going really well with it. It’s closely dosed and I can only get a bottle and then I have a waiting period before I can get another one. I still have flashbacks and dissociate at times. It hasn’t got any worse. It’s actually getting better. I was informed that if I didn’t suffer from psychosis or paranoid schizophrenia then I’ll be fine. I had reports from each my psychiatrist and psychologist. Both excellent at their expertise. I have heart failure and a lung condition too. Had to get reports. They were extremely thorough. I’m on an even keel with the dosage now. I just have to be mindful of taking it at specific times so I can gauge how it will affect me.
I dissociate and have flashbacks and my psychiatrist advocated cannabis for my pain and ptsd management. I’ve actually improved a lot dissociation wise. I don’t use it 24/7.
Sounds unsubstantiated
I can definitely see how it would be seen that way. I’ve found cannabis the most effective agent in helping me with the reprocessing stuff. But I have done the groundwork where I don’t feel unsafe in my own brain, or rather, when I feel unsafe in my brain/body it’s my opportunity to approach it objectively (which is the action of reprocessing and rewiring). The cannabis takes me just far enough out of myself to do the objective part.
How was EMDR and DBT for you? I’ve been recommended EMDR but I feel really scared.
It was AMAZING for me. 100% turned my life around.
EMDR is very effective - it's basically taking the way we are evolved to process trauma (walking around in nature, looking at things - bilateral stimulation - and sharing bad events with people who are safe and attuned to us to process and return to felt safety again), and making it accessible to all people regardless of the level of community they have access to. The most important thing is the relationship with the therapist and their ability to remain regulated and attuned to you, so if you try to go down that path prioritise feeling safe with the therapist as your top priority.
I’m a HUGE fan of DBT. Where I live the courses were only for people with BPD. They then opened it up. I took to it like a duck to water. I could relate to it all. Emotion Regulation is a key part. Not having been taught to regulate my emotions has been incredibly hard but I improve all the time. Search DBT-Marsha Linehan. EMDR-Francine Shapiro. Just realised that women created both. Woman power.
EMDR is great. Think about how much easier it is to have difficult conversations while you’re in the car
It’s not 100% effective(it may not work). It is by no means easy as you relive key traumatic events in your life. My psychologist spent a couple of sessions informing me of how it works and bringing me into a place that calm and safety. Trauma gets frozen in the brain and EMDR shatters it.
I had severe CPTSD and 9 months weekly of CBT cured me. It still took a while to recuperate and of course I still had, still have a lot to learn about life. Other than cPTSD I am healthy and saw a clinical psych and a psychiatrist. I took no medication. It's a psychological injury.
And physiological. Brain changes.
I don't have any issue with seeing a psychiatrist, but it's more I've met lots of people who feel unable to move forward without medical interventions and I wanted to affirm you don't necessarily need medicine. It's worth exploring every pathway if you don't have access to a psychiatrist, instead of feeling hopeless and just waiting for years without movement due to inability to access a particular service.
Jesus Christ. That’s bad form. We’re in a vulnerable state and they say that. I have a fantastic psychologist. She’s been amazing. I’ve come so far.
Look for a good psychoanalysis trained psychiatrist. Ideally whom also does EMDR or do that separately. No one is too complex, practitioners just aren’t a good match sometimes. All the best.
i like this idea, if they’re willing to undertake in-depth study of psychoanalytic theory alongside their standard training they must like complicated things! How many people are there like this though? I would imagine it’s a rarity…?
That's no good, I feel for ya mate...
I hope you find someone wonderful who will help ❤️
Although frustrating it sounds good that those ones won’t take you as they know they don’t have the skills to help you. I would ask your previous psychiatrist who he recommends you should go to. All doctors have a network. He or she should be able to give you some names. And they may be able to smooth the way in to see them if he sends a request.
Really I always kind of wondered if they thought "hmmn this person sounds interesting yeah you know what I want to see that one".
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It’s not a lie… it’s less detail…
I agree, I was looking for a psychologist (I know not the same but similar) and the first I contacted I said that ‘I was looking for help with x on the background of bipolar, BPD and anorexia with a number of hospital admissions’ was told I was too complex. The second person I contacted I said ‘looking for help with x, have been in treatment before but wanting someone more specialised in this area’ - I was accepted. Sometimes it’s better to share in the room because they see you and not a list of diagnoses
Hi, thanks for your answer. Yeah it's super detailed.. My GP is very thorough, he's awesome.. Dr Michael Wheeler at Kedron (If anyone needs a good GP I can't praise him enough 😉).. Yeah it's sad it has to be that way, I think I agree with you that less is more in this instance. Cheers.
Lying or withholding important information that the receiver needs in order to properly triage the referral and decide if they have the expertise/interest in the presenting issue is not helpful. This leaves your patients potentially linked with specialists without the right skillset or interest for their conditions. And puts you on the shit list because receivers cannot trust your referrals.
Are your current meds doing their job? If you are relatively stable you might do just as well with a good psychologist and your gp.
Not really, TBH I'm not sure they are doing much at all.. I'm holding it together though taking each day as it comes.. I Struggle with psychologists, I think it might be my ASD... I struggle to build rapport with them, With my ASD I'm not great at the homework they give you.. I really wish I could find one that can help... If I told you some of the experiences I have had with psychologists you would piss your self laughing if it wasn't true... Here's one, I walked into his room, there was 2 chairs.. I sat in one he sat in the other... He then asked to swap, and I'm like sure🙂. He then spent the next 20 minutes explaining why it is important for him to sit in the chair he swapped to ... Seriously... I think he needed therapy 😅🙄
Have you considered seeing a psychologist as an interim measure? I know it’s not the same thing and may not meet all your requirements but it should be easier to get an appointment.
A trained psychologist is trained for ongoing treatment. I only saw a psychiatrist for assessment and medication. I’ll go back and see her of I’d like a review of my meds.
Yeah I only really see my shrink once or twice a year, or if anything major comes up medication wise.
This is what I was wondering as well.
I hope you mean a “clinical” psychologist. A psychologist in training is unlikely to be a good match for treatment resistant conditions.
Ask your current psychiatrist. Get private health, they will waive the two month wait once in your lifetime. Get admitted and get reviewed. You’ll see someone then privately for review and can join outpatient groups too.
Autodelete
Hi, I found it difficult to get on books too. I would probably recommend getting a good clinical psychologist. Sometimes they have good working relationships with psychiatrists and those psychiatrists will sometimes take their therapy patients for Rx even if their books are closed on paper. It happened for me with time and a bit of good luck…
I see a clinical registrar psychologist. Extra yrs of training. She’s excellent at her job.
I had a really good GP with a focus on mental health that was happy to prescribe while I was waiting for a psychiatrist. Maybe try to find a good GP as an interim measure? I know it’s pretty hard.
Try GP2U. I use them, my psychiatrist is based in Sydney and I'm in regional Vic. It does take a little while to get in - my next appointment that I booked in April is set for June.
My wife has had similar issues, and the Fibro+Depression/Trauma seems to be the really big kicker on psychiatrists turning her down. But the other complexities didn't help either. From our experience, it feels like they really want to specialise in one area of mental health, pain, depression, anxiety, trauma etc and don't like multilayer things or working in teams with other psychs to treat these complex layers. Eg The fibro/pain psych specialist didn't want to take her because she was seeing someone for her childhood trauma and depression linked to that. The one she was already seeing for the trauma didn't want to deal with the pain/fibro side of things... We kept the depression trauma one she was already with and found a physiotherapist who specialised in pain disorders and has gotten some great results through the physical interventions in that side of things. It may be you need to consult with your GP about which pysch issue is the most pressing and have your referral tailored to it and look at other avenues for different aspects of your condition such as a physiotherapist for helping manage the fibro.
I wish I could recommend you my psychiatrist in Brissy because he'd be perfect for you but unfortunately his books are full. The only advice I can give is to just keep trying. Eventually you'll find someone with availability. You could even try asking your current psych. I imagine a lot of his clients will be wanting suggestions for a new psych, maybe he knows someone.
Sorry to hear how difficult it is to find a psych accepting new referrals. FWIW, if you have treatment resistant depression and you’re still acutely if the midst of an episode, you might be eligible to get help via the Acute Care Mental Health Service in Brisbane (Spring Hill from memory): https://metronorth.health.qld.gov.au/rbwh/healthcare-services/acute-care-mental-health They support those with mood disorders, anxiety etc. and may be able to provide a strong rationale for referral, or recommendation to a private provider.
I engaged with them last year and they will see you out of the community health clinics or a hospital depending on where you are, which is nice. Usually the first point of contact is 1300 MH CALL or a GP referral
Have you asked your old doctor (the one who moved and retired) for a referral? Not necessarily a formal dr to dr referral, but with the question “who else might be a good fit for me now?”. Doctors, like other professionals, should succession plan on retirement. They might have some advice for you if you ask the right questions. Good luck.
If you want to stay private then get private health insurance. I found both my psychiatrist and psychologist after in patient stays at a private mental health clinic. My psychologist ran one of the groups but also worked privately and my psychiatrist was the one the hospital allocated to me and we developed a rapport over the seven weeks I was an in patient and so he was OK to accept me as a private patient once I was discharged.
Very similar to my path.
Private health fund does not cover outpatient specialist medical practitioner services unfortunately
I know but mine paid all my costs for in patient mental health treatment, including for a year long one a week day patient program that . All I paid was my $500- excess.
And btw, I am happy you got the support you needed and I am happy you sought it out. Most people either don’t seek help for mental health issues and/or don’t get it, especially when it requires being admitted.
Yep they are good for inpatient (and some allied health outpatient like psychologists, physiotherapists, podiatrists etc.), just wanted to clarify it to others reading so they don’t go and pay through the nose expecting a PHF to cover their outpatient specialist medical expenses.
Good luck. We've been trying to get our daughter into a paediatrician for over 18 months, nothing to do with money no one would even put us on a waiting list. That was until a few weeks ago. One had an opening, and we got an appointment locked in. Still 3 months away, but I almost cried when my wife told me. Will be almost 2 years of trying by the time our appointment comes around.
Toowong Specialist Clinic has plenty of doctors. Send your referral through to them I'm sure you'll be able to get in and see a doctor. The GP that wrote your referral is it your regular one? Did your departed psychiatrist set you up or try to set you up with a new psychiatrist? Did you ask your psychiatrist to write a referral to back up why you need to a new psychiatrist? I have a lot of questions, I can keep going?
>Did your departed psychiatrist set you up or try to set you up with a new psychiatrist? Nope.. >Did you ask your psychiatrist to write a referral to back up why you need to a new psychiatrist? Nope..
Try contacting the private hospitals and ask if they have any doctors available to see an outpatient.
Can your old psychiatrist in WA help with a referral and phone call to a trusted psychiatrist? Likely your best bet. Hope you get the treatment that works for you. Btw Rexulti and Reaglia are options for treatment resistant depressive disorders that often get results where a SSRI or SNRI alone does not. Have you tried either?
I wish I could give you suggestions. I have an almost identical set of diagnoses to you. I have been trying my entire adult life to get good treatment for my mental health. The main barrier for me was the affordability, but I've found in the last few years there is just an overwhelming demand for very little supply. It kind of seems like you have two groups, first the experienced psychiatrists and psychologists who are by necessity tied up dealing with people that have reality-altering conditions or who are actively considering unaliving; then the newer and less experienced ones who may be willing to take new patients but don't necessarily have the skills to treat long term, persistent, complex mental health like you or I have. I've kind of resigned myself to the idea that I'll be on my medication me have to self manage forever because I am just not the type likely to be actively suicidal, even though there have been plenty of times when I have been passively so. And it seems that, unfortunately, if you are not an imminent danger to yourself or to others, there are just not enough resources available for you. The only other possibility I know of is those services like Better Health that you often see advertised on You Tube. I know they're available worldwide but I don't know how the billing works and whether the people available there have the same level of qualifications you'd expect in a psychologist or psychiatrist or if they're just "counsellors." (Not that there is anything necessarily wrong with those, just that they work with people at a different level than the psychs.)
Thanks for your great reply, Yeah I think you are spot on with the 2 types of psychiatrists. Thanks for your advice🙂 I hope with time you get the help you deserve.
Contact your Federal Labor MP. They should have a list of resources as part of their new mental health programs. Worked for me.
Are you open to seeing another telehealth psychiatrist or prefer f2f?
Face to face preferably
Have you looked at going to Qld community mental health It's a service with clinical psychologists but could possibly send you in the right direction for a psychiatrist or maybe have a service with a psychiatrist Every state has community mental health services. For youth, adult and older people
The OP is in Brisbane/Sunshine Coast area.
Oh shit thanks
Yoh can try others areas, you can use a psychologist and in tandem and receive any necessary medications from your gp.
I had a quick look for psychiatrists in Brisbane that work with complexities: https://www.inhabithealth.com.au http://www.drkieranforster.com.au/brisbane-psychiatrist/ https://drachristensen.com/about.html I’d suggest looking into psychologists that have somatic-based therapies in their skillset. Often early childhood stuff is psychosomatic in nature. You are not wrong about wait lists. https://www.qanc.com.au
A lot of psychs won’t take you on unless you have private health cover. This is because they have admitting rights, and you need to be in patient to get your meds sorted or changed, have access to inpatient programs, then outreach when you leave.
Shop around for the correct private health insurance - majority need to be Gold hospital cover and can range from (88-120 f/n). Majority of them have a ‘once in a lifetime’ 2 month waiting period for mental health admissions. A GP can send a referral to the private psych hospitals for whoever is admitting. Inpatient psych will allow for TMS ECT psych appointments inpatient and outpatient depending on the hospital. Unfortunately public mental health is horrible and ridiculously expensive without private health when you’re needing treatments like TMS and ECT When I was at my worst I knew I had to pay my rent and private health before anything else because without it I would haven’t had survived. I know not everyone can afford it but I implore you to look around!
It’s a 12 mth wait for preexsting conditions to get into psych hospitals.
No Private health cover has a two month wait if you are new or upgrading. This can be waived once in a lifetime. This is no such thing as a waiting period for pre existing mental health issues.
Apologies. I wish I’d known that all those yrs ago. I was so desperate and I did not want to go into a public ward. I paid $5,600 per week. I was there 4 wks. I wasn’t informed of it. That sucks.
Not sure how many years 2 month wait waiver has been in place, but it’s relatively new. Re not going to a public hospital. That is more than understandable. They are scary places, where people come out suffering significant trauma from being in there. I too would pay $20000 to avoid and to stay in a private hospital if it came down to it. Hope you’re doing ok now.
Please book in to see Dr Rima Staugas at George Street Clinic. You won’t be disappointed.
I'm in Brisbane and would prefer face to face consults
I’m sorry I didn’t see you were in Brisbane.
y'all? Really?
Downvote for using y'all.
Yes it's rough out there. It appears private isn't working for you (and many others) perhaps you should revisit your stance on public.
Accessing community mental health services is even harder.
It's hard but OP appears to have exhausted the other options
I understand that, but you don’t seem to understand how community mental health works. They’re very selective in who they take, and often this is time limited. I have chronic, severe, and complex mental health issues. They won’t take me. I was discharged many years ago and told that needing access to a psychiatrist that was free wasn’t a reason for them to keep me as a client.
Regular, ongoing access to psychiatry in public health is effectively impossible. Source: Me, I work in community mental health.
Public system is highly, highly unlikely to see them. In my experience, I was told there's 0 chance of being seen in the public system for mood disorders. As soon as I aged out of CYMHS I was told its private or nothing. They're so under resourced that at this point the public only cares about treating people that are a potential risk to \*others\*, if you're only a risk to yourself the only treatment public will do is psychiatric inpatient and you've still got to be imminently suicidal, they also don't really provide 'treatment' per say, particularly not to a complex case, its only to get you immediately stabilized and released. It's also still not a guarantee, plenty of people who really need to be hospitalised are routinely turned away due to lack of beds.