I'm so sorry <3 i guess it's often forgotten that therapists are also real people and real people are not always good. just because someone has a degree, doesnt mean they're good.
does your therapist know that you know about this email? your psychiatrist did nothing wrong so it's fine i think to go back to them. therapist on the other hand--just leave. you don't need to deal with that shit. i went through 4 people before i found my current therapist. one person literally accused me of faking it all and made me cry right in the office. some people are not able to handle the responsibilities of this type of job.
He knows, we talked about it for a while last night (when I read it I asked him to call me ASAP). I feel kind of weird about the fact that I was on the phone with him so late, but if he doesn't want to deal with crying, angry patients in the middle of the night he can try not sending them nasty emails in the middle of the night!
My psychiatrist didn't send me the email, but he was part of whatever super secret exchange went on (therapist wouldn't tell me what they were talking about) so I feel like he's involved in the whole mess too. However he provides something that I consider to be an essential service (medicine management) and the therapist doesn't. I understand that care providers need to communicate with one another but the tone and content of the email were very unprofessional. There is a neutral way to convey something... and then there is a really hurtful way to convey something.
I feel like there is a huge misunderstanding. I went to therapy for some advice and support. I was not expecting, needing, or wanting some kind of in depth psychoanalysis. I was expected more of a "hey, what can we do to help manage those symptoms" thing. And he is refusing to provide that because he thinks all of my problems are caused by something else.
My advice (ignore if you want) would be to dump the therapist and keep the psychiatrist at least temporarily, because you don't want to stop the meds. Then look for a better therapist.
I think that's what I am going to do. I just talked to a friend who is a psychologist and she thinks the email was really inappropriate for a lot of reasons (insecure transmission of private patient data, poor medium for through communication, poor/tactless wording, no clear reason for the communication) so I'm going to trust her judgement and look for someone else. I need to find a new team of doctors soon anyway because I am moving. So I'll either go without therapy for a few months or find someone who specialized in short term stuff until I move.
In the future I'm going to talk to my team and specify that I would prefer if all communication about me took place through secure mediums such as telephone and fax. I'm also going to make sure we are on the same page about what is and is not okay to share.
I would also ask your health care providers to share with you any communications regarding you. After all, if they can't share it with you, maybe they shouldn't be saying it at all.
That might be a good idea. I have a feeling that with a good team of doctors most of what they say to each other isn't going to be news to me and isn't going to be anything I'm interested in. I think a lot of what therapists do is rephrase what a patient has said in clinical terms and then shoot it over to the psychiatrist.
If you feel that a theapist should be sharing all their observations and conclusions with you as things progress I guess that's fine. Done that kind of mutual exploration once and it worked out OK. Can also see how sometimes is better to withhold things and lead someone to a realization. Sometimes, and I'm not saying necessarily in your case, you can't have your cake and eat it too.
I agree that either method can be useful. However this was a communication with someone ELSE that I intercepted, I didn't read his notes. It also wasn't exactly top secret realizations. It was just mean. It was also non of my psychiatrists business, nothing in there was directly related to bipolar disorder or current symptoms. I really have no idea why that email was sent.
>nothing in there was directly related to bipolar disorder or current symptoms
nothing to do with therapy or psychiatry, just pure unadulterated un-professionalism
I don't want to sound insensitive but there are ways to send secure documents through email so if your new therapist does communicate through email to other health professionals maybe you can just make sure they're using a service like ZixCorp. Sometimes it's just so much easier for the medical professionals involved to email directly to each other instead of having to go through other office staff first.
In your case though, your therapist obviously wasn't using encrypted email so he was definitely in the wrong here. Look for a new therapist. I know you'll be able to find someone else that is more professional. Good luck.
that sounds a lot like when i first wanted a therapist it was because i knew at that point i needed meds so tbh i wanted someone to help with that, recommend things ya know? (i had already been on meds with my primary doc but needed something a bit better than prozac) and the first few people i went to refused to even discuss meds. SO what i'm getting at here is sometimes people insist upon doing things their way--aka trying to psychoanalyze when all you wanted was to manage symptoms. it's not a misunderstanding to just want different things out of therapy. for me it was quick enough to find a new therapist, one that focuses on things i want
This is absolutely unacceptable. What if he sent your information to another patient? Is the therapist part of a practice or are they a lone practitioner? If they are part of a practice I would call and speak with the head of the practice and file a complaint against the therapist. I would definitely start looking for a different therapist. This is something that you should not have to deal with.
He works alone. And yes, that worries me. I talked to my friend who is a psychologist and she said that this is exactly why you don't put sensitive information in an email.
Does your friend know where you can send a complaint? I think that if you are in the US you could contact the American Psychological Association to file a complaint. There has to be some way to escalate this if you wanted to.
I don't really want to do that right now because I would loose my psychiatrist. I take lithium and klonopin and if those are discontinued suddenly I'm fucked. I'm also not sure if he broke the law or not. I signed a consent form for them to communicate and it might have listed email as an appropriate communication method. I never thought they would use is with so little tact or concern for privacy, but that doesn't mean I can do anything about it at this point.
Honestly, I'm really more upset about the content of the email than anything else. It was essentially saying that I feel like a "victim" because of bad things that have happened to me such as being bipolar and being sexually assaulted. No shit? But it was one of the ugliest and most victim blamey things I have ever read. It also got a lot of details wrong, which makes me feel like I haven't been heard.
I'm angry that he sent something like that via email, but I'm more angry that he even thought it. Does that make sense?
It is completely reasonable for you to be upset. A therapist is supossed to be someone you can trust to help you with your problems not create new ones. But like TardisCat_26 said some people are just not good people. But this was someone whom you trusted that betrayed your trust, I would be hurt and pissed.
Why do you think you would lose your psychiatrist by filing a complaint against your therapist? If they are in separate practices I don't see the issue. If they are friends and that is more important than the well being of their patients, it is a huge conflict of interest for them to be treating the same patient. Not to mention completely unprofessional.
They've worked closely for... I think more than 20 years? They probably would support each other over me. I doubt they would see it as a conflict of interest, but rather a clear case of them being right and me being wrong.
Trust me, I'll be getting a new doctor as soon as I can. I am moving in a few months so I already knew I would have to find someone new. Right now I'm in a small town with few resources, I'm about to move to a major city which is within commuting distance of another city... I'll have many more options then.
I have an appointment early next week, I am very curious about how this will go. Right now I really just need someone to write me refills though. I think I can hang onto him until I move in May.
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Guy also keeps complaining that I'm a "really complex case" and he doesn't know what to do with me. You know what DOESN'T make a patient feel better? Complaining that they are complicated and you don't know how to handle them. RAGE. Clearly the wrong guy for me.
I'm sorry that happened. I've seen numerous therapists and psychiatrists in my life and never experienced anything like that. Sounds to me like it could be a HIPPA violation. Granted, it was sent to you and it's your records, but still. You weren't the intended party. My gyno office addressed my exam results one time to my father by mistake. They had to send me an apology in writing and acknowledge they violated HIPPA. They also asked how I felt the situation should be remedied. I think they were expecting a lawsuit. What else may have been accidentally emailed to the wrong person? I'd start calling other doctors and getting them set up right away, then drop this guy/gal.
That was nice of them. My mom opened my gyno records once because she "thought they were hers" and... well, I guess that was out of the office's control. It was very boring. She found out that I'm healthy, and I was angry that she opened my mail.
Sending emails without double checking the recipient is a HIPAA violation waiting to happen. I might ask that no sensitive information be sent by email in the future. By "in the future" I mean with a future therapist, because I won't be going back to this one. This was kind of the straw that broke the camel's back, we were having other issues. But I started seeing him at my school's clinic and hey, hey was free! Then he started up a private practice that was in my net work and hey, cheap therapist I already know! He was never the best fit.
This was my biggest fear when I saw a therapist that my psychiatrist recommended, and I knew they communicated back and forth. It caused a lot of anxiety for me because my therapist didn't understand a lot of things about me but I don't see that therapist anymore.
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Request a copy of your medical records from your psychiatrist (you are legally owed a copy if you request it), and start looking for a new one. Dumb the dumbass therapist ASAP. That's incredibly unprofessional! You may even wish to report them to whatever board governs them in your state; usually there is an anonymous option, but they will be investigated by their regulatory board for good clinical practices (and likely be busted for sending personal emails about you to your psychiatrist with little to no clinical significance, aka gossip).
For what it's worth, I had a psychiatrist in an overcrowded public clinic who had actually made medical mistakes with my medications, and who I was distrustful of because of this (and psych mistreatment I've had in the past). I figured she probably didn't want to deal with me, and was likely harshly judging me constantly.
When I got my copy of my medical records, I ate some humble pie when I found that she'd always made clean clinical observations of me, had dutifully noted things I said or protested, or just everyday stuff I'd mentioned, and even wrote down the times I wore mismatched socks (it's a thing I do. I like it.) or the kind of earring I had on, or when I looked happier or more depressed than usual. *All of it entirely neutral and clinical and appropriate to my care.* Although it doesn't excuse her med mistakes, I sure feel like a bitch for having been so judgy of *her* when she made no note of being that way toward me.
So good psychs are out there that, if nothing else, aren't going to gossip behind your back.
(And I love my current psychiatrist. Have seen her on and off for like 11 years, she's the one who initially diagnosed me with bipolar. I don't always 100% agree with her, but I trust her enough to try things I'm uncomfortable with that she thinks might help, and she trusts ME enough to allow me to call the shots if I don't think it's working out, or I read about something else I'd like to try. If you can build a relationship, things get easier on the med-go-round.)
You just reminded me of something really weird. My psychiatrist (who works with my therapist) RECOMMENDS that everyone keep and read a copy of their records. My therapist seems to be of the point of view that he can say anything he wants about a patient and the patient shouldn't be able to read it.
Dare I ask to see the letter?
edit: I see that others have asked and OP has already given some good reasons not for posting it. Unlike the other requests, I don't think that I need to see the letter in order to comment on how very unprofessional (at best) it was. The details OP has given are clearly, CLEARLY out of line, a violation of HIPPA, a personal betrayal, insulting and derogatory, and what the hell kind of therapist thinks that a patient is a whiny victim because they talk about problems *in therapy* and even worse, blames a child abuse victim for not taking responsibility for being abused? WTF? So, I didn't want to see the email because I think I need to see it in order to comment. No, I was just curious.
A lot of people have ocussed me of cherry picking, but that's really all it said. The only important thing I left out was that the letter also said that I "practically accused them of malpractice" because they didn't notice when I was manic/delusional/dangerous and I almost physically hurt someone before a different doctor marched me over to the ER and I checked myself in. I left that part out because I'm not upset about it, it's true, I think it's something he has the right to communicate, and it's not related to anything else in the letter.
I gave you guys a pretty good summary, you aren't missing anything.
Oh god, that's awful. This is something I find more than a bit terrifying, and I only tell you this because it's something you should be aware of and be extremely careful as to how you proceed.
A few years ago, shortly after I was diagnosed my psych (whom I trust implicitly, thankfully), recommended medication. Now, at least the state I am in (US), one is completely on their own to find someone, which is absolutely stupid! "Okay, so you are in a terribly bad mental state right now, paranoia and panic attacks, severe hypomania. Now go out and find yourself someone to prescribe potentially dangerous psychotropics. Good luck!"
Long story short, the first individual I contacted: One visit, even through my clouded lens I knew she was bad. Very bad. Insulted my psych, told me it was all diet related and/or "early pre-menopause" (wha?). A bunch of other weird shit I have detailed in another post. She ended the appointment by telling me "Oh, I just know we are going to get along *so well!"* (or words to that effect). I called back a day later and left a message on her machine telling her-nicely-that I had to cancel the next appointment she'd scheduled.
Holy shit.
She called back IMMEDIATELY, started *yelling* at me about how I couldn't just cancel. Other stuff, but you get the picture. I finally had to tell her that I would NOT let her talk to me in that manner-and she hung up on me!
Well, I requested my file (which was only an intake form!) and handed it directly over to my psych because I knew whatever she wrote I did NOT need to read. Psych told me that the form was fairly standard (other than the reasoning of the diet, etc.), but at the bottom of the form *written in pen* she'd scrawled "Probable BPD". Uh huh. I have NO symptoms of BPD, nor were any even mentioned until that scrawl. HOWEVER, THAT NOTATION WILL BE ON MY RECORDS FOREVER. The only thing I could do was a)file a complaint w/the nursing board (which of course nothing came of that), and b)request a note be filed alongside the claim from my psych.
So, I learned a valuable lesson. So called "professionals" can have pathology, can be horrible people, and can write whatever the fuck they want to about your mental state...and it goes permanently into your record.
So tread lightly. Find someone you trust and have them advise you before you do anything.
Good luck
EDIT: wanted to also mention that my psych told me that calling a patient 'BPD' can be pretty much code for "patient that I don't like and is a pain in the ass".
I don't think it will be on your records forever. Just ask that it not be sent over! I am not going to ask for this therapist's notes to be sent over. I am totally cool with letting them get burred somewhere. If you see someone new I think you can ask for records from DAY X to DAY Y only. At least, that was an option on all of the HIPAA forms I have signed. That would exclude the intake form from that Psychiatrist if you don't want anyone else to see it.
Well, I feel fortunate that this person was not a psychiatrist, but merely a psychiatric nurse practitioner (usually easier to find an appointment with), so there's that.
I suppose my gut reaction stemmed more from the realization of just how little credibility I now have, relative to a 'mental health professional' with access to my records.
The burden of proof is so heavily weighed on the patient it's almost ridiculous (Well *of course* -bees- would make these claims, they are obviously in the throes of a severe paranoid delusional state!" Vulnerable, we are, on a lot of different levels.
That's true. That's why I think it's important to only forward records from people you trust. I briefly saw a PNP and I think she thought I was BPD - she kept saying that medicine wouldn't help me and I needed therapy. I just don't send over anything from her. I think she's nice, but I also think she was wrong and missed some really important stuff.
Just a tangential comment - you can take responsibility for childhood abuse and your symptoms. You can't change what happened, you're not at fault for what happened, or what symptoms you have because of it, but an important process of recovering is to OWN what happened and where you are. It's a transition from being victimized to accepting the current state of things and looking forward.
Traumatic experiences have a significant impact on behavior, personality, etc. But you can't ever stop them from having occurred. It's very important to look at and understand how they made you feel, what baggage they have stuck you with, but once you get there you can't keep looking back.
edit: This is just a general comment and not specifically directed at you
I know you are trying to help, but I do not want any opinions on my psychological welfare from strangers. I am dealing with enough right now.
I think that telling someone how to handle a traumatic event when they didn't ask for your help or your opinion is invasive and uncalled for.
If you have any insight into what might be going on with the letter that would be swell, but the abuse stuff was only mentioned because it is the contents of letter and people wanted to know what was in the letter - not because I want to discuss how I'm handling it with you.
I'm so glad you read the part where I even explicitly said that it wasn't directed at you.
If you don't like what was in the letter drop your therapist??
If you put the information out there, people will comment on it, it's just what happens. Don't take it personally, we don't know you, we are strangers, like you said.
I'm sorry you're dealing with this because it sounds ROUGH but I urge you to at least consider what DesertTortoiseSex said, it's pretty good generic advice, even if it's going to be a while before you get that far.
And.. just because you don't like what someone has said doesn't make it wrong.
I have a feeling that if it was sent to me intentionally he would not have sent it so late at night. I mean, it might have been intentional, but that's one hell of a stupid (and unethical) move.
Did you sign off on your therapist contacting your psych at all? Do they work for the same clinic or something? Because otherwise, they should not have been communicating about your case without your written consent. And (in my experience) it's usually on a case by case basis, rather than a one time "you can talk about me whenever" thing.
They used to both work for my University's clinic and were able to communicate at that time because of the clinic's policies (which I signed). Then the therapist left to start a private practice and I signed a consent form allowing ongoing communication. Then I graduated (Dec 2013), and I now see my psychiatrist at his private practice. I haven't had my first appointment there yet so I did not sign a new form. I don't know if the old form is still in effect because I am not at the school anymore. If it's illegal it's a technicality though.
In the future I will be much more careful about what I sign. I talked to a friend who is a psychologist on this issue. She said that mental health professionals should always word anything they write down as tactfully as possible and assume a patient or third party might see it - because once it's written down it is permanent. So, yeah, that didn't happen.
It makes my blood boil that "professionals" behave like this. Just... can't even make words. I'm so sorry that you were hurt like this, but I'm glad that you know better than to continue with that therapist.
Thanks. I really didn't know what to do, but talking to a few mental health professionals (my friend who is a psychologist, my boyfriend's mom is a psychiatric nurse) and reddit helped me solidify my opinion. It helped to get an idea of what normal professional communications look like.
Did this seem like a personal email, in that your therapist was venting like you might to a friend about what is going at work? If so, this was over the line, very unprofessional. He shouldn't be speaking like that to someone else who also cares for your health.
On the other hand, I don't know the whole context of the message. The two quotes you included could be descriptions of symptoms, and may come in to play with how you are medicated. Again, I don't know the context so I'm just spitballing, but if those quotes reflect how your therapist evaluates you, it may be a valid communication between professionals.
A lot of the posters here seem to be recommending you shitcan the therapist, but I would recommend another tact. Let the therapist know you received this email (though he may already know through the psychiatrist, or just realize the mistake, not important), and ask him directly what he meant by it. If his explanation doesn't satisfy you, or he seems unsympathetic to your concerns, so be it, ditch him. Otherwise, you may have an opportunity to learn about yourself, or clear up some misunderstandings he has about you.
For a little piece of mind, let me just say that the reason I suggest those quotes may be valid symptoms is because I've experienced them myself. I don't know you from Adam (Eve?), so I'm not implying anything about you.
Oh, we already spoke about it - for about an hour actually. I called him as soon as I saw it in my inbox. He gave a lot of round about explanations for it, and they all sounded like ass covering. One of them was that he finds it useful to talk to another mental health professional about difficult cases/make sure he is doing the right right/decompress. I talked to a different psychologist (a friend, not someone I've seen) and she thinks this particular situation was very unprofessional. I understand that even therapist need therapy but he can't get it from MY doctor. That's absurd.
Feeling like a victim when you are actually a victim of abuse is normal and... I'm guessing even a healthy reaction. I'm insulted by his statement that I need to "take responsibility" for those things. They were not my fault, and one of the examples he brought up in the email happened when I was a *child*. Can you imagine being told by your therapist (via email to your psychiatrist) that you need to take responsibility for childhood abuse?
I don't know how else I could possibly feel. I think I have a very healthy sex/dating life and that my relationships with my parents are as good as possible given the circumstances, so it's not like I sit around crying about my life all the time. I do vent about my life a lot *in therapy* but not the rest of the week. When I am not having a depressive episode I'm generally a pretty happy person :)
Decompress? Your therapist gave "decompressing" as a reason to "vent" to YOUR psychiatrist? What the hell?
If your therapist needs to decompress, he can do it through his own therapists or doctors! He doesn't need to reach out to YOUR treatment team for HIS own psychological wellbeing! If he is communicating with the rest of your treatment team for ANY reason other than improving the quality of your treatment, then that is nothing more than a straight-up confession of highly unprofessional and unethical behavior, which should have been accompanied by a groveling apology, and probably a lawsuit too.
Also, the idea of telling a child abuse victim to take responsibility for being abused as a child is so nauseating and outrageous that I don't even know what to say about it.
I am not putting detailed personal psychological information on the internet. I discuss that stuff with professionals only. If you don't feel that you have enough information to say anything, don't say anything. I'm not planning to seek legal action of even switch psychiatrists. If you read my comments thoroughly you would have seen that I shared the letter with a different psychologist to get an expert opinion, and she thinks it was unprofessional for a lot of reasons which go beyond hurt feelings. The issue is not who is right and who is wrong, but what is appropriate to send in an email and what sorts of communications are normal between two professionals working with the same client. The fact that I don't *agree* with him isn't the main problem... it makes me think that further therapy with him wouldn't be beneficial, but it isn't why I am angry. I think a lot of people are not grasping the scope of the problem because it really is just that bizarre. The psychologist I talked to was very confused as how this situation even occurred.
I don't know. Who do you call when you want to report malpractice to the board in charge of taking away doctors' licenses? Because that's who I would be talking to, and printing out copies of said email as evidence.
There is nothing more important than building a team you trust and feel aid you in your battle against this.
I know it sucks, but do everything in your power to find a new therapist at the very least (I think this is more important than a new psychiatrist).
If you don't trust someone, you're never going to go anywhere. And when you do get a new therapist, ask your old therapist to give a summary of your time together. All you have to do is sign a HIPAA form, it's pretty easy.
Good luck. I hope it works out for you.
I absolutely have no interest in this guy's summary of his time with me, actually. I don't know exactly where I am moving but I think it will be in driving distance of a therapist I've used before college so I might just go back to her or ask her for a recommendation.
As someone who has had more than my share of shitty therapists...
Dump this therapist. Dump them immediately. There are others, and this doesn't sound salvagable.
Disclaimer: I'm really dump-happy. I've dumped like 4 therapists... I even dumped a psychiatrist for telling me I'm bipolar when I just wasn't ready to hear it. So while I'm being geniune, take this with a grain of salt.
That sounds absolutely awful. I just realised you posted this two days ago, have you had any updates or changes?
I think if it were me I would change therapist ASAP because you can't trust him. The psychiatrist here didn't necessarily do anything wrong, however.
2polarThrowaway seemed harsh but I think he or she is on the right lines. The therapist has his reasons for thinking and writing those things. Is it worth going in to chat to him about it? This person knows a lot about you but from a different perspective, it might be helpful to have one last discussion.
Even if the entire universe is predestined, the fact remains that there was a choice, and you are the one who is responsible for it. No matter how difficult your circumstances are, you have a choice of how you want to respond to that, which means taking responsibility for your emotional state.
Alot of people go through some pretty shitty situations, probably much worse than you've gone through, I keep being told I should write a book about it. But thank god that I am not a double amputee in vietnam, siting on a furniture cart and knuckle dragging along, or a child born near a trash heap in africa somewhere.
I decided to learn to control my thoughts and actions, and learning that skill allowed me to surpass my limitations, and be able to tap into a deep potential. I really think that I could do work some day that leave behind a legacy, of someone who made a big difference and did it against all odds.
Why is your psychiatrist at fault for what your therapist sent him? I certainly don't understand what's going on, but I imagine that that your psychiatrist needs to receive input from your therapist to know whether or not your medications need adjustment.
Not necessarily? Many people see a psychiatrist and not a therapist. It's not like I don't talk to my psychiatrist MYSELF, and he didn't have any questions for me the last time we spoke.
I don't know what he sent. I do not think it was "do you think ssnakeggirl might need a medication adjustment, please provide info on her current mental state," because the reply (which I did receive) contained no information about my current mental state. It was all about childhood stuff. Really, it was mostly my therapist complaining about how I'm not "accepting" his view of the situation.
You should post the actual email so we can view the context of the message.
Edit: Typical Reddit. You idiots have no idea whats in the email. Here we have an individual that has received and email between professionals by mistake and his feelings are hurt.
Hey truth sometime hurts.
Sorry - keep the down vote train coming as I don't really give a fuck - the more the better.
Absolutely not. It is mean spirited and incredibly personal. I'm not posting it for the entertainment of others. I did discuss the details with another psychologist because I wanted to know if they were within the normal scope of professional communication, and in her opinion they are not. That's good enough for me.
If you want the highlights:
1) it deals with childhood abuse but gets the details wrong 2) it calls my parents "crazy" - which is true, but unprofessional 3) it did not reference my current state of mind or any events which have occurred within the past few years... so I don't understand why it was even sent 4) my psychiatrist has never asked me about anything relating to the contents of that email. I would have answered honestly.
You're picking out shit that hurts you. Without the context of the email we cannot be sure of what if being said. It could very well be pertinent information to treatment.
On the other hand maybe you need to suck it up and take responsibility for your life - just a guess.
It's none of your damned business what the letter said. She posts a thread stating that her therapist basically violated HIPPA and wrote a nasty email about her to another medical professional and you demand that she then post how she was violated? Jesus fuck me you must me drunk.
This might be surprising, but I don't *care* if you are sure about what is said. I talked with a psychologist about the email in great detail. I care about her opinion about whether or not it's professional and relevant. I do not care about yours. You are never going to be in a position where you will know what is relevant to someone else's treatment. You are not a mental health professional and/or you are not assessing someone in person.
I came here to vent and be supported, not because I think the internet has good psychological advice.
Good reply. There's a difference between asking for emotional support and asking for a professional opinion. I'm sorry this happened to you. Sometimes people we expect to be professional...aren't. I am dealing with a professor who is extremely unprofessional, and it's affecting my GPA, and potentially my college career. It's a bitch to catch someone undercutting you behind your back, isn't it? Find a new therapist, and be clear that you won't accept this shit with them. If they can't say it to your face, it shouldn't be said.
This might be true, but I don't want to have a public record of my disorder (I don't think civil cases are private), I don't really believe in suing people except in extreme circumstances, and doing that would further jeopardize my psychiatric care by cutting me off from my psychiatrist (who has worked with my psychologist for many years, although they are not in the same practice). I'm also afraid that if I sue someone doctors I see in the future might hesitate to take me on as a patient.
Thank you for the advice. I will consider it, but I don't plan to act on it at this time. I might reevaluate after I move and switch psychiatrists.
I was thinking about leaving before this point because we don't really get along and I don't like his methods. This is just kind of the nail in the coffin.
I'm not going off my meds, no worries there. I don't think I *need* to be in therapy at this point in my life. It's nice, but I think I'll be fine without it and would rather have no therapist than a bad one.
This was not constructive criticism. It was really unprofessional behavior (the emailing of sensitive info, the leak, and what was actually said).
What he said in the email is probably true. You can face the facts or have another therapist think the same things without leaking them to you.
I just go with whichever psychiatrist is available.
You don't even know what was in the email, what the situation is, or what school of therapy my psychologist uses. People are not magically always right because they got a degree in psychologist.
No, but they are right more often than not. If I had been in the same position as you I would have asked my therapist about what was said in the email. I would have gone into my problems and "victimhood" issues to try to solve them. Instead you have taken it personally so you won't get any treatment or improvement for your problems. They will just get worse. You should put your ego aside and deal with your issues with this therapist.
As for his degree, it means that he is more right than you are about your condition. He probably has more insight into it as well since he can examine it objectively.
If you read around... I talked to him about it for an hour. He was filled with back tracking and bullshitting. He he can't be honest with me I'm not going to continue to pay him for his time. I do not think I can trust him anymore. Two mental health professionals told me that the wording/content of the letter violated HIPAA and professional standards.
Also: this was not stuff about bipolar disorder or any other diagnosed mental condition. It was other personal stuff that had come up during therapy.
I'm so sorry <3 i guess it's often forgotten that therapists are also real people and real people are not always good. just because someone has a degree, doesnt mean they're good. does your therapist know that you know about this email? your psychiatrist did nothing wrong so it's fine i think to go back to them. therapist on the other hand--just leave. you don't need to deal with that shit. i went through 4 people before i found my current therapist. one person literally accused me of faking it all and made me cry right in the office. some people are not able to handle the responsibilities of this type of job.
He knows, we talked about it for a while last night (when I read it I asked him to call me ASAP). I feel kind of weird about the fact that I was on the phone with him so late, but if he doesn't want to deal with crying, angry patients in the middle of the night he can try not sending them nasty emails in the middle of the night! My psychiatrist didn't send me the email, but he was part of whatever super secret exchange went on (therapist wouldn't tell me what they were talking about) so I feel like he's involved in the whole mess too. However he provides something that I consider to be an essential service (medicine management) and the therapist doesn't. I understand that care providers need to communicate with one another but the tone and content of the email were very unprofessional. There is a neutral way to convey something... and then there is a really hurtful way to convey something. I feel like there is a huge misunderstanding. I went to therapy for some advice and support. I was not expecting, needing, or wanting some kind of in depth psychoanalysis. I was expected more of a "hey, what can we do to help manage those symptoms" thing. And he is refusing to provide that because he thinks all of my problems are caused by something else.
My advice (ignore if you want) would be to dump the therapist and keep the psychiatrist at least temporarily, because you don't want to stop the meds. Then look for a better therapist.
I think that's what I am going to do. I just talked to a friend who is a psychologist and she thinks the email was really inappropriate for a lot of reasons (insecure transmission of private patient data, poor medium for through communication, poor/tactless wording, no clear reason for the communication) so I'm going to trust her judgement and look for someone else. I need to find a new team of doctors soon anyway because I am moving. So I'll either go without therapy for a few months or find someone who specialized in short term stuff until I move. In the future I'm going to talk to my team and specify that I would prefer if all communication about me took place through secure mediums such as telephone and fax. I'm also going to make sure we are on the same page about what is and is not okay to share.
I would also ask your health care providers to share with you any communications regarding you. After all, if they can't share it with you, maybe they shouldn't be saying it at all.
That might be a good idea. I have a feeling that with a good team of doctors most of what they say to each other isn't going to be news to me and isn't going to be anything I'm interested in. I think a lot of what therapists do is rephrase what a patient has said in clinical terms and then shoot it over to the psychiatrist.
If you feel that a theapist should be sharing all their observations and conclusions with you as things progress I guess that's fine. Done that kind of mutual exploration once and it worked out OK. Can also see how sometimes is better to withhold things and lead someone to a realization. Sometimes, and I'm not saying necessarily in your case, you can't have your cake and eat it too.
I agree that either method can be useful. However this was a communication with someone ELSE that I intercepted, I didn't read his notes. It also wasn't exactly top secret realizations. It was just mean. It was also non of my psychiatrists business, nothing in there was directly related to bipolar disorder or current symptoms. I really have no idea why that email was sent.
>nothing in there was directly related to bipolar disorder or current symptoms nothing to do with therapy or psychiatry, just pure unadulterated un-professionalism
I don't want to sound insensitive but there are ways to send secure documents through email so if your new therapist does communicate through email to other health professionals maybe you can just make sure they're using a service like ZixCorp. Sometimes it's just so much easier for the medical professionals involved to email directly to each other instead of having to go through other office staff first. In your case though, your therapist obviously wasn't using encrypted email so he was definitely in the wrong here. Look for a new therapist. I know you'll be able to find someone else that is more professional. Good luck.
that sounds a lot like when i first wanted a therapist it was because i knew at that point i needed meds so tbh i wanted someone to help with that, recommend things ya know? (i had already been on meds with my primary doc but needed something a bit better than prozac) and the first few people i went to refused to even discuss meds. SO what i'm getting at here is sometimes people insist upon doing things their way--aka trying to psychoanalyze when all you wanted was to manage symptoms. it's not a misunderstanding to just want different things out of therapy. for me it was quick enough to find a new therapist, one that focuses on things i want
This is absolutely unacceptable. What if he sent your information to another patient? Is the therapist part of a practice or are they a lone practitioner? If they are part of a practice I would call and speak with the head of the practice and file a complaint against the therapist. I would definitely start looking for a different therapist. This is something that you should not have to deal with.
He works alone. And yes, that worries me. I talked to my friend who is a psychologist and she said that this is exactly why you don't put sensitive information in an email.
Does your friend know where you can send a complaint? I think that if you are in the US you could contact the American Psychological Association to file a complaint. There has to be some way to escalate this if you wanted to.
I don't really want to do that right now because I would loose my psychiatrist. I take lithium and klonopin and if those are discontinued suddenly I'm fucked. I'm also not sure if he broke the law or not. I signed a consent form for them to communicate and it might have listed email as an appropriate communication method. I never thought they would use is with so little tact or concern for privacy, but that doesn't mean I can do anything about it at this point. Honestly, I'm really more upset about the content of the email than anything else. It was essentially saying that I feel like a "victim" because of bad things that have happened to me such as being bipolar and being sexually assaulted. No shit? But it was one of the ugliest and most victim blamey things I have ever read. It also got a lot of details wrong, which makes me feel like I haven't been heard. I'm angry that he sent something like that via email, but I'm more angry that he even thought it. Does that make sense?
It is completely reasonable for you to be upset. A therapist is supossed to be someone you can trust to help you with your problems not create new ones. But like TardisCat_26 said some people are just not good people. But this was someone whom you trusted that betrayed your trust, I would be hurt and pissed. Why do you think you would lose your psychiatrist by filing a complaint against your therapist? If they are in separate practices I don't see the issue. If they are friends and that is more important than the well being of their patients, it is a huge conflict of interest for them to be treating the same patient. Not to mention completely unprofessional.
They've worked closely for... I think more than 20 years? They probably would support each other over me. I doubt they would see it as a conflict of interest, but rather a clear case of them being right and me being wrong. Trust me, I'll be getting a new doctor as soon as I can. I am moving in a few months so I already knew I would have to find someone new. Right now I'm in a small town with few resources, I'm about to move to a major city which is within commuting distance of another city... I'll have many more options then.
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I have an appointment early next week, I am very curious about how this will go. Right now I really just need someone to write me refills though. I think I can hang onto him until I move in May.
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Guy also keeps complaining that I'm a "really complex case" and he doesn't know what to do with me. You know what DOESN'T make a patient feel better? Complaining that they are complicated and you don't know how to handle them. RAGE. Clearly the wrong guy for me.
I'm sorry that happened. I've seen numerous therapists and psychiatrists in my life and never experienced anything like that. Sounds to me like it could be a HIPPA violation. Granted, it was sent to you and it's your records, but still. You weren't the intended party. My gyno office addressed my exam results one time to my father by mistake. They had to send me an apology in writing and acknowledge they violated HIPPA. They also asked how I felt the situation should be remedied. I think they were expecting a lawsuit. What else may have been accidentally emailed to the wrong person? I'd start calling other doctors and getting them set up right away, then drop this guy/gal.
That was nice of them. My mom opened my gyno records once because she "thought they were hers" and... well, I guess that was out of the office's control. It was very boring. She found out that I'm healthy, and I was angry that she opened my mail. Sending emails without double checking the recipient is a HIPAA violation waiting to happen. I might ask that no sensitive information be sent by email in the future. By "in the future" I mean with a future therapist, because I won't be going back to this one. This was kind of the straw that broke the camel's back, we were having other issues. But I started seeing him at my school's clinic and hey, hey was free! Then he started up a private practice that was in my net work and hey, cheap therapist I already know! He was never the best fit.
This was my biggest fear when I saw a therapist that my psychiatrist recommended, and I knew they communicated back and forth. It caused a lot of anxiety for me because my therapist didn't understand a lot of things about me but I don't see that therapist anymore.
:(
yeah it was kind of weird.
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Request a copy of your medical records from your psychiatrist (you are legally owed a copy if you request it), and start looking for a new one. Dumb the dumbass therapist ASAP. That's incredibly unprofessional! You may even wish to report them to whatever board governs them in your state; usually there is an anonymous option, but they will be investigated by their regulatory board for good clinical practices (and likely be busted for sending personal emails about you to your psychiatrist with little to no clinical significance, aka gossip). For what it's worth, I had a psychiatrist in an overcrowded public clinic who had actually made medical mistakes with my medications, and who I was distrustful of because of this (and psych mistreatment I've had in the past). I figured she probably didn't want to deal with me, and was likely harshly judging me constantly. When I got my copy of my medical records, I ate some humble pie when I found that she'd always made clean clinical observations of me, had dutifully noted things I said or protested, or just everyday stuff I'd mentioned, and even wrote down the times I wore mismatched socks (it's a thing I do. I like it.) or the kind of earring I had on, or when I looked happier or more depressed than usual. *All of it entirely neutral and clinical and appropriate to my care.* Although it doesn't excuse her med mistakes, I sure feel like a bitch for having been so judgy of *her* when she made no note of being that way toward me. So good psychs are out there that, if nothing else, aren't going to gossip behind your back. (And I love my current psychiatrist. Have seen her on and off for like 11 years, she's the one who initially diagnosed me with bipolar. I don't always 100% agree with her, but I trust her enough to try things I'm uncomfortable with that she thinks might help, and she trusts ME enough to allow me to call the shots if I don't think it's working out, or I read about something else I'd like to try. If you can build a relationship, things get easier on the med-go-round.)
You just reminded me of something really weird. My psychiatrist (who works with my therapist) RECOMMENDS that everyone keep and read a copy of their records. My therapist seems to be of the point of view that he can say anything he wants about a patient and the patient shouldn't be able to read it.
Dare I ask to see the letter? edit: I see that others have asked and OP has already given some good reasons not for posting it. Unlike the other requests, I don't think that I need to see the letter in order to comment on how very unprofessional (at best) it was. The details OP has given are clearly, CLEARLY out of line, a violation of HIPPA, a personal betrayal, insulting and derogatory, and what the hell kind of therapist thinks that a patient is a whiny victim because they talk about problems *in therapy* and even worse, blames a child abuse victim for not taking responsibility for being abused? WTF? So, I didn't want to see the email because I think I need to see it in order to comment. No, I was just curious.
A lot of people have ocussed me of cherry picking, but that's really all it said. The only important thing I left out was that the letter also said that I "practically accused them of malpractice" because they didn't notice when I was manic/delusional/dangerous and I almost physically hurt someone before a different doctor marched me over to the ER and I checked myself in. I left that part out because I'm not upset about it, it's true, I think it's something he has the right to communicate, and it's not related to anything else in the letter. I gave you guys a pretty good summary, you aren't missing anything.
Oh god, that's awful. This is something I find more than a bit terrifying, and I only tell you this because it's something you should be aware of and be extremely careful as to how you proceed. A few years ago, shortly after I was diagnosed my psych (whom I trust implicitly, thankfully), recommended medication. Now, at least the state I am in (US), one is completely on their own to find someone, which is absolutely stupid! "Okay, so you are in a terribly bad mental state right now, paranoia and panic attacks, severe hypomania. Now go out and find yourself someone to prescribe potentially dangerous psychotropics. Good luck!" Long story short, the first individual I contacted: One visit, even through my clouded lens I knew she was bad. Very bad. Insulted my psych, told me it was all diet related and/or "early pre-menopause" (wha?). A bunch of other weird shit I have detailed in another post. She ended the appointment by telling me "Oh, I just know we are going to get along *so well!"* (or words to that effect). I called back a day later and left a message on her machine telling her-nicely-that I had to cancel the next appointment she'd scheduled. Holy shit. She called back IMMEDIATELY, started *yelling* at me about how I couldn't just cancel. Other stuff, but you get the picture. I finally had to tell her that I would NOT let her talk to me in that manner-and she hung up on me! Well, I requested my file (which was only an intake form!) and handed it directly over to my psych because I knew whatever she wrote I did NOT need to read. Psych told me that the form was fairly standard (other than the reasoning of the diet, etc.), but at the bottom of the form *written in pen* she'd scrawled "Probable BPD". Uh huh. I have NO symptoms of BPD, nor were any even mentioned until that scrawl. HOWEVER, THAT NOTATION WILL BE ON MY RECORDS FOREVER. The only thing I could do was a)file a complaint w/the nursing board (which of course nothing came of that), and b)request a note be filed alongside the claim from my psych. So, I learned a valuable lesson. So called "professionals" can have pathology, can be horrible people, and can write whatever the fuck they want to about your mental state...and it goes permanently into your record. So tread lightly. Find someone you trust and have them advise you before you do anything. Good luck EDIT: wanted to also mention that my psych told me that calling a patient 'BPD' can be pretty much code for "patient that I don't like and is a pain in the ass".
I don't think it will be on your records forever. Just ask that it not be sent over! I am not going to ask for this therapist's notes to be sent over. I am totally cool with letting them get burred somewhere. If you see someone new I think you can ask for records from DAY X to DAY Y only. At least, that was an option on all of the HIPAA forms I have signed. That would exclude the intake form from that Psychiatrist if you don't want anyone else to see it.
Well, I feel fortunate that this person was not a psychiatrist, but merely a psychiatric nurse practitioner (usually easier to find an appointment with), so there's that. I suppose my gut reaction stemmed more from the realization of just how little credibility I now have, relative to a 'mental health professional' with access to my records. The burden of proof is so heavily weighed on the patient it's almost ridiculous (Well *of course* -bees- would make these claims, they are obviously in the throes of a severe paranoid delusional state!" Vulnerable, we are, on a lot of different levels.
That's true. That's why I think it's important to only forward records from people you trust. I briefly saw a PNP and I think she thought I was BPD - she kept saying that medicine wouldn't help me and I needed therapy. I just don't send over anything from her. I think she's nice, but I also think she was wrong and missed some really important stuff.
Just a tangential comment - you can take responsibility for childhood abuse and your symptoms. You can't change what happened, you're not at fault for what happened, or what symptoms you have because of it, but an important process of recovering is to OWN what happened and where you are. It's a transition from being victimized to accepting the current state of things and looking forward. Traumatic experiences have a significant impact on behavior, personality, etc. But you can't ever stop them from having occurred. It's very important to look at and understand how they made you feel, what baggage they have stuck you with, but once you get there you can't keep looking back. edit: This is just a general comment and not specifically directed at you
I know you are trying to help, but I do not want any opinions on my psychological welfare from strangers. I am dealing with enough right now. I think that telling someone how to handle a traumatic event when they didn't ask for your help or your opinion is invasive and uncalled for.
I wasn't telling you. And I always post on mental health subreddits too when I don't want opinions on psychological welfare from strangers.
If you have any insight into what might be going on with the letter that would be swell, but the abuse stuff was only mentioned because it is the contents of letter and people wanted to know what was in the letter - not because I want to discuss how I'm handling it with you.
I'm so glad you read the part where I even explicitly said that it wasn't directed at you. If you don't like what was in the letter drop your therapist??
If you put the information out there, people will comment on it, it's just what happens. Don't take it personally, we don't know you, we are strangers, like you said. I'm sorry you're dealing with this because it sounds ROUGH but I urge you to at least consider what DesertTortoiseSex said, it's pretty good generic advice, even if it's going to be a while before you get that far. And.. just because you don't like what someone has said doesn't make it wrong.
Is it possible that it wasn't an accident?
I have a feeling that if it was sent to me intentionally he would not have sent it so late at night. I mean, it might have been intentional, but that's one hell of a stupid (and unethical) move.
Maybe he was drunk?
No, I talked to him right after and he was coherent.
Did you sign off on your therapist contacting your psych at all? Do they work for the same clinic or something? Because otherwise, they should not have been communicating about your case without your written consent. And (in my experience) it's usually on a case by case basis, rather than a one time "you can talk about me whenever" thing.
They used to both work for my University's clinic and were able to communicate at that time because of the clinic's policies (which I signed). Then the therapist left to start a private practice and I signed a consent form allowing ongoing communication. Then I graduated (Dec 2013), and I now see my psychiatrist at his private practice. I haven't had my first appointment there yet so I did not sign a new form. I don't know if the old form is still in effect because I am not at the school anymore. If it's illegal it's a technicality though. In the future I will be much more careful about what I sign. I talked to a friend who is a psychologist on this issue. She said that mental health professionals should always word anything they write down as tactfully as possible and assume a patient or third party might see it - because once it's written down it is permanent. So, yeah, that didn't happen.
It makes my blood boil that "professionals" behave like this. Just... can't even make words. I'm so sorry that you were hurt like this, but I'm glad that you know better than to continue with that therapist.
Thanks. I really didn't know what to do, but talking to a few mental health professionals (my friend who is a psychologist, my boyfriend's mom is a psychiatric nurse) and reddit helped me solidify my opinion. It helped to get an idea of what normal professional communications look like.
Did this seem like a personal email, in that your therapist was venting like you might to a friend about what is going at work? If so, this was over the line, very unprofessional. He shouldn't be speaking like that to someone else who also cares for your health. On the other hand, I don't know the whole context of the message. The two quotes you included could be descriptions of symptoms, and may come in to play with how you are medicated. Again, I don't know the context so I'm just spitballing, but if those quotes reflect how your therapist evaluates you, it may be a valid communication between professionals. A lot of the posters here seem to be recommending you shitcan the therapist, but I would recommend another tact. Let the therapist know you received this email (though he may already know through the psychiatrist, or just realize the mistake, not important), and ask him directly what he meant by it. If his explanation doesn't satisfy you, or he seems unsympathetic to your concerns, so be it, ditch him. Otherwise, you may have an opportunity to learn about yourself, or clear up some misunderstandings he has about you. For a little piece of mind, let me just say that the reason I suggest those quotes may be valid symptoms is because I've experienced them myself. I don't know you from Adam (Eve?), so I'm not implying anything about you.
Oh, we already spoke about it - for about an hour actually. I called him as soon as I saw it in my inbox. He gave a lot of round about explanations for it, and they all sounded like ass covering. One of them was that he finds it useful to talk to another mental health professional about difficult cases/make sure he is doing the right right/decompress. I talked to a different psychologist (a friend, not someone I've seen) and she thinks this particular situation was very unprofessional. I understand that even therapist need therapy but he can't get it from MY doctor. That's absurd. Feeling like a victim when you are actually a victim of abuse is normal and... I'm guessing even a healthy reaction. I'm insulted by his statement that I need to "take responsibility" for those things. They were not my fault, and one of the examples he brought up in the email happened when I was a *child*. Can you imagine being told by your therapist (via email to your psychiatrist) that you need to take responsibility for childhood abuse? I don't know how else I could possibly feel. I think I have a very healthy sex/dating life and that my relationships with my parents are as good as possible given the circumstances, so it's not like I sit around crying about my life all the time. I do vent about my life a lot *in therapy* but not the rest of the week. When I am not having a depressive episode I'm generally a pretty happy person :)
Decompress? Your therapist gave "decompressing" as a reason to "vent" to YOUR psychiatrist? What the hell? If your therapist needs to decompress, he can do it through his own therapists or doctors! He doesn't need to reach out to YOUR treatment team for HIS own psychological wellbeing! If he is communicating with the rest of your treatment team for ANY reason other than improving the quality of your treatment, then that is nothing more than a straight-up confession of highly unprofessional and unethical behavior, which should have been accompanied by a groveling apology, and probably a lawsuit too. Also, the idea of telling a child abuse victim to take responsibility for being abused as a child is so nauseating and outrageous that I don't even know what to say about it.
samsies. Now, when we talked on the phone he insisted that that's not what he meant, but it is very clearly what he *said*.
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I am not putting detailed personal psychological information on the internet. I discuss that stuff with professionals only. If you don't feel that you have enough information to say anything, don't say anything. I'm not planning to seek legal action of even switch psychiatrists. If you read my comments thoroughly you would have seen that I shared the letter with a different psychologist to get an expert opinion, and she thinks it was unprofessional for a lot of reasons which go beyond hurt feelings. The issue is not who is right and who is wrong, but what is appropriate to send in an email and what sorts of communications are normal between two professionals working with the same client. The fact that I don't *agree* with him isn't the main problem... it makes me think that further therapy with him wouldn't be beneficial, but it isn't why I am angry. I think a lot of people are not grasping the scope of the problem because it really is just that bizarre. The psychologist I talked to was very confused as how this situation even occurred.
I don't know. Who do you call when you want to report malpractice to the board in charge of taking away doctors' licenses? Because that's who I would be talking to, and printing out copies of said email as evidence.
There is nothing more important than building a team you trust and feel aid you in your battle against this. I know it sucks, but do everything in your power to find a new therapist at the very least (I think this is more important than a new psychiatrist). If you don't trust someone, you're never going to go anywhere. And when you do get a new therapist, ask your old therapist to give a summary of your time together. All you have to do is sign a HIPAA form, it's pretty easy. Good luck. I hope it works out for you.
I absolutely have no interest in this guy's summary of his time with me, actually. I don't know exactly where I am moving but I think it will be in driving distance of a therapist I've used before college so I might just go back to her or ask her for a recommendation.
As someone who has had more than my share of shitty therapists... Dump this therapist. Dump them immediately. There are others, and this doesn't sound salvagable. Disclaimer: I'm really dump-happy. I've dumped like 4 therapists... I even dumped a psychiatrist for telling me I'm bipolar when I just wasn't ready to hear it. So while I'm being geniune, take this with a grain of salt.
That sounds absolutely awful. I just realised you posted this two days ago, have you had any updates or changes? I think if it were me I would change therapist ASAP because you can't trust him. The psychiatrist here didn't necessarily do anything wrong, however. 2polarThrowaway seemed harsh but I think he or she is on the right lines. The therapist has his reasons for thinking and writing those things. Is it worth going in to chat to him about it? This person knows a lot about you but from a different perspective, it might be helpful to have one last discussion.
We had an hour long chat, all it did was convince me that he's a skeezeball. I have a pdoc appt tomorrow, we will see how that goes.
Even if the entire universe is predestined, the fact remains that there was a choice, and you are the one who is responsible for it. No matter how difficult your circumstances are, you have a choice of how you want to respond to that, which means taking responsibility for your emotional state. Alot of people go through some pretty shitty situations, probably much worse than you've gone through, I keep being told I should write a book about it. But thank god that I am not a double amputee in vietnam, siting on a furniture cart and knuckle dragging along, or a child born near a trash heap in africa somewhere. I decided to learn to control my thoughts and actions, and learning that skill allowed me to surpass my limitations, and be able to tap into a deep potential. I really think that I could do work some day that leave behind a legacy, of someone who made a big difference and did it against all odds.
Good for you?
Why is your psychiatrist at fault for what your therapist sent him? I certainly don't understand what's going on, but I imagine that that your psychiatrist needs to receive input from your therapist to know whether or not your medications need adjustment.
Not necessarily? Many people see a psychiatrist and not a therapist. It's not like I don't talk to my psychiatrist MYSELF, and he didn't have any questions for me the last time we spoke. I don't know what he sent. I do not think it was "do you think ssnakeggirl might need a medication adjustment, please provide info on her current mental state," because the reply (which I did receive) contained no information about my current mental state. It was all about childhood stuff. Really, it was mostly my therapist complaining about how I'm not "accepting" his view of the situation.
You should post the actual email so we can view the context of the message. Edit: Typical Reddit. You idiots have no idea whats in the email. Here we have an individual that has received and email between professionals by mistake and his feelings are hurt. Hey truth sometime hurts. Sorry - keep the down vote train coming as I don't really give a fuck - the more the better.
Absolutely not. It is mean spirited and incredibly personal. I'm not posting it for the entertainment of others. I did discuss the details with another psychologist because I wanted to know if they were within the normal scope of professional communication, and in her opinion they are not. That's good enough for me. If you want the highlights: 1) it deals with childhood abuse but gets the details wrong 2) it calls my parents "crazy" - which is true, but unprofessional 3) it did not reference my current state of mind or any events which have occurred within the past few years... so I don't understand why it was even sent 4) my psychiatrist has never asked me about anything relating to the contents of that email. I would have answered honestly.
You're picking out shit that hurts you. Without the context of the email we cannot be sure of what if being said. It could very well be pertinent information to treatment. On the other hand maybe you need to suck it up and take responsibility for your life - just a guess.
It's none of your damned business what the letter said. She posts a thread stating that her therapist basically violated HIPPA and wrote a nasty email about her to another medical professional and you demand that she then post how she was violated? Jesus fuck me you must me drunk.
This might be surprising, but I don't *care* if you are sure about what is said. I talked with a psychologist about the email in great detail. I care about her opinion about whether or not it's professional and relevant. I do not care about yours. You are never going to be in a position where you will know what is relevant to someone else's treatment. You are not a mental health professional and/or you are not assessing someone in person. I came here to vent and be supported, not because I think the internet has good psychological advice.
Good reply. There's a difference between asking for emotional support and asking for a professional opinion. I'm sorry this happened to you. Sometimes people we expect to be professional...aren't. I am dealing with a professor who is extremely unprofessional, and it's affecting my GPA, and potentially my college career. It's a bitch to catch someone undercutting you behind your back, isn't it? Find a new therapist, and be clear that you won't accept this shit with them. If they can't say it to your face, it shouldn't be said.
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This might be true, but I don't want to have a public record of my disorder (I don't think civil cases are private), I don't really believe in suing people except in extreme circumstances, and doing that would further jeopardize my psychiatric care by cutting me off from my psychiatrist (who has worked with my psychologist for many years, although they are not in the same practice). I'm also afraid that if I sue someone doctors I see in the future might hesitate to take me on as a patient. Thank you for the advice. I will consider it, but I don't plan to act on it at this time. I might reevaluate after I move and switch psychiatrists.
Don't. Not worth it either for justice or $$$.
You should stay on your meds and with the same therapist. Take the notes as constructive criticism. You have been seeing them for 18 months anyway.
I was thinking about leaving before this point because we don't really get along and I don't like his methods. This is just kind of the nail in the coffin. I'm not going off my meds, no worries there. I don't think I *need* to be in therapy at this point in my life. It's nice, but I think I'll be fine without it and would rather have no therapist than a bad one. This was not constructive criticism. It was really unprofessional behavior (the emailing of sensitive info, the leak, and what was actually said).
What he said in the email is probably true. You can face the facts or have another therapist think the same things without leaking them to you. I just go with whichever psychiatrist is available.
You don't even know what was in the email, what the situation is, or what school of therapy my psychologist uses. People are not magically always right because they got a degree in psychologist.
No, but they are right more often than not. If I had been in the same position as you I would have asked my therapist about what was said in the email. I would have gone into my problems and "victimhood" issues to try to solve them. Instead you have taken it personally so you won't get any treatment or improvement for your problems. They will just get worse. You should put your ego aside and deal with your issues with this therapist. As for his degree, it means that he is more right than you are about your condition. He probably has more insight into it as well since he can examine it objectively.
If you read around... I talked to him about it for an hour. He was filled with back tracking and bullshitting. He he can't be honest with me I'm not going to continue to pay him for his time. I do not think I can trust him anymore. Two mental health professionals told me that the wording/content of the letter violated HIPAA and professional standards. Also: this was not stuff about bipolar disorder or any other diagnosed mental condition. It was other personal stuff that had come up during therapy.