How many times have you walked into a doctor’s office searching
for help with all that is associated with “Panic Disorders?”
 How long did it take for you to realize that he/she knew no more about these disorders than yourself?

I have seen many, many doctor’s over the past 20yrs. and within about ten minutes,
I can make a fair judgment call.  In many cases,
these “professionals” have not had significant training with “anxiety
disorders”, nor experienced as an anxiety specialist.

Have you ever wondered when you contact a doctor’s office for help,
why? you are asked, “what type of insurance coverage do you have?”
before you’ve ever had the chance to explain your reasons for calling?
Possibly to only hear that this or that will not cover for your visits
and if it does, how much you will personally be responsible for? Also,
we do not take insurance, so you will need to be prepared to pay
approximately $145.00 for one hour visit, which turns out to be act-
ually only 45 minutes and you are responsible for filing your own
insurance. So. . . are you frustrated by now, stressed out, wonder
why you called in the first place - then you are not alone.  Welcome,
to the world of psychiatry.  You are just one of many that have gone
through the above scenario at one time or another. It is certainly easy
to see why the ‘ole saying of “mind over matter” can easily be chang-
ed over to “money over patient.”

Many professionals can obtain a PDR (Physicians Desk Reference) with “anxiety” being listed under the “A’s” that will tell the different meds that are prescribed for this including SSRI’s, Tryicylents, MAO Inhibitors, ect. and of course these are recommended according to the DSM-V,but does the doctor understand the pharmacology aspect of not onlythese disorders, but what entails in writing an RX that could possiblycause serious side affects, could interact with other medications  that you are already taking, and of course the monitoring of these meds.
I can say “yes” to the above, because it has happened to me, more
times than I would care to discuss. It is not always by a doctor that
is not knowledgeable, but doctor’s that their reputations exceed them-
selves “ as a specialist” in this field.  It is scary to think that you are
placing your life in someone’s care - only to find out later - that your
best interest was the last thing of importance. I had a doctor tell me
once, that I needed to earn his trust. At first I thought this is weird, I
had never heard a doctor say this to me.  Afterwards, I could under-
stand where he was coming from, but then that didn’t matter either,
because the trust value that I placed with this doctor, I would never
consider again.  Maybe it is just another one of those mind games
they can play with you.  I had another doctor tell me that I didn’t give
myself credit for the things that I did - accomplishments that I was
making on my own, but after several years, I realized that he was
right - I should have given myself the credit, after all  I am the one
that did the work and the doctor only made suggestions on how to.
The “how to’s” did not count, while I was doing all the work and
giving the credit to the “doctor”. He got credit, he got fame, and he
got rich, then he turned to greety. Have you ever known any doctor
like this? They can make you believe. . . . . .teach you to trust. . . . . .
learn to feel that he/she is the only person in this world that under-
stands. . . . . .and before you know it - you have placed this doctor
on the highest pedestal known to mankind and for you it doesn’t
matter, because you think they are the greatest. . . . . until you end
up like Humpty Dumpty and you have a great fall and that one person
that had been given all of the trust, the fame, the greatest of all was
no longer there to help put you back together again. WOW - pretty
heavy,huh? It is the truth. About the most honesty you will receive is
from your friends linked from page to page to page and that is some-
thing that you will never lose.

I have recently seen on the internet, the packages being offered by
doctor’s that can help through e-mail, a phone call, purchasing books
and other materials that they have written. Think about it??? How
many are offering in-patient, intense treatment. . . ??? Are you being
asked to go to a strange town, stay in a motel, and see a
PHD in his/her office? Are they telling you the truth?  From what I have read some of the information is left out. Think about this. . .how can an agoraphobic get to a strange town, stay in a motel, and then get
to a doctor’s office? At what cost? If any of you out there in this
great big world of ours find this type of treatment and it works, and
you are able to stay alone - get to the doctor’s office - and reach a
point of “recovery” will you please let us all in on it? This is definitely
what I would consider “The Miracle Cure”? People/Doctor’s it does not matter, should not make promises that they cannot keep. But then of course, this is the real world and people make promises all of the
time that they can’t keep. I can even remember being in a jam and
needing to see a doctor that I had seen before, only to find out that
I had been placed in this hospital under another doctor’s care, while
the doctor that I needed had taken an extended maternity leave. I
wish that I would have had the opportunity to tell this doctor that
while he had another child come into this world/that he had more or
less lost another life. Maybe he already knows.

Anyway, life does go on... and with Gods help, hopefully one day
the medical profession will return to the way that it should be. Like
Robin Williams portrays so beautifully in “PATCH ADAMS”,  it is impor-
tant to treat the patient, if you are going to treat the illness. “Words
spoken well”!!!

I would say to all “web friends”, please take time in deciding who
will treat you, who you are willing to trust, and to place in God’s
hands. Don’t ever give up. . .you’ve come a long ways. . . and you’ve
got a ways to go. . .but you will make it. . .You are a survivor. . .

God Bless You All. . .