A couple of weeks ago I went to the doctor due to some problems with my sciatic nerve and some other mysterious nerve sensitivity in my hands, face and feet. Googling my symptoms indicated the possibility of nerve damage which gave me some anxiety and I thought possibly there was some treatment for my sciatic problem. The doctor wasn’t my regular one but another one since it was a walk in clinic. I had initially intended to go to my regular doctor but she insisted that I go immediately to the clinic that day and that she didn’t have any time to see me. My understanding was that my mysterious nerve symptoms overlapped with a description of someone having a stroke so I indulged her anxiety and went in the clinic that same day.
Once I got there however they treated me like the neurotic one and the doctor insisted in the end that I should go to a psychiatrist despite the fact that I have no insurance coverage for mental disorders. For some reason the male doctor fixated on my irritated hands which were slightly red and dry(possibly due in part to the sun). Judging by his thinking he seemed to think I had OCD and or possibly Lupus. The Lupus could have been due to admission of some joint pain and my previous diagnosis of depression. His impression of my sciatic nerve problem was that it wasn’t enough of a problem for him to treat it at all. I inquired about muscle relaxants (anti-anxiety meds) but he didn’t want to prescribe for some reason. The philosophy of this clinic seems to be that anti-anxiety meds should be prescribed by a psychiatrist.
I have had a similar experience before like this. I mentioned some mysterious nervous symptoms and was referred to a psychiatrist. It seems like when a doctor can’t find a suitable diagnosis they immediately try to label the person as unstable…not terribly logical but it apparently saves them from confronting their own ignorance. Admittedly, part of this problem could be due to an error in communication. Here is an excerpt from an article on the topic of mental health stigma.
From a public standpoint, stereotypes depicting people with mental illness as being dangerous, unpredictable, responsible for their illness, or generally incompetent can lead to active discrimination, such as excluding people with these conditions from employment and social or educational opportunities. In medical settings, negative stereotypes can make providers less likely to focus on the patient rather than the disease, endorse recovery as an outcome of care, or refer patients to needed consultations and follow-up services.
At this point, I still have problems with my sciatic nerve and can’t walk for more than 15 minutes or so without resting due to the pain in my lower leg. Additionally, I have unusual sensitivity in my hands and feet which makes typing at the moment somewhat unpleasant. I am quite sure my previous diagnosis of psychotic depression is giving this doctor an excuse to not take my symptoms seriously and I am not sure what to do about it. Stigma due to mental illness is frustrating and it can impact other health problems which aren’t taken seriously.
update: tests don’t confirm Lupus
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Beyond Dysthymia 