psychiatrists Archives - Natasha Tracy Bipolar Expert

My Psychiatrist’s Reaction to EMPowerplus/Truehope Treatment

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Dec 30, 2013

I was really nervous to have to tell my doctor that I had decided to take the Truehope product EMPowerplus. I was pretty sure he was going to either laugh or chastise me out of his office. My anxiety about it was so bad that I didn’t want to mention it at all. Of course, that would have been a poor decision. Allowing anxiety to override your logic is never the right call.

So I told him and surprisingly, he was nonplussed. He just sort of said, “Alright then.”

People Spend More Time Picking Out a Hairstylist than a Doctor?

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Nov 19, 2012

How Does One Choose a Psychiatrist?

The other day I was searching for a hairstylist. My hair is hard to keep up, very challenging for a stylist and thus, very expensive, so if I leave the salon with anything but exactly what I want, I’m more than a little peeved. I’m the client and I want what I paid for.

And as I was looking at various salons and considering which stylists might do a good job, it occurred to me, I’m spending more time on this than most people spend on finding a psychiatrist.

So how does one choose a psychiatrist anyway?

Breaking Bipolar Reading Round-Up

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Dec 23, 2011

Happy holidays all.

I’m a pretty busy gal right now, so not a lot of time to write new material. I promise I’ll try to get to something new next week.

However, while you’re waiting, have you caught up on all your Breaking Bipolar articles? No? I didn’t think so. Here’s a run-down on some of what I’ve been doing over at HealthyPlace:

Last Minute Holiday Tips for the Bipolar – just published today. Here are four things you should know before you get any deeper into the holidays.
What 2011 Taught us About Mental Illness – a wrap-up of the top ten things research taught us about mental illness last year including: bipolar misdiagnosis, bipolar treatment success predictor, mania treatment comparison and antipsychotic information. Part one and part two.
You’re Narcissistic! Getting Over Insults – How one reader got to me even though I knew they shouldn’t have.
Celebrating Mental Health News – on why we should celebrate the good moments in mental illness.
How to Choose a Good Psychiatrist – one I’ve touched on here but in more detail.
Bipolar Disorder Thought Types – have you ever considered the odd types of thoughts you have a person with a mental illness? I have.
The Importance of Self-Care in Bipolar Disorder – tips on self-care plus a video.
Sexual Health and Bipolar Disorder – the sexual concerns of people with mental illness.

Doctor Background Checks; ECT in Film; New Borderline Criteria – 3 New Things

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Dec 1, 2011

Today we return to my 3 New Things series so I can touch on three new pieces of information I’ve found this week. This week I talk about:

How to get a background check on a doctor
The sorry portrayal of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in film
The newly-proposed diagnostic criteria for personality disorders in the DSM-V

Mental Illness Stigma Affects Psychiatrists Too – Who Wants to Be a Psychiatrist?

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Oct 9, 2011

Recently I read Invisible Tattoos: The stigma of psychiatry by Dr. Henry A. Nasrallah in Current Psychiatry. Invisible Tattoos is and editorial piece on how the stigma of mental illness affects psychiatrists just like it affects the mentally ill. And my reaction?

Oh cry me a freaking river.

I thought the piece was a little whiny and navel-gazing. I mean seriously, these people are respected professionals making lots of money – they don’t have an illness threatening to kill them every day.

But then I got a comment from a medical student and I reconsidered my position. Maybe antipsychiatry poster-boy Tom Cruise doesn’t just fuck around with the way people look at me, maybe he fucks around with the way people look at psychiatrists too. And maybe stigma is difficult for psychiatrists to deal with.

Share Your Tips on Talking to Doctors / Psychiatrists

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Jul 8, 2011

I’m working on my first ebook. It’s going to be about building a relationship with your doctor. Essentially, it’s about getting what you, the patient, need from the person behind the prescription pad.

Why Write About Doctor-Patient Communication?

I’m writing this book because of the plethora of mental health questions I get on the subject. I believe people with bipolar disorder, depression and other mental illnesses don’t get optimal care due to dysfunctional medical relationships. This is not necessarily the fault of the doctor / psychiatrist or the patient. It just means the relationship isn’t as good as it could be. Think of it like couples counseling between doctor and patient.

In-Hospital Antipsychotic Prescribing: Off-Label Uses, FDA-Approved Options & Patient Rights (2025)

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Jul 1, 2011

Why doctors start antipsychotics in the psych ward—and what it means for your rights. Get the 2025 list of FDA-approved add-ons, real-world risks, and must-ask questions for before and after discharge.

Are All Doctors, Psychiatrists and Scientists Lying All the Time?

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Apr 28, 2011

One of the problems with the antipsychiatry movement is they assert all of psychiatry, all doctors, all science is lying, pretty much all of the time. Any biological evidence for mental illness must be wrong, because if it isn’t, then psychiatry might make sense. Any evidence that antidepressants help a brain must be wrong, because otherwise antipsychiatry views might come into question.

But seriously, does any rational, thinking person really believe all of science, all over the world, is lying?