This practice and the lack of care I received made me want to off myself. Shortly after receiving…read morenotice of my involuntary discharge, I informed the owner via email that I was taking the discharge very poorly, struggling with significant s-- ideation, calling out of work, starving myself, and having extreme difficulty getting out of bed. This was during a 30-day termination window, when I was still a client.
I reached out to my provider asking to schedule a termination session to discuss medication management, continuity of care, and briefly process the therapeutic relationship coming to a close. This request was denied. It took my provider 8 days to respond, only after I contacted the owner seeking a response.
When the request was denied, I sent my provider a polite question about medication management and a possible refill, acting directly on written guidance from the owner to contact my provider for medication needs during the transition. It took an additional 7 days to receive a response, which simply directed me to my PCP. August 17-25 was 8 days and August 25-September 1 was 7 days.
During my last appointment with my provider, we also had a bit of a falling out. It's embarrassing and awkward to admit, but I saw something that my provider posted online that I found deeply troubling and quite offensive given my ethnic and religious background. It raised ethical concerns with me. I brought this up as politely as possible. My provider was initially very defensive, saying "I won't discuss politics or religion in this office!" I had not wanted to. I just wanted to be honest and say this is what I saw, this is how I felt, and this is how it might affect my trust in you moving forward if not addressed. The session ended cordially and we scheduled another appointment. I can't help but wonder whether this issue played any role in the subsequent communication delays, but it was a concern I had. Based on my experience, I did not feel this provider had the cultural competency to support patients who care about Palestinian human rights.
Regardless of whether the practice was uncomfortable offering medication guidance or scheduling a termination session, I believe more timely responses to pertinent questions about my care were warranted, particularly given my verbalized struggles. I wasn't expecting an immediate response, but 2-3 days would have been appreciated. It felt like I was being ignored by my provider while I was resigned to wandering around my new college campus actively contemplating s--, uncertain whether I should take the sertraline or whether it could worsen my s-- ideation.
I had just started nursing school and had a mentorship meeting with a faculty member. During that meeting, I broke down emotionally while discussing that my psychiatric provider wasn't responding to me about my care and disclosed having s-- thoughts. It was an unfortunate first impression.
Prior to the discharge, I was already experiencing very severe s-- ideation and had discussed this with my provider at length, but the discharge greatly exacerbated my symptoms. At our last appointment, I stated that while in Stockholm on a solo trip earlier this year, I should've e-- my life there and never come home. I also clearly informed the owner that I was taking the discharge poorly and experiencing significant s-- ideation and severe distress.
My provider and the practice owner knew I was experiencing s-- ideation and other manifestations of severe distress. Meanwhile, my provider was taking at least a week in responding to basic questions regarding my care, and ultimately just directing me elsewhere.
The lack of communication was incredibly hurtful and left me feeling as if nobody at this practice cared about my wellbeing or whether I might attempt s--. My experience at this practice was deeply upsetting and I believe there was a profound lack of care regarding my wellbeing. I've attached screenshots to corroborate details.
