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Incredibly Rude Psychiatrist

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Shalia

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I have an IU claim in. I'm currently rated at 70% for bipolar (and have a few other SC issues) and they sent me to a psych. to reevaluate. The guy was a JERK. He started out the visit with telling me off because I prefer to see female APRN's (abuse issues in my past, what can I say?) and then got mad at me when I referred to the woman I see as my doctor. (Force of habit, and besides, she has a Ph.D. so it's not entirely inaccurate.)

I tried to tell him why I couldn't work right now, and he kept telling me things like "all I hear is you are making a willful decision to quit working" and telling me I have no valid excuse for not working. When I mentioned things like I have difficulty with concentration and memory he said I was lying because I can go to school. Well, school lets me have double time on tests, has other people take notes for me, AND lets me record all my classes onto tapes so I can listen to them again if I forgot stuff. Work doesn't let you do that stuff. And with all my accomidations I'm barely passing.

But he told me "there's a time for you to be talking and a time for me to be writing, and right now I'm writing so you need to stop talking". He was so dismissive and rude I can't imagine how I'm going to get a fair write up from him when he decided before he even talked to me that I was just "willfully deciding to give up a good job I've had for years". Can I get another doctor? Or am I screwed? Do I take notes in case I need an appeal? He was the rudest doctor I've had the misfortune of seeing in my life, and I feel like I won't get a fair shake from him.

I'm so frustrated. I'm almost afraid my percentage will go DOWN now, not up like I was praying for, because of this jerk. I'm *not* OK, and he made it sound like I was just being lazy. I'm so frustrated. I want to scream or throw something.

What do I do?

Shalia

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Shalia- you could report this bastard to the Director of the VAMC he works at-

then again the director might be of this mind set too------

You said accomodations- in Voc Rehab I assume---

this is evidence that you need a lot extra help attempting to become employable-

Would the APRN be willing to write an IMO for you- to combat anything negative that this guy might write?

Could anyone at your school do this too- state that you need extra time etc, due to your disability, to do the work?

My husband had all of those accomodations too at Corning college while in Voc Rehab-note takers, etc-

also the tests- he was allowed to take them alone because the big clocks were -to him- land mines in Vietnam-waiting to go off- he couldnt take the loud ticking-almost went berserk at school.

Social Security took all of this into consideration for his SSA Award for PTSD.I dont know if the VA did for his 100% SC award but they might have-we submitted this info to them-

Was this guy a real doctor himself- ?

Also you could, for about 10 bucks, go to Healthgrades and try to see if he is some Workman's Comp moonlighter- he might have no shrink background at all-

The VA will and should take a psychiatrists opinion over a psychologists- a Psychiatrist is a medical doctor-

can you possibly afford to get a good psychiatric IMO?

It would be an investment in your future if they attempt to lower your comp-

Have you had the MMPI , Wexschler- etc- any of the tests that determine how bi polar can affect your employability?

What is wrong with that doctor- I have helped 2 bi polar vets with their VA claims-

neither one of them could even get near a text book and I commend you for that-

but it seems that the VA wants to punish some vets in the Voc Rehab program-

my opinion only- that opinion wont help you-

but a good bonafide medical one will-

Dont know about the RN though- an opinion could help but maybe not- my ex husband is a nurse and would gladly give me a free IMO because he fully agrees with my 2 IMOS and my med evidence on my claim.

But I think , knowing he is my ex and knowing he is an RN and not a doctor they would just knock his opinion down-

I am just outraged that a shrink would Judge you in this way- VA docs have an ethics code just like real doctors do-but they probably cant read it anyhow-

You have a parallel warpath here- you can attempt to get a new C & P by complaining to the director of that VAMC or get an IMO now to combat any potential negative C & P results.

Or do both-I think he should be tarred and feathered.

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What's an IMO?

I could probably go to the school and get on letterhead all the accomidations that I'm getting at school. What else do I need?

And they called me and asked me to "waive V(something)AA" and said it was how they got things to raters faster, and I don't even know what the hell they were talking about. Do you know?

And yes, I'm with Voc Rehab.

Thanks for your help. B) And your siding with me. I appreciate it, it means a lot.

Shalia

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Guest fla_viking

Dear Fellow Veterans & Friends

I have herd other veterans complain of the exact same treatment by examiners. This must be some sort of program they have. What they want to accomplish I dont know, But every vet should go into an examinaton with a hidden recorder to catch these abusers in the act. That would put a quick halt to this if they did not know who was wired and who was not.

Terry Higgins

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Shalia,

My husband is not as far as you are But please let me tell you from my own experiences do not go alone take a family member a friend or someone that knows you well. I do not know how VA is but when my husband needs to go I will be by his side. He sit in on my sessions and goes to every doctor appointment I have and I do the same for him. I was once treated like that and the doctor told me to take my vicoden like it was candy and go back to work that I would not get SSD. Well I took the vicoden like candy and I got addicted to it. I did not go back to work and I did recieve my SSD without a fight. and so did my husband. If they know you have a wittness to their actions they will back off. If your wittness steps in and says something about your health They may back off on that also. You do not need to take that from them. after all you are there to see them for a reason. If you need to go back to him and he acts that way turn him in to the board ( I would turn him in even if you do not need to see him again ) Get your records from him see what he wrote down and if he wrote anything but the truth call his boss on him. If he treats you this way he treats others and someone needs to call him on it. I have done this to two different doctors and one of them I walked out of his office because he told me I was fat.

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I didn't think about bringing someone with me, which is stupid of me because I often go to a friend's appointments with her. I'll definately bring my husband with me next time.

I'm going to call the company who contracts with the VA out here (I'm not sure if they are nationwide or not...) and complain too. I don't think anyone deserves to be treated like that.

I think they have a program where they take the biggest a-holes they can find, and ask them if they'd like to work for disability programs. Since the a-holes can't find patients of their own (who wants to be seen by such jerks?) they are happy to take people like me who feel like they are forced to be there and can't walk out.

He even scratched stuff off the form *I* was supposed to complete, saying I can't complain about concentration or memory if I go to school. Bloody hell I can't. If my concentration and memory are worse than what they used to be, then it's a freaking problem. B) B)

Thanks for the support guys. I'm going with my husband and my digital recorder to my next appointment!!

(The dentist's office was a (smaller) jerk too. They asked me why I was there, I said I had a claim in for IU and they were making me redo all my doctors, and they said "you *do* know this is a dentists office, right?") No kidding. That's why it says "Dentist" on the damn door. I'm bipolar, not stupid. *sigh*

Shalia - who's really sick of doctors right now.

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  • HadIt.com Elder
What's an IMO?

I could probably go to the school and get on letterhead all the accomidations that I'm getting at school. What else do I need?

And they called me and asked me to "waive V(something)AA" and said it was how they got things to raters faster, and I don't even know what the hell they were talking about. Do you know?

And yes, I'm with Voc Rehab.

Thanks for your help. :) And your siding with me. I appreciate it, it means a lot.

Shalia

My 2 cents . . .

Just keep gathering and submitting evidence in support of your claim for TDIU. The VA can not reduce your disability % on the basis of one medical exam: it must look to all of the evidence. You do not need to be rated at 70% for the award of TDIU. File additional claims now if you have them.

Request a copy of the recent C&P Exam. You can fight his opinion if it is inadaquate for rating purposes. You have to see it first to argue the results.

You should consider paying for your own IME (independent Medical Exam). Cover yer azz. If money is an issue, then wait for the results of that bogus hired-gun, show the VAMC Director how grossly inadaquate it was for rating purposes, and request a new Examination.

Some Links FYI

Index to Disability Examination Worksheets

http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/Benefits/exams/index.htm

Sec. 3.328 lndependent medical opinions.

http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/12.../38cfr3.328.htm

QUALIFICATIONS FOR EXAMINERS PERFORMING COMPENSATION AND

PENSION (C&P) MENTAL DISORDER EXAMINATIONS

http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPub...asp?pub_ID=1391

Also, go to the Library and borrow the DSM IV. Read about conducting a mental status examination and reporting a multi-axis diagnosis. Doesn't sound like the C&P Examiner even did a by-the-book exam.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR (Text Revision), American Psychiatric Association, June 2000.

~Wings, woman vet

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