To think psychiatrist get used to people being rude to them

[User50577]

I was in an appointment with my adult dd. She at one point got frustrated and said you don’t f (swear word) doing anything. She doesn’t usually react like that and I’m very disappointed in her however the psychiatrist was very calm about it. Are they used to being spoken to like that?

I'm a mental health nurse and I've spent the last 8 years working in inpatient settings.

I am very used to rudeness, and fully appreciate that sometimes this just can't be helped. If someone has psychosis or is elated in mood they may well swear at me, it doesn't matter.

Sometimes though I think there is a cohort of patients who realise bad behaviour is likely to go unchallenged on a ward, and ghis is frustrating. Especially when someone with capacity is violent and the police will do nothing.

To be honest your daughter was right. Psychiatrists don't do much other than prescribe medication. People tend to have the wrong idea of what a psychiatrist does.

Does your daughter also attend counselling? A psychologist?

I'm disappointed that you are disappointed in her. Why would you react like that? Counselling often brings out anger and lots of other emotions in the patient and he will have heard much worse than that.

And psychiatrists are known (even in the mental health profession they have a poor reputation) for being useless so she probably had a point.

You're wrong @Booboostwo - in the NHS system psychiatrists diagnose and prescribe, that's it

jamoncrumpet they diagnose without talking about feelings, behavior and symptoms? Wow, they are magical and nothing like the medical students I taught for a decade, but if you say so then it must be true.

My psych definitely spent time talking to me before diagnosing....how the hell can they diagnose without talking to the patient?

Speaking as someone who works with psychiatrists, they are probably used to getting punched, I doubt swearing will phase them much, or lead to them refusing further care.

Which is not to say that it is acceptable. I really don't think anyone should be expected to accept being verbally abused.

To be honest your daughter was right. Psychiatrists don't do much other than prescribe medication. People tend to have the wrong idea of what a psychiatrist does.

This is not true at all!

Psychiatrists diagnose and provide treatment, which includes but is not limited to medication.

You're wrong@Booboostwo- in the NHS system psychiatrists diagnose and prescribe, that's it

This is not the case in my trust. I actually don't believe this is the case anywhere!

it wasn’t the swearing that they disliked it was the the ‘fan mail’ containing pubic hair.

I'm at a loss. Is anything else routinely sent?

You're wrong @jamoncrumpet - NHS psychiatrists do more than diagnose and prescribe. They make referrals, write reports, decide whether someone should be sectioned, attend case meetings, give evidence in court, educate students and probably a lot more besides.

In answer to the OP, I'm sure psychiatrists don't take swearing to heart. They know that it's a manifestation of a patient's symptoms or frustration with their situation rather than a personal insult.

Not a psychiatrist but work in mental health.

Of all the things people might say to me in an appointment, expressing frustration that things are not changing quickly enough would not be the most shocking. And it's important that patients/clients can communicate clearly and honestly with staff. I'd much rather have someone tell me they were annoyed than lie politely. If you don't know what the problem is you can't begin to fix it.

allmodra I was once given a full outfit of a patient's recently departed wife....

They may be used to it, doesn't mean they don't get hurt or upset especially if it comes at the end of a tough week.

I'm accustomed to psychiatrists being rude to me. Depressingly common behaviour.

@moseschrute give my regards to Dwight and Angela

They make referrals, write reports, decide whether someone should be sectioned, attend case meetings, give evidence in court, educate students and probably a lot more besides.

Not all for the benefit of one patient, though.

I thought it was fairly clear the pp person meant from the patient perspective of the help and input they would realistically receive from their psychiatrist. Not as the sum total of all tasks performed.

I have a good friend and hillwalking buddy who's an A&E doc who says he's sworn at regularly, but that that's pretty mild compared to what they see none to infrequently . Truth is stranger than fiction!

Hmm. DD's private psychiatrist who assessed, prescribed, counselled and fully supported whilst helping me to help her got flowers as well as £6k.

The psychiatrist in charge of the wholly incompetent CAMHS team who ensured she was assessed 4 times, messed her about and provided zilch, nada, deserves to be sworn out for making excuses for the biggest shit show I have ever witnessed. Cost both of us a lot of time and indirectly I'd say about 100 times the cost of the private psychiatrist.

My heart goes out to anyone dependent on nhs mh care. It is a FUCKING diagrace.

When I worked in MH being sworn at was just your average Tuesday. They won't stop working with your DD unless there's some huge back story you haven't told us.

I once had four fingers broken by someone and went back to working with them the next day. They didn't apologise.

@WanderingMind

"Why were you in at the appointment? What happens is there is none of your business as your dd is adult. You being there may have influenced what she did or said!"
"Very unprofessional of the psychiatrist if this happened"
Did you mean to be so rude? You are not well-informed in this either.

The OP's daughter would have been asked at the point of referral if she wanted anyone to be included in the appointments. They also confirm this continues to be the case at each Care Plan Review and they also inform the service user that they can withdraw their consent at any time. Sometimes, even if the service user is accompanied, the Psychiatrist will see them by themselves before calling in their companion.

I always accompany my family member because I make comprehensive notes for him as his concentration levels and memory are poor as a result of his illness/medication. They always check he wants me there.

OP, I think they probably do get used to rudeness and/or swearing. In my case my DB wouldn't dream of being rude and he doesn't swear but I am very forthright and sometimes blunt because the Psychiatrist hears what she wants to hear and not what is said.
I have found the Psychiatrists we have had dealings with to have done sweet FA too. I actually fear for service users who have no-one to accompany them.

Psychiatrists diagnose and provide treatment, which includes but is not limited to medication.

Once they've diagnosed they then prescribe. My husband attends a psychiatrist and when he tried to talk to him recently he was told "All I really do is give tablets. I don't do the talk therapy" and then he gave him the number of a psychologist. Now appointments usually go like:

Psychiatrist: How are you feeling these days?
Husband: Better/worse/indifferent etc
Psychiatrist: Let's adjust this, that or the other. See you in 6 months.
Husband: OK.

I worked in a private psychiatric hospital for over 10 years. Patients would often complain at having to hand over extortionate amounts for a few minutes of a consultation. One man once timed his consultation using the stop watch on his phone from walking in the door to walking back out was less than 90 seconds.

TellMe that sounds incredibly shit. It's not how it is meant to be!

I often have joint appointments with a psychiatrist colleague. The last few have involved sitting on the floor of a girl's bedroom coaxing her to eat, discussing religion with a lad who was having some delusional thoughts and encouraging him to consider these, and discussing potential suicide plans (and making a safety plan) with another girl. Obviously the role of medication was considered for all, but it is not the be all and end all of psychiatry.

Don’t worry your dd was venting her anger and her possible fear they will have understood this

Everyone who works in MH or any health setting will have come across hostility and worse it’s part of the work.