To want to go back to a therapist who misdiagnosed me?

[TryingToBeHappy88]

Need this spell the end do you think? We’d been working together a while and did have a good connection, which had taken me a some time to find as I’d tried several others first. There is no question though that she misdiagnosed me (confirmed by psychiatrist) and misinterpreted key symptoms. Would I be crazy to try to turn things around? I can tell the psychiatrist thinks I should just start over with someone else now.

Psychotherapists aren’t supposed to diagnose, surely? Thats a job for a psychiatrist.

Sorry, but what would that achieve?

(no experience ever with any therapist or psychiatrist myself).

what percentage of therapists and psychiatrists agree on diagnosise do you think?

You are correct. Therapists can not diagnose and should not be doing so.

Did she diagnose you or did she make a suggestion for you to look into further?

Ie did she say "you have X" or did she say "have you considered whether you might have X"?

If she actually diagnosed I wouldn't go back whether she was wrong or right as she completely overstepped a professional boundary. If she made a suggestion and you feel comfortable with her then definitely go back.

Yes psychotherapists don't diagnose as such. Can you explain what happened? If you have a good rapport with a therapist that's the significant basis for successful therapy, the apparent diagnosis may turn out to be a side issue.

You are all right, she is not qualified to diagnose and has been open about this. However she has effectively been treating me for months as if I have a particular diagnosis, just occasionally putting in a disclaimer that, ‘Well we do need to be careful as this isn’t actually proven.’

Therapists don't diagnose, that can only be done by a psychiatrist. That being said psychologists/ psychotherapists/ therapists will often work with someone on completing a psychological formulation which is often every bit as helpful ( if not more so ) as a "diagnosis". Also worth bearing mind that different psychiatrists will often disagree on diagnosis and people can end up with multiple diagnosis if they end up seeing different psychiatrist over time. I guess what's most important is the presenting difficulties, and if the therapist was helping you with these issues?

I have had a lot of avoidance symptoms and now have an official diagnosis of PTSD. The therapist totally missed that these were a trauma response though and thought I was being antisocial. It was only when she started really pushing me to face the things I was uncomfortable with that I started having what I now know to be flashbacks. I did describe these to her but she still didn’t seem to make the link and just kept on pushing. It was at that point that I told her I needed to stop and went to see the psychiatrist instead of my own accord.

I would urge you to report her to her membership body. This is appallingly bad practice.

I agree with the above poster. I could understand a therapist say, questioning about neuro diversty and someone being told it's just traits. But being aware of risk of someone reliving trauma should be bread and butter for any therapist and suggests to me that they don't have experience of guiding people through that safely.

Honestly I think you need to have a break and then try a different therapist or counsellor. She doesn't sound very intuitive, she completely missed the point and caused you to relapse. I don't see how you can trust her after that. But you do probably need a break before trying someone new

Not the point of the thread but clinical psychologists can diagnose

@milkysmum She was making the presenting difficulties worse. She clearly meant well though and it was just due to misunderstanding. The question is, is it possible to forgive that?

Why would you want to go back to someone so utterly incompetent?

It sounds as if she was working beyond her competency and as a result you were less psychologically safe. No I wouldn’t go back to her.

I would question why it is you feel drawn to going back to her? Are you repeating any other unhelpful relational patterns by doing so?

if you need therapy, seek another therapist and raise this desire with them.

You can forgive her or not, that's up to you. You're not a bad person if you don't, btw. But don't put your mental health in the hands of someone who doesn't act professionally. Her behaviour was very very dangerous. Flashbacks aren't a joke. They can cause people to drink too much, take drugs and even end their lives. She used you as an ego project ie she was playing with her "diagnosis" of you being right in order to make herself feel good. If she didn't feel good from doing it, there's no way she'd have done it. She also recognised where her competency ended (which is good) BUT she then didn't stop, she carried on! That's unacceptable! It's not like she was didn't know, she was consciously doing it!!

You deserve someone who treats you properly, not someone who pretends to.

Starting with a new therapist is a total PITA because they don't know your past. Your psychiatrist is suggesting this for a reason though. I would ask if they can recommend someone, suggest where to look or what to look for. They know you and your situation. They also know that you've experienced professional misconduct. They should be able to help.

I'm really sorry this has been done to you.

All sounds a bit enmeshed. She is a professional person whose services you were purchasing, not a well meaning individual who was doing her best to help you out of kindness, so she doesn't need your forgiveness or repeat custom. That you are thinking of going back to her also shows that your relationship with her or your feelings about her are inappropriate and you should NOT go back there

Thank you. These replies are quite eye-opening actually. I could tell the psychiatrist was not impressed either.

In these circumstances definitely find a different therapist.

Has the therapy you’ve had thus far been helpful?

Very sorry, cross post. Should have read the whole thread.

I agree, this is the last thing you needed OP, I’m so sorry for you.

Your desire to go back to this therapist and continue the relationship may show you some patterns of thought and behaviour you might not be aware of. I’m sorry you had this experience, you deserve a competent therapist who listens to you and treats you appropriately. However nice she is or was, she wasn’t doing her job properly!

The most charitable explanation is that she isn’t a good fit for you. At worst, it sounds like she was negligent and left you more vulnerable and psychologically unsafe.

Please discuss a course of treatment with the psychiatrist you spoke to. They may also be able to recommend a couple of therapists who would meet your specific needs better.

Don’t go back.