koyaanisqatsi
Well-known member
I'm wondering if anybody has any familiarity with Global Assessment Of Functioning (GAF) testing and how effective it is in accurately categorizing a person's actual functioning as a so-called "normal" person. I didn't know GAF testing existed until it bit me.
Disclosure: I've applied for disability based on depression and SPia. I'm not trying to cheat the system, but I think the GAF testing was nonsense at best. Disability doesn't exactly represent the "good life", but it may represent the only life. It's my last resort for now.
I had been diagnosed as being SPic and depressed by a quite well-qualified private practice psychiatrist in 1991. It didn't understand it well at first, but over the years, I've developed a fair understanding of the SPia disease and how it's _always_ affected my life. I'm 57 yo old now, and I've been unable to beat this disease. In fact, I believe that it has worsened as I've aged. Medications have either not helped or have had very unacceptable side-effects.
Well, I moved back to my rural home town in 2004 and got hooked up with a free "Behavioral Health" clinic at a hospital not too far away. I handed them the diagnosis. But they did some sort of GAF test based on some very simplistic questions (that I believe a SPic would not answer very honestly anyway). The results are that I do not suffer from SPia or Depression!!! Of course, they keep asking me to reschedule sessions that the clinic itself no doubt receives $ for from someone someplace. I finally terminated the sessions (intended to be a temporary break) because they did not seem to be of _any_ help. Malpractice and fraud? The sessions I had with their psychiatrists never lasted for more than 10 minutes per session, nor did they _ever_ ask any questions that one might consider probing and or that would lead to some insight into my mental state. A psychiatrist needs to try to read what is and what is not being said. I talked about suicidal thoughts, having no friends. But like most SPics, I may not have been as forthcoming as I should have been...do we really want anybody to know who we really are and what we are really like? I can't help but think that their use of whatever GAF testing or questions they used completely blew the diagnosis. After all these years I know myself, _some_ of my problem, and my limitations in dealing with my problems.
Disclosure: I've applied for disability based on depression and SPia. I'm not trying to cheat the system, but I think the GAF testing was nonsense at best. Disability doesn't exactly represent the "good life", but it may represent the only life. It's my last resort for now.
I had been diagnosed as being SPic and depressed by a quite well-qualified private practice psychiatrist in 1991. It didn't understand it well at first, but over the years, I've developed a fair understanding of the SPia disease and how it's _always_ affected my life. I'm 57 yo old now, and I've been unable to beat this disease. In fact, I believe that it has worsened as I've aged. Medications have either not helped or have had very unacceptable side-effects.
Well, I moved back to my rural home town in 2004 and got hooked up with a free "Behavioral Health" clinic at a hospital not too far away. I handed them the diagnosis. But they did some sort of GAF test based on some very simplistic questions (that I believe a SPic would not answer very honestly anyway). The results are that I do not suffer from SPia or Depression!!! Of course, they keep asking me to reschedule sessions that the clinic itself no doubt receives $ for from someone someplace. I finally terminated the sessions (intended to be a temporary break) because they did not seem to be of _any_ help. Malpractice and fraud? The sessions I had with their psychiatrists never lasted for more than 10 minutes per session, nor did they _ever_ ask any questions that one might consider probing and or that would lead to some insight into my mental state. A psychiatrist needs to try to read what is and what is not being said. I talked about suicidal thoughts, having no friends. But like most SPics, I may not have been as forthcoming as I should have been...do we really want anybody to know who we really are and what we are really like? I can't help but think that their use of whatever GAF testing or questions they used completely blew the diagnosis. After all these years I know myself, _some_ of my problem, and my limitations in dealing with my problems.