the doctor said I don't have SAD

[dancingintherain]

?? :/ I went to the doctors two days ago and told him I may have SAD but he believed I don't because I do art in college. Artists are distant from people but that's not the case! - I told him I was too anxious to talk to anyone in my class, i get very shaky in presentations, I hate being in social situations, I rarely go out because i think people would laugh at me. It's always been like this.
Do you think I have it and should I go see another doctor?

 

[Lonelykitsune]

Not all artists are distant so thats a funny thing for him to say.If I was in that situation I would get a second opinion.

 

[Pacific_Loner]

Yeah sounds like a weird thing to say, it's a huge stereotype, I'm sort of an artist too and there was all kind of people where I was studying, very intraverted, very extraverted... And it's not because artists are usually distant (which is so not the case anyway??) that it makes it impossible to have people with SA among them... hmm?? Are you sure he was a doctor? But anyway, does it really matter to have an official diagnostic? I mean you know the way you are better than anyone else. Doctors are just people like us, they don't know the absolute truth and most of the time they are not specialized is such things as personality disorders

 

[DanFC]

Is this just your general practitioner or is this a psychiatrist?

Edit: Our is another health worker, like a psychologist?

 

[JamesSmith]

?? :/ I went to the doctors two days ago and told him I may have SAD but he believed I don't because I do art in college. Artists are distant from people but that's not the case! - I told him I was too anxious to talk to anyone in my class, i get very shaky in presentations, I hate being in social situations, I rarely go out because i think people would laugh at me. It's always been like this.
Do you think I have it and should I go see another doctor?

Omg, that is absolutely absurd that the doctor thinks that. That is so depressing that someone who you pay money to help you gives tells you that "artists can't have anxiety disorders." Anybody can have SA no matter who you are or what your interests are. This just shows how clueless so many people are with how anxiety works.

Is this a family physician or something like that? If so, I'd advise getting a therapist or counselor. Doctors probably aren't the best people to ask advice about anxiety.

 

[nicole1]

That's not your doctor. He didn't listen. He assumed. I've been to many a doctor. Not one has properly diagnosed me when I described the symptoms. Some are actually idiots that just worked hard in college to be called a "doctor". But a real doctor, to me, would talk to you, ask you how things are going, and find helpful ways to manage even the slightest bit of nervousness.

 

[nicole1]

I'm in print journalism. I must interview folks... I must sit in a noisy, crowded newsroom. It's bad. And I fought my way through the first couple of months, then it snapped.
I believe some of us try to fight and make it in certain situations that we want to be in, even when it's difficult.
Like I said, there are other, better doctors.

 

[dancingintherain]

Is this just your general practitioner or is this a psychiatrist?

Edit: Our is another health worker, like a psychologist?

he was just a doctor.. I'll say he needs some research xD

 

[dancingintherain]

Omg, that is absolutely absurd that the doctor thinks that. That is so depressing that someone who you pay money to help you gives tells you that "artists can't have anxiety disorders." Anybody can have SA no matter who you are or what your interests are. This just shows how clueless so many people are with how anxiety works.

Is this a family physician or something like that? If so, I'd advise getting a therapist or counselor. Doctors probably aren't the best people to ask advice about anxiety.

I know D: I will be going to a therapist or councelor then, I think they know better

 

[dancingintherain]

I wanted to kill that doctor xD I repeated everything I just told him to get through to him but in the end he said he didn't think i had it. Now I'll just go find someone else who understands. Thank you all here, you're all very helpful <3

 

[Daz]

This site has so many artists. Really good one's as well.

Ditch your Doc

 

[Nanita]

A doctor is just a person who happens to have gone to medical school. Big deal... no...
I have never gotten any kind of help or solutions from the doctors I have seen, regarding different health issues. Actually several doctors of mine have overseen things, forgotten things and given wrong treatments.

 

[Feathers]

Hey Dancing!

Be careful with doctors or psychiatrists too, some just prescribe meds and don't offer any counselling or such.. It's better if you can get counselling, like CBT or DBT or ACT.. ideally from someone who knows about SA well.. or learn from books or programs.. meds are just for really severe cases, some doctors/psychiatrists like to prescribe them too much..

You can tweak things with nutrition and lifestyle too, artists are sometimes 'famous' to have problems communicating, some of that might be from iffy chemicals in the paint etc, so it's important you eat healthy to combat that.. and to go on fresh air and exercise..

Some shaky hands can be 'normal' for anyone, and just 'stage fright', it depends how severe it is and how it influences your life.. Sometimes not being labelled as 'SA' can actually be a good thing, it depends on the system in your country and what is available to you with or without the label.. I think your doctor is actually better than if he just pushed you some pills like that would solve everything... (There are worse doctors out there I guess..)

It's good to get informed about SA and possibly helpful programs yourself... For something even more exotic, I had to bring my doctor a Wikipedia printout, and only then she took me seriously & sent me for tests...
Sometimes it's difficult to express it proper so a doc would understand.. If you have this doctor's e-mail, you could even send him a link to the documentary about sa maybe...?

 

[Sial Axetder]

Hey Dancing!

Be careful with doctors or psychiatrists too, some just prescribe meds and don't offer any counselling or such.. It's better if you can get counselling, like CBT or DBT or ACT.. ideally from someone who knows about SA well.. or learn from books or programs.. meds are just for really severe cases, some doctors/psychiatrists like to prescribe them too much..

You can tweak things with nutrition and lifestyle too, artists are sometimes 'famous' to have problems communicating, some of that might be from iffy chemicals in the paint etc, so it's important you eat healthy to combat that.. and to go on fresh air and exercise..

Some shaky hands can be 'normal' for anyone, and just 'stage fright', it depends how severe it is and how it influences your life.. Sometimes not being labelled as 'SA' can actually be a good thing, it depends on the system in your country and what is available to you with or without the label.. I think your doctor is actually better than if he just pushed you some pills like that would solve everything... (There are worse doctors out there I guess..)

It's good to get informed about SA and possibly helpful programs yourself... For something even more exotic, I had to bring my doctor a Wikipedia printout, and only then she took me seriously & sent me for tests...
Sometimes it's difficult to express it proper so a doc would understand.. If you have this doctor's e-mail, you could even send him a link to the documentary about sa maybe...?

*scratches head with thought* Dr. Google, eh.

Anyway, I think you've got the right ideas. As always.

 

[Newtype]

Phony doctor, lol.

 

[LazyHermitCrab]

I think this person is just pretending to be a doctor, find a real one.

 

[DanFC]

I know I'm late to the party, but let me just say...

You really shouldn't be asking your general practioner for something you should be asking your psychiatrist/psychologist. Of course, a better doctor would have just referred you to one, but I don't think he's completely to blame.

And to another post saying that doctors "just" went to medical school, it's not "just" medical school XD It's medical school (4 years) + residency (at least 3 years, usually more) at a bare, bare minimum for something like internal medicine, but usually there are more years of internships/fellowships involved in there, and that's not even considering the undergraduate nonsense.

So even your worst doctor has at least 7 years of medical knowledge here in the US. A differentiation between good doctors from bad ones, other than the knowledge, is being able to differentiate when you don't know something. So the doctor in question here is obviously a bad doctor, but that doesn't instantly give anyone the right to harp on the profession if they don't know what they are talking about -_-

 

[Deus_Ex_Lemur]

Going to your general practioner or regular doctor usually is bad, for such things like this. IF he was a good Doc, unfamiliar with certain things, like SAD, or other disorders, he should refer you to ppl who'd know more, instead of being so opinionated and stupid. I don't expect my regular Doc to be a master of all. Unrealistic. The Doc I used to have, WISH he didnt retire, would always refer if he wasn't sure about something, or didn't feel comfortable one way or the other. He'd say what he thought was the problem, but then still refer. Not passing judgement and stuff.

As in the video in my link, this is discussed, and for ppl with SAD and other disorders this kinda **** makes the sufferer go untreated longer, and is horrible.

 

[EscapeArtist]

Going to your general practioner or regular doctor usually is bad, for such things like this. IF he was a good Doc, unfamiliar with certain things, like SAD, or other disorders, he should refer you to ppl who'd know more, instead of being so opinionated and stupid. I don't expect my regular Doc to be a master of all. Unrealistic. The Doc I used to have, WISH he didnt retire, would always refer if he wasn't sure about something, or didn't feel comfortable one way or the other. He'd say what he thought was the problem, but then still refer. Not passing judgement and stuff.

As in the video in my link, this is discussed, and for ppl with SAD and other disorders this kinda **** makes the sufferer go untreated longer, and is horrible.

Indeed. GPs are... dare I say, useless, except for referrals. I once went and my mother told them about my social anxiety and how I don't leave the house, we were looking for somebody to diagnose at the time too, and he looked at me with his jaw open and said "You don't leave the house ALL DAY?". Oh what a way to understand a person! He at least gave a referral to a psychiatrist

Another time I asked my GP (different one) for a blood test because I felt I may be B12 deficient, and he told me that it's not possible to be B12 deficient because it's in bananas.

 

[popolala]

so what if the doctor said you dont have sad.. why are you triyng to get a permission from someone to tell you what you know your feeling. If you know you are sad, then you are sad.

SAD is the most common emotion in this world..

but you must have a reason to feel this way.. sure, you may avoid social setting, but why? ... because your shy... not sad..

but maybe avoiding it, is making you sad... then dont avoid it..
therefore, your issue is not sad, its shyness...

combat shyness.. because maybe thats the problem.

avoiding social setting, shaky in presentation is not symptom of SAD... its a symptom of confident issue.

But i think he should had refer you to a specialist.. i think he isnt a considerate docter.. see a different one..