A mental health provider was kind enough to leave the below comment on my blog. I found it so unsettling that I want to put it front and center as a post. I personally feel that this mental health provider is an absolute hero for standing up for her patient the way she did. If only every woman with depression or PPD had a patient advocate like her!!! Please read and let me know what you think. (I just wish I knew what insurance company this was.....)
Anonymous said:
I am a mental health provider and very interested in the topic of postpartum depression/perinatal mood disorders - I have two children and struggled w/ postpartum anxiety after my first child.
This topic struck me today specifically because I "had it out" with an insurance company and their "clinical review counselor" today....
I have a client who is a 35-year-old woman who is moderately depressed, and trying to get pregnant. She is responding nicely to psychotherapy and wishes not to start medications because of her desire to become pregnant, and I support this as do her physicians. The "clinical review counselor" from her insurance company disagreed with me because meds would make her treatment progress faster and therefore cost the insurance company less -- he cited this new literature that you cite here in your blog -- I hadn't read it yet but told him that it was ridiculous to medicate someone who is responding to psychotherapy and who wants to become pregnant just to speed things up. It's not worth the risk, no matter how small. His only response was that it was afterall the patient's decision.
What annoys me is that if I were not one to advocate for my clients or one who was up on the research, I may have been swayed by this and felt pressured to lead the patient in that direction. In this case, I totally feel like I won though, especially when he asked me for the expected length of treatment; I said "6 months and if she gets pregnant she'll need to be monitored throughout the pregnancy and the postpartum period because her risk of postpartum depression is increased." He said "ok" -- NEVER do they say "ok." Their job is to limit benefits to save money - he clearly had no clue about perinatal mood disorders.
Kristin don't ever stop being advocate for your clients
Kristin don't ever stop being advocate for your clients, It is only because of people like you that set the standards higher and changes happen. I have a doctor, my OBGYN who I first met due to a miscarriage that I had. The way she showed how much she really cared provided me with the comfort that I needed at the time. So needless to say she became my permanent doc. She worked with my husband and I for a year to get pregnant,(funny how when you don't try it happens right away). The day that i was to start clomid I had a urine test that came up negative, but I asked her just to be safe could she do a blood test. Low and behold I was about 3 days along per my HCG levels. It doesn't stop there though because when I was in my last trimester I kept cramping and feeling fluid leaking, but the other doctor (more experienced no bedside manner) kept sending me away. Finally my Doc had me go to the hospital did test and by her listening to me not her supervisor, she delivered our 8 month old 3 weeks early. The umbilical cord was so tight around his neck that she could not get her fingers under it to cut the cord, not to mention they almost lost him because he became stuck in my pelvis, But the blessing of all thus us that there was only about 1/2 oz of amniotic fluid left in my womb. If he would have gone full term like the non bedside manner doctor wanted my son would not be here today.
Also since I am on a role,I am so tiered on my doctors always pushing anti-depressants on me when I know that I clearly do not need them. I personally believe that in a lot of cases doctors use anti depressants as a band-aid rather then digging to the root of the problem and healing from the inside out. I absolutely also believe that medical professionals are hero's to their patients and they are much more than that when they listen to the patient and how they are feeling. I myself deal with acute anxiety disorder caused from ADHD. So no instead of have two pills to control my symptoms I am required to take Wellbuterin just so I can take a medical that controls my anxiety. Oh an this is the best part it isn't even Xanax (spelled wrong) it is a prescription that can be refilled with out having to get a new script every time due to it being a narcotic. So instead of her just listening to me and giving me the meds that I have always taken she was to experiment on me. I truly do not know if this even relates to this post, but what struck me as rather rude is the way she almost accused Kristin of not caring about her patients as she stated, "The author gets irritated because she was not to
advocate for her clients, then she have been persuaded
by this and felt squeeze to take the patient in that direction."
To Anonymous, I want you to know that I do not even know Kristin but I felt impelled to fight off the bully meaning you. I do not want to sound rude, but since you can dish it you can take it. You should really keep other people's feeling in mind when posting
Posted: Fri., May 23, 2008, 11:16 am
I am sorry to Anonymous
I am sorry anonymous I misunderstood what you were saying an am quite embarrasses. Sorry
Posted: Fri., May 23, 2008, 12:53 pm
Post new comment here