What is it about some psychiatrists?? Or maybe it's just the initials at the end of their name that gives some of them such a sense of importance and entitlement???
I'm trying not to generalize too much, as I am aware of a few psychiatrists who are so incredibly down to earth, and 'reachable'. I'm thinking more along the line of one of our psychiatrists I work with. This man really knows his stuff. I think he is a brilliant Doctor who is meticulous and very thorough with each client we work with.
He is also a Board Certified Child Psychiatrist, which makes him even more valuable, as there really aren't many psychiatrists in this area that can stake such a claim.
So, professionally speaking, this psychiatrist knows his stuff.
As much as this man has most definitely earned the title Dr., his bedside manner certainly leaves something to be desired most of the time, and I am seeing it get worse as time goes on.
He's been a board with us for about 2 years now, having taken over for a prior psychiatrist who I absolutely adored.
I should say that this current psychiatrist is a full-blooded Italian male who grew up in the Bronx, so he has that stereotypical Italian 'pig-headedness' combined with the detached cool air about him that is often prevalent with those from The City. Those two features, in combination with his sometimes intense, brooding moodiness and sense of intimidation mixed with awe that some typically feel towards those in authority, makes for an uncomfortable presence at times. He is very good with clients, mind you. What I'm talking about is a behind the scenes kind of thing. My sister would know this as "You're getting the raw version", as that's often my way of saying "I'm not censoring my thoughts or words." :)
Anyway, in spite of his gruffness, moodiness, and easy to bristle personality, he and I had hit it off quite well. I'm not entirely sure why, as that kind of person has always been such a turn off to me. I do know there was a professional respect for each other, as he had become quickly aware that not only do I regularly use standardized assessment tools to help accurately diagnose, I also have a decent size library of assessment tools built up. I kinda smile as I think back on some of our exchanges... "Hey, whatcha got for blah, blah, blah?? I'll let you have one of these, if I can get a copy of one of those."
A professional kind of Show & Tell, if you will. I must admit, I was a bit tickled to be trading professional tools with a psychiatrist.
For whatever reason, he seemed (to me, as well as my co-workers) to temper his gruffness towards me. I had witnessed it, but was never on the receiving end of that.
Never.
Never, that is, until last year, before I took off for the 'Dacks for a week.
I'll spare the details, but we didn't agree on treatment recommendations for a client. All I did was ask for clarification on something, and BAMM!!! Dr. So&So quickly turned into Mr. Hyde!
Holy Shit! I felt the room get ice cold, the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up, and the pure icy-ness dripping in his voice as he bellowed: "Do NOT Challenge me!" He then dismissed me as if I was a servant that was annoying him!
OMG! I left his office, went into mine, closed the door and cranked up Norah Jones, hoping this would help calm down the burn I was on. (Norah's soft sensual voice tends to lull me.).
Nope, didn't help. Thankfully I did not have a client for an hour and would need that time to chill and refocus. At some point, I met with my director, (Whom I think is the bestest!). I'm shaking my head and kinda laughing as I type this, because the only thing I remember from my meeting with my director was me vehemently spewing out: "He has a Fucking license to practice medicine, but it doesn't give him the license to be a Fucking Asshole!"
Here we are, it's a professional environment, no one swears, and here I AM, dropping two F-Bombs, like I was a sailor! Thank God for private offices and White-Noise Makers outside each door! It's not like the white-noise makers really helped at that point. I'm fairly certain the business office could of heard me!
What makes this all sooo incredibly odd though is that he will often then react to you 5 minutes later as if nothing ever transpired between the two of you. It's like you've got all this pent up emotional energy because of how he had reacted, and then everything is peachy-keen the next minute, and you're left, holding the bag!!
Ouch, that never feels good!
Sounds like the good ol' Doc could use some meds for himself, at times!!
Anyway, I made a promise to myself that I would address this with him when I returned from my trip to the 'Dacks.
And that I did. My 2nd day back, I addressed it with him in his office. What is interesting is, I know that I had been the only clinician to do that, to call him on his bad behavior. My ex husband used to tease me about my ability to do that. He used to say that I can, with much ease, walk into a room full of testosterone-charged glass-eating He-men and have no problem telling them where to get off, and then turn around and, just as easily, melt into a puddle of tears at a Sentimental Reach Out and Touch Me Commercial!!
Looking back at that meeting with 'Mr. Hyde', I think we both were kind of drawing our own line in the sand. But for whatever reason, this seemed to worked. No hard feelings on either side, and we resumed our Professionally-based bantering with each other.
But try as he may, he still is a moody, gruff psychiatrist. He may be brilliant, but he can be a brilliant asshole as well.
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