But this was before I realized that disclosing a psych med history tends to result in not being taken seriously and thus leading to bad care.

Because I am now down to a very low dose of one psych med (I intend to be off eventually), I will not be disclosing anything about that history when I settle on a new doctor. I will be getting health insurance so that is why I need someone new.

I am not at all comfortable being less than honest. But then there is reality.

That said, as long as payers are allowed to deny coverage for pre-existing conditions, patients may be wise to continue withholding the truth from their doctors.

Once again, the real loser in the dysfunction of the American healthcare system is the patient.

As an employee of a large health insurance company that gets group insurance through the same, this has always been particularly troublesome. Apart from that, one helpful customer service rep didn’t hestiate to notify me that she had the same disease that I did when she looked at the screen, even though I was calling about a dental billing issue for a different family member.

The second set (in classical analytic therapy) is often a description of the countertransference the doctor has towards the patient, and so could be harmful to the process of the therapy if brought out too early.

In some states, the second set of private notes are not discoverable in a subpoena (unless it’s for a criminal case), so they are protected from law suits as well.

One could also argue that if the insurer is paying for the care they have a right to know everything. And yet, colleges no longer are allowed to share grades with parents, even though they are the ones paying for tuition. Guess parents need a stronger lobby….

The main thing I do is dumb down. There are doctors who are suspicious or defensive about patients who seem to be too interested and informed, and in those cases I don’t feel I will get good care if they become aware that I know PubMed or even sciencedaily.com exists…instead it’s “oh doctor, I read this in a “6 things your doctor won’t tell you” article in a magazine, can you tell me if it’s true…” Also if a doctor is hostile about some activity in my life (usually weight training), I’ll nod along dumbly as I get lectured, but change nothing.

This is really great. It’s been raining in my life for quite some time. My most recent rainstorm has produced bills $8000 in medical bills this year and it’s only June. With lost work, transportation, etc…where am I supposed to get the money for this rainy day fund? I don’t make a 6 digit yearly salary like you do. Of course, I could forgo medical care…I think the probability that I would die of my medical problems without treatment is low. At least herbs are affordable.