I was diagnosed w/ bipolar 1 year ago and I kept getting worse instead of better so he kept increasing my medications. I voluntarily admitted myself to the hospital to get detoxed but he refused and then I took more medication. I used to be 119lbs(before treatment) and at 189lbs I found out that 75mgs of Seroquel was a high does and I was taking 600mg a day. I haven't been able to work and I couldn't even go shopping w/out having a panic attach. I weaned myself off the drugs and I'M BETTER!. I've lost 13lbs just b/c I'm not taking the meds and I have only had 1 or two panic attacks since. Could this mean I was never bipolar and now that I have support at home that's all I really needed to cope with things? So I ask (not because I am even thinking about doing so) just out of curiosity ... Can a psychiatrist be sued? or is it the "safest" field not needing to worry of malpractice? --- sorry so long but it's important to me.
vcaylor77
You can sue anyone at any time for any reason. Doesn't mean you'll win in court, but you can do it nonetheless. Call a lawyer and discuss your concerns. Consultations are often free, so it can't hurt anything to talk about it. I know how you feel, though. I went to a shrink once who thought I was a guinea pig, too. He gave me seizure meds to try to make me lose weight. I lost no weight (of course lol), and happened to develop an allergy to that junk after a while. I was out of work for about three weeks because I had an EXTREME sensitivity to light and all kinds of other weird stuff going on from that medication. (It was Topamax, by the way.) I chose not to try to sue because it was basically useless to me at the time. I'm glad to hear you're doing better now and that you have the support of your family. I wish you luck with your illness (whatever it may or may not be!) and with your decision to take this to court or not.
streamcat
If you have gone to a psychiatrist, tried to admit yourself to a hospital and have been diagnosed as bipolar and you dont want to take the drugs a psychiatrist prescribed, people are going to think your'e crazy. They will believe the psychiatrist,not you. If you have a manic episode you will wish you had taken the drugs.
mikewesten
It's great that you are better, especially without the use of drugs! Well done you!
Now, in answer to your question: YES! A psychiatrist can be sued, in fact it happens a lot. According to the Psychiatric Times, approximately 40% of psychiatrists are sued for malpractice!
If you are interested, we have a number of people who have been in similar situations on the newsgroup http://groups.msn.com/psychbusters - there is also a wealth of information available to assist you or your attorney in taking on a psychiatrist through the legal system.
There is also a human rights group that assists people who have been abused by the mental health system: the Citizens Commission on Human Rights. http://cchr.org/index.cfm/5353
Mike
--
Decoding Psychiatric Propaganda
http://groups.msn.com/psychbusters
nietzsche754
How successful are these lawsuits? Do you remember the 1-800 CHARTER commercials, you now if you don't get helkp at Charter please get heklp somewhere. People decided on somewhere. The company was involved in so many instances of malpractice that they went complketely bankrupt from not being able to pay all the suits. So go for it these suits are money makers.
emailjacquisoon
ABSOLUTELY. Anyone can be sued! The first thing I suggest is for you to get at least 2 opinions who agree on your condition. If you are in fact BiPolar then continue to get good, effective and responsible treatment. Secondly, you need to talk to a personal injury lawyer who can examine your case and tell you if you have a leg to stand on in the courts. If they shoot you down and you are disappointed, seek a second opinion from another attorney. If you still don't get a bite, then give up, your case is not strong enough. Medication is GROSSLY abused by medical providers at the rich and filthy hands of pharmaceutical companies who walk in and tell them "this drug is treatable for 85 different diagnoses from heart conditions to chronic pain and mental illnesses." This irresponsibility may be to blame for your problems, as well as your doctor. Talk to your attorney, study the medication you were on and find other people who had your same experiences and you might have a case against the big dollar company as well.
Psychiatrists absolutely have to worry about malpractice. And if you truly feel that your medical regimen is to blame, then you might consider it your social duty to take legal action and expose the abuse for what it is before it damages another individual's life.
Orignal From: Tips: Can a psychiatrist ever be sued?
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