Posted by vwoolf on September 16, 2006, at 12:49:42
Many years ago I spent some time in a psychiatric hospital. I have felt very stigmatized by the experience ever since.
Recently I decided to apply for a copy of my records and wrote to the hospital. After keeping me waiting for a long time, they replied that they will not give me a copy of the records but that I can arrange an appointment during which a psychiatrist will provide me with supervised access to the contents of my folder. My t may accompany me.
I have decided that I still want to go ahead even though I am very scared. I really need to deal with this stuff. My t is very supportive of this need.
Has anyone else done anything like this? What was it like? More in general, have you ever had access to your records? Did you regret it or did you consider it helpful? Why? Was your t helpful in interpreting the information.
I'm also not sure whether to ask my t to come with me or not - I'm afraid she might be bored and sit and fidget and make me feel as if I need to finish quickly. I'm also afraid that I might feel that the two of them are colluding against me as authority figures. But I'm also scared that if I go without her I may misread things or forget them or be bullied by the psychiatrist. Sigh.
I would really appreciate any help or advice you can give me from your experience. I feel very panicky about this.
poster:vwoolf
thread:686571
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20060911/msgs/686571.html