It has been a rough few months as highlighted in previous blog posts, especially regarding my medication and mental health.
Having left the health clinic on the 30th of June, I was consciously aware that things needed to change. Yes, I had a fair few people urging me to make changes to my health care and their urgings certainly pushed me towards change but ultimately I needed to take the final step and commit to change.
So naturally I decided to make the change to switch psychiatrists to a clinic that specialises in ADHD and can provide better monitoring.
When committing to this decision, I was aware that there was a bit involved but little was I to realise that this would turn out to be a frustrating (and still incomplete) experience that nearly completely derailed my healthcare.
In Australia, we have strict rules when it comes to the dispensation of certain medications (ADHD being one) only one psychiatrist can hold the license to dispense scripts to a patient. There are also exceptions where GPs can also dispense scripts with regards to ADHD medication but for that to happen, they've got to hold a license to do so.
Anyway, 3 weeks ago exact, I booked an appointment at a new clinic and was told that I would need certain paperwork from my old psychiatrist. After paying for the appointment and then being in the middle of communicating from one to the other, it was clear there was confusion. To sort out the confusion I was instructed to send an email address and the new and old would communicate together. The last email I was cc'd into was on the 6th of July and I was reassured that they were communicating and that things would be sorted out by the 20th of July (5 days before today's appointment). The 20th of July passed and I'd heard nothing so I assumed all was good and everything was good to go.
That was until I woke up yesterday (24th of July). I received an email advising of 2 issues. The first issue was an easy fix and isn't relevant to this story but the second issue was more troubling, that being that no paperwork had been forwarded. I was alarmed and couldn't believe it.
What the hell was I supposed to do in a day that no one could achieve in almost 3 weeks?
This led to a series of calls and emails trying to get to the bottom of what had occurred and to add to it all, I was heading to the soccer. After doing what I thought I could, I headed out to get my flu shot and go to the soccer. I had trouble getting in because of a water bottle issue and when I checked my phone, I had received a call from what I hoped would be my new ADHD managers at 4:58 PM. Calling back after 5:00 PM led to a recorded message and at that stage, not only could I do nothing but I was starting to fume big time.
Then I had the frustration of today. I travelled over 2 hours for that appointment and when I got there, I had to explain the situation to the receptionist. At one stage I saw her face and wondered if I was getting a bit too emotional (I didn't think I was but I didn't take the chance) so I dialed it right back. There was also a suggestion that due to a lack of paperwork, my appointment today should be cancelled. I was thinking that I didn't travel 2 hours for nothing but instead asked "Why should I be penalised because someone else didn't do their part of the paperwork?"
In spite of all this, by chance, I kept the appointment, probably because by that stage I was shaking and after being informed of expectations, I went in and had the appointment. There was absolute bewilderment that this had been allowed to occur however the outcome of this appointment was about the best I could hope for given the circumstances The script was given for one medication Email from GP direct to the old psychiatrist and I have to follow up Now, let's be perfectly honest about this whole thing.
1. I have done nothing wrong here and in fact, did what I was instructed to do while also communicating with who needed to be communicated with.
2. At no stage did I want anyone to be at risk of skirting a grey area when it comes to the law and requirements surrounding ADHD medication and the transfer of care etc.
3. I have given a summary of what has unfolded rather than going into full detail. I will say that how this has unfolded is horrific and the fact I'm still waiting for a resolution probably says it all.
Last but not least, as a person with both Autism AND ADHD, it is important that if there is an issue regarding paperwork or the like, it actually be communicated to me in a timely manner. If I had been made aware on Thursday 20th of July that there was an issue, I could've followed up and we could've avoided a lot of the crap that occurred yesterday and today. I also have the right to change psychiatrists or doctors if I so choose and the process should've been simple. For some reason though, when it comes to ADHD, apparently it needs to be made harder than it actually should be. It's not good enough in the slightest.
What happened to me over the last 2 days was an absolute disgrace which was caused by a mix of confusion and possibly a lack of communication. It shouldn't be this bloody hard to change psychiatrists but apparently, when it comes to ADHD, it needs to be a mountain made out of a molehill. We can do better and if this is my experience, imagine how many others out there have suffered a similar experience through absolutely no fault of their own.
Once you throw Autism and ADHD into the mix, you're causing unnecessary stress and creating conditions ripe for a meltdown whether in public or private. As a country, we do have a lot of regulations that have to be followed and I am understanding of those but when it comes to switching psychiatrists, it really shouldn't be this hard whatsoever.
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