I fired my psychiatrist, what now?

[LeapOfFayth]

Well I went into my psychiatrist appointment today with hopes of confronting her about my diagnosis (I don't agree with it at all). Thing is, we never got to that point, first line she said I just got so angry. I don't even remember what she said, but I just stood up and told her she was fired and walked out. Now I have no doctor, what am I supposed to do? I mean, I know I'm supposed to find a new psychiatrist, and I have a good idea how to go about that, but does everything start over? Do they get my file from my last psychiatrist or is it a clean slate?

[Casey.]

I'm not sure how it works in Canada, but I know here, depending on if your in the same place or you go somewhere else, they can transfer your records. I went through five therapists at one place, and all they did was hand my file off to another one.

You can also request for them to transfer it, or you can start all over if you like.

[InSovietRussiaORGASMGotU]

If the new psychiatrist works in the same hospital or same private practice as the first one, then it's likely they can transfer the files. If not, then they still can, however, you may need to sign a document allowing them to do so. You can tell the new psychiatrist that you wish to start on a clean slate, if that is something you want. They'll still have the records but they can listen to you first before looking at the records or possibly giving you a different diagnosis.

[Grizabella]

You're in Canada - are you going to a government paid psychiatrist, or a private psychiatrist? If it's a government funded one, the waitlists are ridiculously long - months, sometimes up to a year. To facilitate the process, they might want to look at your file, as they don't necessarily deal with cases on a first-come first-serve basis, but try to judge which patients have the greatest need. You also won't need to worry about picking a new one, as they're assigned to you - you're allowed to request a new one, but every time you get a new one, it's always assigned. If it's a private psychiatrist, their wait lists don't tend to be as long, and you can definitely see a new one without a previous file. You just need to call up a clinic and make an appointment. A file might help, but if you feel your previous psychiatrist has gotten it all wrong, then by all means, start from scratch.

I'm not sure what your diagnosis is, but you could always consider a psychologist instead. I don't want to generalize about all psychiatrists, but I've found that the ones I went to weren't so concerned with properly diagnosing me as they were with prescribing me meds. Maybe do a bit of research and see whether a psychiatrist or psychologist would be more appropriate for what you're dealing with.

[LeapOfFayth]

I'm hoping to go to a private one, the one I just left was a government one. I'm already in the system so if I had to go to a government clinic I don't need to go through the whole waiting process, which means I only need to wait 1-2 weeks for most clinics.
I'd much rather go to a private one though, the government ones always seem to be more focused on how much of their time you're taking instead of actually helping you.
This one diagnosed me with borderline personality disorder, which after reading a lot, I really don't agree with. Before this one I was told I was bipolar, which does run on my mom's side of the family, which I think fits much better, but this psychiatrist would have none of that. So I've actually been off meds for like, 2 years now? It's starting to get harder, as much as I hated the medication I think they probably caused less problems than they fixed.