Is it really this hard to get an appointment.???

[loricbme]

I'm trying to make an initial appointment to see a psychiatrist for my daughter and they told me to call back late Sept. or early Oct. because the trials don't start till Oct. Is it always like this?

I think this is what happened to me in the past. I was so discouraged and frustrated with the length of time it took to get in to see someone that maybe I just dismissed the problem and that I really needed help. Now I KNOW I need help and feel really frustrated about the wait to MAKE A PHONE CALL. I know I need to be patient but...

Is this normal?

Lori

 

[smallworld]

What do you mean by trials? Are you calling a psychiatrist who is doing clinical trials for a medication? If so, I'd recommend locating a psychiatrist who is in private practice or part of a children's hospital.

 

[hearts and roses]

Yes, Lori, it seems to be the norm just about everywhere. My difficult child has been on the wait list for a partial hospital program for a month now!! And that's supposed to be emergency intervention and we're still waiting. What crap.

We finally found a service that can provide both counseling and pyschiatric care. difficult child has her first appointment next Monday.

Keep calling everywhere you can think of and good luck. Sorry it's been so difficult for you.

 

[loricbme]

It is through Washington University in St. Louis. It's a teaching program through Barnes Jewish Hospital. I swear the lady I spoke with said the clinical trials don't begin till October. She said there would be probably 3 initial visits to start evaluating difficult child. These are extremely good and reputable institutions. There aren't very many doctors in my insurance plan accepting new patients in my area and the majority are all in this program. I have tried calling a couple other doctors on the list but the phone number is out of service or they went into private practice and noone answers the phone.

I will continue searching.

 

[OpenWindow]

Lori,

I lived in St. Louis up until last year and my difficult child went to a psychiatrist through Wash U. (I'm not sure it's the same place because I don't remember Barnes being involved.) You can PM me and tell me the doctor's name if you want. We loved the program but we had to wait a loooooong time for our first appointment.

I am confused to... the trials don't start until October? Are you trying to be part of a study?

If it's not part of a study you can try what we did... I asked if my difficult child could be put on a cancellation list. He was and they called after about 2 months. We only had a day's notice, but they were able to fit him in a lot earlier than what was originally planned.

If it is the same place we took difficult child, they have residents who do screenings and then you see the main psychiatrist. I loved it because we had a few different opinions on what was going on, for the price of one. It wasn't just 15 minutes in and out - there were real discussions about difficult child. Bad thing was, it was always slow in the summer because the residents aren't there, and every year we'd get a new resident. All in all, the positives outweighed the negatives and it was well worth the wait.

Linda

 

[loricbme]

Ok, to clear things up, it is not a trial. I called back and the woman called it a clinic. I must have misunderstood while writing down info. Nice short term memory I've got there, huh? :smile:

 

[meowbunny]

Yeah, it really is that long and hard. If you have someone who knows someone, it gets a lot easier. When my daughter was younger, it was actually her school principal who called one of the best adoption psychologists in the state and told him he had to take my daughter NOW. He did and continued seeing her for 5 years. But without the principal's intervention, I'd probably still be waiting to see him.

 

[nvts]

Hi! Yeah, it takes that long! In the meantime, try to read Ross Greene's "The Explosive Child". Most of the people on the site liked it (some didn't!). What I liked most was that it gave you an idea of how these kids minds work. He gave some info. about strategy on how to handle them and it was easy to read (not tons of technical terms - lots of examples, etc.).

Hope this helps!

Beth

 

[totoro]

We had a 6 month wait list for one place in Chicago and then when I called and cried and told them all of my daughters symptoms another, a better University Hospital got us in in 2 weeks. We had to be on a plane and ready to go... Here in the Spokane area we got in to our psychiatrist we just left (psychiatrist2) we had a 3month wait.
Our new one!!! YEAH, psychiatrist3 got us in to his psychiatric hospital with him in a month, but I called and our pediatrician called because my daughter was pretty severe.
It depends on how busy they are, who you can get on the phone, and how severe your child is... I did do the wait list thing also and I got in to psychiatrist2 a month early!!!

It is hard, frustrating and not fair. But you have to be patient and kind to whomever you are talking with on the phone!!! Plead your case, let them know, you know how busy they are and that you appreciate everything!!!
I was just told by 2 different people that our new psychiatrist does not take new patients, but he took us on??? I must have said something right!!! I have been kissing his behind a bit this past week!!! LOL

Good luck...