Options in Patient Care

Disclaimer: The following blog entry is for discussion purposes only and should not be considered a substitute to the tailor-fit opinion of your own doctor or therapist.

Imagine paying P4,000 for an hour-long counseling session when you were only looking for medications. Imagine paying P4,000 for a psychiatric consultation when you were looking for individual psychodynamic therapy rather than a medication-based approach. These are extreme examples but point to the same moral: Patient care should be tailored to the patient, and they must be made aware of their options.

            There’s nothing wrong with pursuing psychiatric or psychotherapeutic treatment if that’s truly in the patient’s best interest, but sometimes patients can be charged unfairly if they approach the wrong professional or if the treatment provided isn’t what’s best for them. On a related note, I still remember the time a dentist suggested I get a root canal even if my tooth could still be saved—if I could turn back time there is no way I would agree with such a permanent and unnecessary treatment.

            Here are some tips to help a patient determine if they are getting a fitting treatment:

1. Do not be afraid to ask questions. For example, if you’re interested in a medication-free treatment, ask, “Doc, I was wondering if it would be possible to refrain from medication first.” Or if you prefer having medication for severe panic attacks, you could ask, “Doc, in case my panic attacks get really intense, would it be okay if we consider using medication?”
2. Don’t be afraid to check if your professional and your goals are aligned. For example, a professional may sometimes think you need to talk about your relationship with your parents, whereas you think that you have focus more on present-day symptoms such as work stress. If your therapeutic goals are not aligned, it will be more difficult—although not necessarily impossible—for therapy to be successful.
3. Always remember your rights as a patient. For example, in counseling, it’s the patient’s right to end therapy at any time for any reason. So if a therapist is forcing you to talk about things you don’t want to talk about, then you are allowed to exit immediately.

Remember that the first two tips are only rules-of-thumb. Patient rights aside, there will always be exceptions to the rule, and every case is unique.