The first time I drafted this post, I wrote "After some legally required paperwork..."
And then I realized I needed to pause. Because while I understand why all that paperwork exists, I also know most people just find it frustrating.
So let's start there.
Before beginning treatment of any kind, your psychiatrist needs to inform you that you have certain rights including:
Your right to privacy
Exceptions to every privacy policy that you have a right to know about
The policies by which they run their clinic
How their policies are adjusted for patients under 18 years old
How they expect to be reimbursed for their work
These days, most psychiatrists should also inform you of:
Your rights during telemedicine appointments
How you can best contact them when you physically can't come to the office
Their policies for providing therapy
Your psychiatrist also needs to collect certain information:
Who is the person receiving treatment?
How can a patient be contacted when they aren't physically in the office?
If you are completing paperwork for someone else, are you their legal guardian? There are actually rules related to when and how you can be involved in the care of a loved one.
How will you be paying for care? Do you have preferences for billing?
To preserve your appointment time, all of this information is usually presented to potential patients as a paperwork packet that has required signatures.
But the most important part of this entire process is that you have a right to ask questions. So if there is something in your required paperwork that you don't understand or that worries you, just ask. Sometimes I spend an entire first appointment just making sure a patient understands how the clinic is run and that they are comfortable with my policies before moving forward.
Not every psychiatrist is a good fit for every patient, and that's fine. But every patient has a right to ask questions and feel that they understand what they are agreeing to before moving forward with care.
-Leilani M. Sharpe, M.D., Ph.D. #MentalHealth #Psychiatry #ChildPsychiatry
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