First, I will be forever eternally grateful for this man I am about to tell you about. I found Dr. Book by accident. Honestly though there is no such thing, he was a perfect gift brought into my life at the right moment when everything around me was falling apart. At first I had responded to an add on a study program for depression, since I was unemployed and without insurance it seemed a good alternative to go for help. Upon answering his questions he deemed that I would be too much at risk to participate in the study because the study doesn't allow the dr to know if you are receiving a placebo or not and based on how I was feeling he was afraid the roulette wouldn't run in my favor. He said he knew of a program that places persons with the right services and would call me the next day with that info. Mind, you this is a man who met me on the phone, has no obligations to help and he is going to call me back to steer me in a better direction. He even went so far as to calling the association and finding a contact person and spoke with the individual. He called me the next day, gave the info and told me to keep in touch with him. Well, the organization I called said they couldn't help me because I wasn't destitute enough (mortgage was an asset even though I am stone broke, unemployed for 5 months) I called everywhere and met brick walls, couldn't qualify for medical assistance, medicaid, walk in clinics (asset: townhouse and car) and some places took applications for processing you for 2-3 weeks down the road. I called him back to let him know that I had no success and was feeling worse for trying (a crying mess now). He said to give him some time and he would call me back later today. He made a few calls, including the catholic services and the jewish center and they all told him the same thing I had been experiencing everywhere else, no immediate help could be given, take a number and wait for help. In an attempt to make things better, I took an appt my best friend setup with a primary care physician. This dr prescribed 2 medications because the anxiety and desperation/depression was almost unbearable. I told Dr Book of my experience by phone, he reviewed the meds and gave permission to stick with the one while putting the other on hold for fear it may make things worse. Obviously prescribing medications without enough information can do more harm, Dr Book knowing this protected me. I told Dr Book that I had apprehension regarding my visit with the other dr, because she didn't talk of any monitoring of the anti depressant or anti anxiety meds prescribed, which is a big flag and made me leery of even taking the meds. I was desperate enough though to take them, anything to make me feel a little more calm and at peace in my racing head. Dr. Book then spared me anymore humiliation and trama for trying to get the help I needed. He told me to come in and see him almost immediately based on dire need. Obviously an exception was made in my case, however, a man of caring compassion and character went beyond his duty to help and this was before I became a patient. I visited him for the first time yesterday, and he is the very first professional ever, who offered that I take a battery of written tests to eliminate any probability of misdiagnosis. In the past I had been dubbed Bi polar, Depressed or ADHD by two different professionals and had walked away from them not feeling as though I could really trust them. They were all too quick to write a prescription and the fallout with the medications kept me at bay from any more professionals since one of them had been deemed the best, being an author and occassional speaker at National Institute of Mental Health! Dr. Book said that I might not even need meds but to keep up with the anxiety meds because I really did need that assistance for now. His take: Therapy may be what is necessary but let's eliminate things with the testing and see what that reveals first. Folks, this how someone shoul
by Anonymous
January 01, 2010
