Something bothered me about every psychiatrist until I found my forever-doctor. No longer skeptical that this was even possible, I left our first appointment truly optimistic. He was the real deal.
My thoughts on my previous doctors follow as such:
Psych Ward Doc: ugly boots, arrogant, Bully Doctor.
Recovery Center Docs: minimal attention to me, Ghost Doctors.
San Francisco Doc: office looked like a start-up, vacant demeanor, Cyborg Doctor.
Hometown Doc: cool, knowledgeable, relatable…. My Doctor.
His office is quant and comfortable, nothing over-the-top but still nice with calm paintings of boats and such. His presence is welcoming and professional. He pays close attention and speaks carefully, which makes me want to listen. The things that he says have merit. They work. He uses a whiteboard sometimes to make lists or draw charts, pictures. I always leave with a framework for how to think about things, tools to help me navigate troubled water.
Medication regulation is a component of my treatment but not all of it. He makes sure I get my Lithium tested once in awhile. I go to a lab, a nurse takes my blood, and they test it. At the beginning it was often as we figured out the best dose. Even with getting off of Zyprexa, introducing lorazepam for anxiety attacks, or trying low-dose antipsychotics for hypomania, I have always felt like we were in it together…Committed to finding solid ground.
Special thanks to the dedicated psychiatrists, psychologists, students and others working in the psychiatric field. We need your to help to guide us home, it’s not possible without you.
Julia Lives Bipolar 
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