I’m a bit of a mess right now. My voice is an ugly croak, and I’m also experiencing some gastrointestinal issues, so like a good boy I made an appointment to see a doctor and get checked out. I went in yesterday.
The doctor didn’t talk about any of my concerns.
But the doctor did talk at length about my psychological survey, which I had filled out under the impression it was confidential. My wife was with me.
So now I’m home with none of my medical issues resolved, but with my wife convinced that I’m utterly nuts.
I should have stayed home, and next time I’m asked to fill out a psych questionnaire I’m going to lie.
Doesn’t Mary have a psych background? Maybe she’s been running her own series of quite subtle tests all along.
It probably was not a good idea to reveal you’re raising a spider army to take over. You have to humour the normies. They don’t get it.
I had my annual physical yesterday with my primary care physician, the first time as a Medicare patient. I had to complete a short psych questionnaire before the visit, mostly checking if I’m about to kill myself. I’m not. My doctor spoke of another psychological test that’s part of the Medicare annual physical but she was able to defer that since I’m clearly not cognitively impaired just stupid. Besides she was running behind for her next patient, as is typical because her boss, OneMedical (aka Amazon), doesn’t schedule enough time.
Any way, I didn’t realize that Medicare had such strict specifications for an annual physical.
Did he swab you to see if the throat pathogen is a bacteria that can be nuked with antibiotics?
Addendum. To at least guard yourself from galactic villains, you could get a flerken as company to the Evil Cat.
(Or one of these. Bolivia’s tilcayo tiger cat, however it has limited defensive capacity) .https://phys.org/news/2026-09-bolivia-tilcayo-tiger-cat-wildcat.html
PZ, as I have stressed for years: Trust Must Be Earned.
That doctor earned your scorn.
Not addressing your immediate medical problems is malicious incompetence.
Is that doctor a qualified psychiatrist?
You deserve competent medical care. Get another doctor who will address your problem and tell that one to stuff their stethoscope up their ass!
If you’re given a personality test again, make sure to ask if you should use the same personality as you used in the first test, just like the hoary old “IBM Personality Test” story.
… give up on modern medicine
Hey, ’tis a good thing you have so many alternatives available!
That the doctor failed to address the concerns that brought you to him is absolutely unacceptable. Worse than that, you obviously have an infectious disease that might be strep or staph. What did he do to check it out? Furthermore, this person is presumably not a psychiatrist or a psychologist, and if the questionnaire indicated that you are nuts — which we all know is true — all he should do is determine if you’re suicidal, then ask if you’d like a referral. Don’t go back to that clown.
Was that thet Trump passed with flying colors?
Those yearly psych questions are annoying. Sometimes I fail on purpose just to mess with primary care physician. Most of the questions are generalizations that 75% of the population will turn up depressed if answered truthfully.
Another thing that bothers me is when your caregiver asks, “Have you ever thought about suicide?” Just a stupid question, everybody has thought about it. The new version is “Do have thoughts about harming yourself or others?” Much better.
Following up on stuffin, it’s likely that you were given a depression screen. Those include somatic symptoms such as listlessness, lack of appetite, and difficulty sleeping, and therefore don’t work for people who are experiencing substantial physical illness. Like I say, don’t go back to that clown.
Re: Snarki, child of Loki @ #6…
That one was reported in Weinberg’s The Psychology of Computer Programming published in 1971.
I guess this Halloween will be a little more personal, Dr. Myers.
I did get a test for strep. It was negative.
PZ @ 13
So…if it is virus, is rest the only cure? Or are there antivirals that can speed things up?
Why does PZ have the evil god from Death Note? Or is that the Joker?
Psychological tests are wasted on me. My answers are generally ‘depends’.
(What they will find is a ton of psychological reactance)
—
Wow. I took a look, and apparently it’s mandatory for USAnians.
How intrusive!
Not mandatory here in Oz, but then, we’re not The Freest Country In The World™
Presumably, this was it: https://www.apa.org/depression-guideline/patient-health-questionnaire.pdf
(On that one, I’d answer 0 to every question)
Nuts? Join the club…
re John Morales@16: Yep, zero for every one of those. I guess I am psychologically healthy.
Personally I reckon the majority of people are insane and sanity is actually much rarer FWIW. Looking at our society and what too many people do, how theythink or don’t and who too many people vote for. Oh and religion.
I’m sure she figured that out already. /s
That noggin bonk in February was concerning.
@ 16 Morales
Dude, you linked to a test for depression, not sociopathy.
I saw a cardiologist last week for my afib. He didn’t review my test results until after the appointment started. He seemed upset I had to stop taking my blood thinners for a few days because of dental issues (cracked tooth which needed a root canal and caps and cleaning). Brought up my weight several times by the pound. Generally he acted like I offended him somehow. This is the guy I’m supposed to trust with my life if/when I get cardioversion.
Alverant,
You don’t like his bedside manner, is what I get.
John #23 Not really. Not sure about his professionalism either. I don’t think I’m being unreasonable for a doctor to review your information BEFORE entering the examination room. Doing it while your there gives the impression he wasn’t prepared and I wasn’t worth the effort. Imagine interviewing someone and they didn’t learn anything about the business and you didn’t review the resume.
This is an example of one reason people turn to “alternative” practitioners (not PZ or Pharyngulites generally, obvsly). Your GP (who’s in a crunch to see the maximum number of patients) seems to ignore your actual symptoms and gives out advice or therapies that seem rather off-the-cuff and don’t alleviate the problem. You leave feeling frustrated, and still sick. But the naturopath/homeopath/Ayurevdist/chiropractor/whatever takes time to listen to you, discuss your symptoms, and does…well, something that at least feels like a serious therapy. So you leave happier than when you came in, which makes your symptoms feel better, even if the underlying condition hasn’t been addressed.
He also mentioned up my weight, by the pound, twice as if it was shameful. Yes, I know I’m overweight but a little diplomacy wouldn’t hurt. I’m not going to seek out alternative “medicine” for my afib, but the idea of him doing cardioversion on my is scary. I’ll still probably do it since it’s the best option long-term. But the way I felt after the initial consultation made the first option (do nothing, just stay on the meds leaving the problem for Future Me) more appealing.