If you read my recap for Losing It, it’s no surprise that I’ve got serious fucking issues with doctors and shrinks. Especially ones associated with the system or city/state agencies.
Going thru the NYC system and being sent away naturally puts you in contact with these ‘mental health professionals.’ When I first went upstate at 16, I had to see a shrink. Who did stuff like show me pictures of 3-legged cats and ask, “what’s wrong with this picture?” And, of course, the Rorschach inkblots (if they look like anything other than bugs squashed on a windshield, well, lock me the fuck up).
But the best part was this series of open-ended, ambiguous drawings: 2 women simply sitting at a table, for example. I had to make up a story about what I thought was happening in each picture. To this day, I’m convinced this was my undoing: I took a look at the pics, and proceeded to make up the wildest, most improbable scenarios I could think of. Partly because I found it funny, but mostly because I saw it as a challenge and a way to indulge my imagination. Unfortunately for me, there were no points for creativity on the test.
While I was thrilled to see Helen and Nikki back together this epi, it was kind of bittersweet, with the whole Shell-gone-round-the-bend storyline. Now, revealing the sexual abuse of her past was fine, I thought – in fact, it made perfect sense, given what we know about her. What bothered me was how they handled it, especially Meg the Shrink.
Maybe the epi was supposed to be a commentary on the ineptitude of the mental health system in prisons, but I didn’t get that (the way it’s clearly portrayed via Dr. NoNo and the medical conditions there). Neither Meg or Karen seems able to deal with Shell’s problems. And that’s ok for Karen, as she’s not a shrink - ironic, to say the least, that she's the one to suss out the nasty details from Shell. But even after that happens, she’s ready to end the group therapy, which makes no fucking sense. I have to think that anyone who’s ever taken Psych 101 as an undergrad can see that Shell’s emotionally open and vulnerable - it’s precisely the time to continue her therapy, particularly on a one-on-one basis.
Now, I understand that for the sake of the series (and Shell’s character), no one really wants her getting well – that would just ruin everything. Still, this all could’ve been handled so much better.
I should also say I have nothing against therapy in general. I even think most people can benefit from it, assuming they have a good shrink. And therein lies the rub: it’s extremely difficult finding someone who’s not only qualified and good at what they do, but who’s a good fit.
As far as Dr. NoNo, just looking at him makes me wanna scream. I’ve had too many bad experiences with doctors like him. When I was upstate, I got a very bad ear infection. I mean, bad. They didn’t get me to the dr soon enough, and the infection was so bad it actually tore off the outer layer of my eardrum. As a result, I suffered some permanent hearing loss in that ear.
One of my worst stories about drs in the system, tho, has to be the time they sent me for an MRI. I was having stomach problems, and when the results came back, the dr concluded I had cancer and needed to be operated on. Immediately. Now, I was very young, but thank christ I knew better. I refused and demanded a 2nd opinion (which got me put on report). I kept pushing for another dr, and when they finally acceded, it turned out there was something wrong with the film from the first MRI – there was nothing wrong with my stomach, and I certainly didn’t have cancer.
One of the benefits of being in NYC is the availability of good doctors, including specialists. For example, I love my ENT so much, I’d let him give me a pap smear if he knew his way around a cervix. But my primary care physician is a moron –I use him only because he’s very close to my house; I can walk in anytime for anything; his nurse is great; and he'll give me a referral to any doctor for anything.
The arrogance of most doctors, their god-complexes, and their unwillingness to listen to their patients (especially women), makes finding good doctors even more imperative.
I could go off here on the failure of the US healthcare system as a whole, the shameful state of health insurance and HMOs, and the chokehold the pharma industry has on our government, but that’s a whole other issue and there’s really no point.
Besides, I’m too happy about the Helen & Nikki reunion. No sense in spoiling that!
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