The counselor I saw about my hypochondria and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), scheduled an appointment for me with a psychiatrist who specializes in the disorder(s). After waiting for a very long time, I finally had the appointment!
I had decided that I wanted my shrink to be a woman, because I would feel more comfortable with her and sure enough, in January, I finally met my psychiatrist face to face. She was young, (I am middle aged), and from a spanish speaking country in South America. I found her to be rather strict the first time we met.
Before I go into details, I want to describe the two times that I took Zoloft, which had been prescribed by my primary care doctor in October. I only took one dosage in December and another one in January. Both times the effects were terrible and I felt groggy, sleepy, headachy. My judgment was impaired and each time the effects lasted about a day and a half.
On the flip side, the pills blocked out any obsessive thoughts, but I decided not to take them again. I spoke to my primary care doctor and she advised me to cut a pill in half and then take it. I never followed her advice. The side effects that I had felt frightened me.
Getting back to the first visit with my shrink, whom I shall call Dr. Romero, and that of course is not her real name. She was the opposite of the counselor, who was a woman who wore a look of sympathy on her face, and showed so much understanding.
Dr. Romero is a third year resident. She asked a million routine questions on that first visit and then did a little concentration test, which I passed. I became emotional on that visit which she took in stride, and handled calmly. She told me that she would be using cognitive behavior therapy, and I was very pleased because she did not mention the use of any drugs.
The first visit left me a little confused and puzzled because I felt that my shrink was going to be a force to be dealt with. I worried that perhaps what I really needed was someone like the counselor who was terribly empathetic. The shrink had a strong personality, and although I like people with strong personalities (I have one myself), I wondered if she would really be able to help me or would I be overwhelmed by her.