Patient and doctor issue
Hi, id like to ask this on behalf of someone i know who is going through this issue.
She's a doctor, and from many years she's had a patient, let's call her X, who's been a family friend too. X is an older woman and has pretty distant relationship with her own children. They're well off, so the family issue isn't about money.
X seems to be having some mental issues over the years. From the way the doctor described her conversations, she seemed to be very lonely and depressed. X keeps calling this doctor to her home to just give her company and talk with her. Which the doctor did a few times.
Now the problem is that X is being a bit too pushy in my opinion, calling up the doctor at odd hours, visiting her in the clinic and speaking to her for hours and crying, and constantly asking her to come over. At one point she came over to the doctor's house and stayed for over three hours talking to the people there who very pretty fed up. Basically she's inconviniencing her almost every other week.
X's husband once came over to the doctor and bluntly told her that the stories told by X are all a sign of paranoia and actually everything is cool at home.
I personally was sympathetic to X in the beginning but now everytime i hear about her calling, I get irritated. Ive asked the doctor to stop picking up calls, but she's having a crisis on doing her duty or saying no. I feel guilty for asking her to cut her off from her life, because i feel like X should really be looking for a therapist and seek professional help than badger someone who is already not able to get enough time with her family.
Im not sure what is the stance to take here. Am i being too cold hearted? I am open to knowing if its my behaviour thats wrong. Any advice would help.
@selfdisciplinedBlackberry2620
I don't think you are wrong at all .
There has to be boundaries and time limits, with everyone.
That are respected and adhered to.
We can only do such much to help someone, even if we would like to do more, there is only so much energy and time to go around.
And she does have other patients 💕💜
Thank you! Im relieved to hear that. Learning to say no was one of the hardest things for me, I'm going to try to help her understand it's okay too
Actually there are some possibilities one of them is. X is not getting attention by her family. Second X feel attraction to doct or may be she want something from doc . In either case she will chase to do until doc get replaced by someone and also X have to work on her life. She is escape from her reality. In all case doct can't do anything until and unless she cut off completely .
Is the doctor a regular family physician? If so, it's not very professional to be taking personal calls from a patient. Even if X is a family friend. She needs to be referred over to a therapist/pyschologist. It is not the doctor's responsibility to respond to those calls. If the doctor is seeing X as a doctor-patient relationship, then, seeing the patient should have its limits and boundaries.
If the doctor is meeting with the patient, but not as a doctor-patient relationship, and as a friend. There is so much that we can do for someone going through with mental health issues, and needs to be referred over to a therapist/psychologist instead. Even if this doctor is a counsellor herself, the sessions should only be by appointment, and not through a phone call, inviting X to her house, etc.
@selfdisciplinedBlackberry2620