Psychiatrist retiring

I’m totally relating to what you’re saying, this is exactly what I have to deal with sometime this year..my family doctor is also retiring and to make it worse we have a huge shortage of doctors in Canada, apparently there’s over a million people without a primary healthcare provider, they have to go to the hospital for medical care and this ties up the doctors so you’re waiting over six to eight hours to see one. I know it’s hard for you especially with a psychiatrist because they provide so much more and you get extremely dependent on them, they don’t just see you for ten minutes and prescribe you a medication, you open up your whole life to them. I also take Ativan for many years and this poses another issue for me because it’s a drug that is very hard to get today due to so much negative information. I hope that you will find another doctor with the help of your current psychiatrist, good luck and I wish you well.

Hi, I felt like I was reading my own story.
My psychiatrist of 25 years retired, I immediately felt lost. I too have agoraphobia, anxiety and depression. I'm not going to lie, it's been a very hard transition. I've seen 3 different psychiatrists in the 5 years since he retired. There is hope! I finally found a psychiatrist that is great. Not as great as my previous, as he helped me through the toughest times in my life.
Good luck with your new journey.

Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply. It’s quite a challenge to navigate through this. Unfortunately, at an unconscious level, it aligns with abandonment issues that I have from childhood. I know he’s retiring, I know he’s not abandoning me, but my brain circuitry doesn’t really understand that yet. I’m trying to look at it as an opportunity for a fresh start, but when you share things with someone for three decades that you don’t share with anyone else there is a visceral bond that forms that is very hard to imagine dissolving. Thanks again.

Yes – I’m sure it’s going to get worse before it gets better.
Feels like I should’ve seen it coming and prepared better for the inevitability of it all. But through our work over the decades, things have been going so much better, feeling much better, more confident, reducing meds, and simply living life better. And then this happens and it feels like I’m regressing 20 years :-)!

@londonex It's difficult to lose someone who has been in our lives for a long time.

I am sure you applaud his decision to retire and create an different type of life, while you rue that day coming up when he won't be there for you. Since he knows you so well, perhaps he can offer you a few names of people to "interview" and see how they might fit with you? Remember, it will be an adjustment for him also, to retire!
Ginger

I definitely applaud his decision – he is going into his seventh decade and deserves a rest. 🙂 he is offering some ideas as to next steps, but I think leaving it up to me in terms of who and where I go for ongoing help.
Very strange time for sure.
I also think many of his previous colleagues have also retired so he is somewhat at a loss in terms of specific individuals to point me toward.

@londonex
I feel for you and understand totally. Usually, when a provider retires, they handover patient care to a new team of providers for continuity of care for patients rather than leave them hanging with no support/care.

Did your psychiatrist provide referrals to a new psychiatrist? If not, you may want to ask them for a referral/recommendation for continuity of care. You will need to ensure your medical records and history are handed over to the new psychiatrist so you don’t need to start over from the beginning of your journey.

Best wishes to you as you seek continuity of care. It is really important you find someone new who can provide you the care you need and deserve.

Thanks so much for your kind reply. He is leaving in a couple months and is in the process of trying to find a good match for me. But no guarantees. so I am also looking on my own. Feels like walking around in the dark.
But I’m trying to look at it positively, as a new chapter, perhaps with some new perspectives and treatments. Trying my best to stay positive in the midst of what feels like an emotional avalanche.