I now know what liberals meant when they said its easier to get a gun than a shrink.

[shortylickens]

Trying to get my serotonin levels checked, which requires a lab order from a doctor (understandable). My GP never even heard of such a thing, and none of the psychologists in town can do it and many dont even know what it is.

Despite all the results on Google, theres almost no actual psychiatrists in Manassas. All the ads are for people who long since moved away, and google doesnt take down info at the request of just one person.

So far all the doctor search engines I find are for the same thing: People no longer available here. Many of them are actually retired.

So yes, despite the fact a shrink only costs about 150 an hour and even a cheap gun is at least 300, AND THE FACT the local gun stores have been hammered by hysterical people, it is true:

At least in Northern Virginia.

 

[shortylickens]

Oh, my question: Does anybody know of a search engine that gets current, active psychiatrists?

 

[SaurusX]

It's also easier to buy a snowcone. Blame the bureaucrats. However, given that this is H&F I think your point is misplaced.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Insurance company website should provide you with a list.

And why would you want such a test if no doctor has recommended/ordered it?

 

[shortylickens]

Insurance company website should provide you with a list.

And why would you want such a test if no doctor has recommended/ordered it?

I got a lot of the symptoms but this never occurred to me. Its not an invasive test, just a dribble of blood. If my serotonin is in fact low, I wont be doing any treatment without a doctor. If I can deal with it by changing diet, I will.

And thanks for the tip, I'll ask them.

 

[tedrodai]

Yeah, insurance should be able to help you find docs. As could the printed yellow pages phone book.

 

[Murloc]

according to google you're just 40 mins from a big city and are in a continous urban area.
Maybe expand your search?

also it's weird that there is no psychiatrist in a city with 37k people. Have you tried the phone book/yellow pages?

 

[shortylickens]

Yeah, insurance should be able to help you find docs. As could the printed yellow pages phone book.

We havent had one of those in a long time. (Or somebody keep stealing them).

Oh, and the insurance website just recommended the hospital. No names or offices. And the phone number was for the main hospital line, nothing more.

 

[Sust]

(1) Painfully true political cartoon. If only states would stop cutting mental health services and homeless shelters...

(2) Are you checking serum serotonin b/c you're concerned you might have a carcinoid or acutely dying from serotonin syndrome?

(3) It's been a while since I was last in VA, but I believe your best bet lies with talking to your local Community Services Board(CSB) or NAMI chapter for some kind of referral to a psychiatrist.

 

[shortylickens]

State funding may not have anything to do with it. I have insurance. I am looking to see a private doctor. There simply arent many here. We dont have any public counseling services of any sort around here.
I guess Virginians dont think they need help with their brains.

Got call back from office, the doctors told the nurse there is no such thing as a serotonin level test. I know damn well thats not true, but if they dont believe in it, they damn sure wont order one.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

State funding may not have anything to do with it. I have insurance. I am looking to see a private doctor. There simply arent many here. We dont have any public counseling services of any sort around here.
I guess Virginians dont think they need help with their brains.

Got call back from office, the doctors told the nurse there is no such thing as a serotonin level test. I know damn well thats not true, but if they dont believe in it, they damn sure wont order one.

It's not a frequently used test. You'd have to see a psychiatrist who bought into that test to get one ordered. Most physicians do a trial-and-error by giving someone SSRIs or other antidepressant medication (tricyclics, MAOI's if severe). Some of the cutting edge stuff doesn't get into typical use for quite a long time. It doesn't mean you shouldn't see a doctor and see what they think. Don't make up your own mind about what you have. That's why your physician goes through extensive schooling.

 

[self_storage]

The lab might be able to give you a list too.

 

[Whisper]

It can be tough to find psychiatrists, yes. There are three-month wait lists in some areas for post-inpatient follow-up visits, let alone for an elective test such as what you've mentioned.

You could try calling local community mental health clinics and area hospitals, though, to see if they have provider information. You could also do the same for local family doctor-type offices, as they may have a provider to whom they commonly refer. If you're willing to pay cash, getting an appointment isn't always a big problem.

That being said, serotonin is such a ubiquitous neurotransmitter, and the level of it actually in your blood such an unspecific marker of just about everything, that having it be "low" (which assumes there's some range that's agreed upon as normal) really isn't going to tell anyone much of anything.

 

[Sust]

State funding may not have anything to do with it. I have insurance. I am looking to see a private doctor. There simply arent many here. We dont have any public counseling services of any sort around here.
I guess Virginians dont think they need help with their brains.

Got call back from office, the doctors told the nurse there is no such thing as a serotonin level test. I know damn well thats not true, but if they dont believe in it, they damn sure wont order one.

Oh you have insurance! Good for you, but I cant see any insurance paying for a serum serotonin since thats a very non-specific test unless youre looking for the aforementioned diseases. Even if you could convince a doctor to order it, you'd still probably have to pay for it out of pocket when the lab sends you a letter informing you that insurance aint payin. You can call a lab and ask how much the serum serotonin would cost?

I think that if there were any one who could give you a list of local psychiatrists(accepting insurance AND cash only), it would be either the CSB, or the phone number located on the back of your insurance card. My gut feeling is that the CSB would have the most comprehensive list next to phoning your insurance provider.

 

[shortylickens]

Fuck insurance. I'll pay for the fucking test my fucking self. This is far beyond money. The doctors didnt refuse because of money, they refused because they dont know about this test.

Why the hell are so many people being prescribed drugs to boost their serotonin when doctors have no god damn idea what their serotonin levels are? Does that strike anyone else as a serious problem with the health care system?

 

[ZOOYUKA]

What about a neurologist?

 

[shortylickens]

What about a neurologist?

My GP wont schedule one for me. They just want me to go to a shrink and get drugs even though they dont know whats wrong with me.

Its actually pretty damn annoying. The only local psychiatrist is a lazy bastard about returning calls and scheduling. I wonder if I heard voices, would that get me in faster? If I lie will they be mad?

 

[shortylickens]

OK, I'll come clean.

http://www.ehow.com/about_5139561_signs-low-serotonin.html

This is one of many sites I've been reading, I am not a hypochondriac, I've spent a good part of the last 5 years looking stuff up. The truth is I've got almost all of these symptoms, except OCD. Theres not too many other explanations but since its not sure, I want the damn test. I wanna know. I'm trying to find out. And I cant, everyone just assumed I need SSRI's. Its in my nature to identify problems before I go about fixing them. I really dont wanna get on drugs that have side effects and withdrawal without a damn good reason.

 

[Mixolydian]

OK, I'll come clean.

http://www.ehow.com/about_5139561_signs-low-serotonin.html

This is one of many sites I've been reading, I am not a hypochondriac, I've spent a good part of the last 5 years looking stuff up. The truth is I've got almost all of these symptoms, except OCD. Theres not too many other explanations but since its not sure, I want the damn test. I wanna know. I'm trying to find out. And I cant, everyone just assumed I need SSRI's. Its in my nature to identify problems before I go about fixing them. I really dont wanna get on drugs that have side effects and withdrawal without a damn good reason.

It sounds like you do have a good reason for at least trying it.

 

[ManBearPig]

Shorty, I could swear I have heard you say that you are really overweight. Have you tried exercising?

 

[Sust]

OK, I'll come clean.

http://www.ehow.com/about_5139561_signs-low-serotonin.html

This is one of many sites I've been reading, I am not a hypochondriac, I've spent a good part of the last 5 years looking stuff up. The truth is I've got almost all of these symptoms, except OCD. Theres not too many other explanations but since its not sure, I want the damn test. I wanna know. I'm trying to find out. And I cant, everyone just assumed I need SSRI's. Its in my nature to identify problems before I go about fixing them. I really dont wanna get on drugs that have side effects and withdrawal without a damn good reason.

It's good that you're trying to read up about this before seeing a physician, but I would caution you from trusting everything you read(esp. on the internet). Most docs carry a healthy sense of caution in everything they read and try to make a decision from the aggregate of data available, but this eHow article isnt really providing much scientific data to back up their claims. In fact, they dont even talk about what a "normal" human serum serotonin level is, or even provide reference as to how this level should guide treatment. Furthermore, it's oversimplistic to think of serotonin alone as a causative factor for depression because we dont know how the brain really works and these symptoms we're able to observe/verbalize dont reliably line up with any single biomarker. AFAIK, SSRI's cause increased hippocampal neurogenesis, but then what does increased hippocampal neurogenesis have to do with the complex behavioral expression of being less depressed? Again, we dont know yet and studies are ongoing, but we do know that some people who are severely depressed or anxious respond to antidepressant medications whereas unmedicated they would lose out to their anorexia, lack of energy, and hopelessness that could lead to a suicide attempt.

Wait that was way off topic. Sorry.

In regards to your case and regardless of whether there's evidence for checking human serum serotonin levels, medico-legally your physician is responsible for the results of any test he/she orders. If they're unclear of how to interpret the results then they should not be ordering that test because they are out of their scope of practice. Your frustration seems to stem from the fact that labs refuse to check your serum serotonin without a doctor's order and that's understandable b/c you should be able to do that if you're paying for it, but then who's legally responsible for the results?

If you truly want help with this problem, then you should continue seeking the help of trained professionals which implies that you'll pay them for their training/experience/advice, and not to impose what you want on them b/c that will only continue to frustrate you and delay care.

 

[shortylickens]

In my research I found serotonin is supposed to be between 101 and 281 nanograms per mL. or CC.

 

[shortylickens]

While I'm waiting to get SSRI's (if I need them) I am taking some L-tyrosine and 5-HTP (just got it from Amazon). If it does help me then perhaps I can avoid a life of medication.


As for the previous question: I am exercising. I exercised or worked hard every single day I was in the Navy too. Was utterly miserable for years. Am at the point where a simple lifestyle change is not enough. The exercise just distracted me from actually dealing with my deeper issues.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

Around here I have seen several independent labs. It looks like they take people without referrals.... the signs say blood tests, paternity tests, medical screening, etc. and it looks like a storefront where you could go in and ask about specific tests. Might be worth looking into.

But then, it looks like there are valid reasons why this is not a commonly given test for psychiatric evaluation:

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Depression/why-dont-they-blood-test-for-serotonin-levels/show/466214

 

[shortylickens]

My life situation has gone up and down a lot over the years, but my depression is pretty constant.