Change Diagnosis

[BAD2NO]

I am on probation in nursing. What would it do if I were able to change my bipolar diagnosis?

 

Would that be able to change anything with the Board?

 

What would I have to do to have that changed? 

 

 

[Healer555]

HarleyvQuinn said:

I imagine they'll take it as a question of mental stability in that, if you're a danger to yourself, you may not be clear-headed enough to reliably or safely practice until cleared to do so by psychiatry. It doesn't necessarily mean you're at risk of directly harming patients, but rather that you're not in the right frame of mind/stable mind to currently safely practice until you're doing better. How they go about it leaves much to be desired. 

It seems that the powers that be are lacking common sense. Lack of sleep, physical illness like a cold etc can all impact ability to practice.  Most if not all people think about suicide at some point.  It seems these programs are really helpful for people who lsck insight and can't get help on their own but just punitive for everyone else.  

[SNB1014, RN]

BAD2NO said:

Yea I wondered how that would work.

 

Dealing with a specific set of Drs would not be ideal. 

 

Yes I have a case manager however I think what I am going to do is undergo a new psychological evaluation and present everything to the psychologist.

 

I learned the evaluations are different.

 

A psychological evaluation is not the same as a nurse practitioner assessment by my own provider.

The TX BON will not accept an assessment from an NP, even a PMHNP.  They have a very specific list of evaluators that you can choose from.  The only way your own doc would fly is if they have a long, established therapeutic relationship with you and there's no way you can just move to tx, get an appt and a psych eval and then boom!  They accept it. 
If you truly are not bipolar, then a thorough psychiatric exam would prove that.  

[HarleyvQuinn, MSN, RN, NP]

Healer555 said:

It seems that the powers that be are lacking common sense. Lack of sleep, physical illness like a cold etc can all impact ability to practice.  Most if not all people think about suicide at some point.  It seems these programs are really helpful for people who lsck insight and can't get help on their own but just punitive for everyone else.  

Tread carefully. The BON in any state, let alone states like TX, are not known for their friendliness towards the nurses they oversee on even the most generic of issues. It tends to go downhill on issues such as mental health, substance use, and fitness to practice. They are not there to help you. They see themselves as there solely to protect the public. Do not provide these administrators with ample rope with which to destroy your career.

[Athenaray]

The answer is no, it will not. You have came into contact with the mental health system already and admitted a history of suicidal ideation. Right off the bat, the BON would say something is wrong whether Bipolar or not Bipolar.

Changing a diagnosis isn't easy in mental health. The word "changing" is complex. The same physician would have to agree that you no longer have Bipolar Disorder (which isn't possible because it's a chronic condition) OR he would have to write in your medical record that he or she misdiagnosed you at the beginning. You can imagine the legal ramifications and possible Board discipline that could come his or her way if the physician did that. The physicians is NOT going to do that.

So, you find another physician that tells you that you do NOT have Bipolar Disorder. That's good, but you still have another physician out there (the first one) that already told you that you did have Bipolar.

"Changing it' sounds so quick and simple. In truth, it's bordering impossible.