Hey Jo

Every few weeks I get people from University Hospital calling or emailing, trying to get me to pursue further psychiatric care through UIHC. I usually just ignore them. Most recently I received a call followed immediately by this email:

Hi Jamal,

I just left you a voicemail promising to send you this information.

There are several recommendations we have:

·         Follow-up in the Family Practice Clinic with Dr. Perry or any other provider for physical health care.
·         Consider establishing care for treatment of your depression. This can be done in the Psychiatry Clinic or at the Community Mental Health Center. They have a very good plan now for quicker access.
·         The Counseling and Health Promotions area of Family Medicine(CHPS) offers mental health medication management services. This is another excellent option.

Bascially, we are recommending medication management and counseling to provide better support for your depression along with your routine healthcare needs.

I will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Feel free to call me at 384-8994. Thanks! jo

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And my response:

Hey Jo, thanks for the email. I know you've tried to reach me previously, sorry to take so long getting back to you. My experiences with UIHC this year have mostly been shockingly horrible, so I haven't been anything close to eager to schedule any appointments I don't absolutely have to. I am particularly upset with the psych department, have filed multiple complaints but obviously don't expect that to make an iota of difference in any way. I do have an appointment with a UI psychiatrist later this month (I don't recall her name at the moment), we'll see how that goes. I can't tell you how tired I am of having my depression treated as the main symptom when overall it's years of chronic pain that have led & continue to lead to a negative state of mind. Chronic pain that the medical professionals are consistently unable or unwilling to treat, sometimes unwilling to even acknowledge. Having talked to others now, I am learning that this is basically standard protocol at UIHC, which certainly doesn't give me any encouragement to seek further "care."

I do appreciate you diligently trying to follow up on my case, that's admirable. Beyond that I really don't know what to say.

-J.
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That was one week ago, I haven't heard anything further as of yet.