Quote Originally Posted by WarKitty View Post
Nor can I prove that I made calls to different places that said they couldn't see me, if someone is disinclined to believe that.
One thing that I find helpful is to take notes when you're calling someone. I'll put who I called, the date and time at the top, and then I'll make note of who I talked to, what they told me, what I told them, and what came out of the phone call (appointment, who to call next, etc). People are usually more inclined to listen to you (if they weren't in the first place) if you can say "I talked to John last Thursday, and he said that I needed to call you because he didn't have the ability to make the appointment that I needed" (adjust as appropriate, that's just a random example I made up). Not perfect, but it can give you a leg up on getting your side heard.

[/quote]To be clear: I don't think it's an intentional case of "we just want to make people measure up to our idea of normal." But what I've seen happen is more "I'm used to X and not Y. This person is presenting in a mental health practice with Y. Y isn't what I'm used to seeing, so it's a result of the mental illness. Therefore, as part of treating the mental illness, we need to deal with Y." I've seen that happen a lot - for example, I had it with my parents, where mental health professionals would rather believe that I'm paranoid than that an apparently interested loving mother can be quite manipulative and emotionally abusive. Had the same thing happen with the way I dress, even - they're personally disturbed by gothic fashion, so clearly it's a symptom of mental health problems that must be treated.[/QUOTE]

You probably know this already and don't particularly want to hear it again, but it sounds like you haven't found the right professional yet.