I think the most underemphasized aspect of modern medicine is the conversation of people acting as good patients vs. bad patients.  As you learn more about the phenomenon of the patient/practitioner relationship, you begin to understand that it is often times critical to relinquish control, learn to trust again, and allow others to truly help you…

Here’s a classic list of  qualities contrasting  Good Patients vs. Bad Patients.    

Which list describes you??

(let’s start with the positives…)

“Good” Patients:

1)  From Day 1, they assume their Doctor has the ability to help them.

2)  They assume their Doctor has seen similar cases to them and that their case is not ultra-special

3)  Good patients are able to open their heart and trust another human being.  They realize that being burnt in the past has no connection to their new, chosen practitioner.

4)  They can ask detailed questions about their case without letting emotion and frustration cloud the detail of the ongoing healing work.

5)  They are hungry for treatment details.

6)  Good Patients know that treatable conditions are always treatable.  They realize it is just a matter of finding the correct path, the best weaponry, and the best suited practitioner.

“Bad” Patients:  (Keep in mind that good people are often times “bad” patients)

1)  From Day 1,  they assume their doctor does not understand their condition.  They will go through the motions despite the belief that their treatment has a low probability of success.

2)  Bad patients believe their case is very special and has never been seen before by the global medical community.

3)  Bad patients Do Not Trust their practitioner and furthermore, do not believe there is a need to trust.  They do not see the importance of the patient/practitioner relationship and usually view their interaction with their doctor in a manner similar to buying merchandise.  

4)  Bad patients allow frustration and emotional reactivity to cloud all the details of the healing process.  They can’t listen in a detailed fashion because of their strained emotional reactions. They can’t ask detailed questions either because their focus is stuck on their own frustration rather then the detailed plan to get better.

5)  They are not hungry or interested in any further treatment details and begin to assume they know exactly what their practitioner is going to say.  They become self-made experts and develop a deep belief that they know it all.  From this vantage point, it becomes very easy for them to create a mistaken logical conclusion:  ”If I know it all and I’m still not better, then my special case must be untreatable”   (This quote describes the classic development of mistaken pessimism.)

6)  Bad patients believe people are out to get them.  Their paranoia actually creates a wall that pushes new people away that otherwise could have helped them.  Their tangible paranoia becomes infectious and people naturally do not trust them.  As the mutual disrespect builds, they find themselves in other negative situations and conclude that they were right in the idea that people are not to be trusted.  (They fail to realize that their negative attitude is what creates and attracts negative experiences in their life)

Think about this….., chronic acne is known to be a treatable condition in every textbook around the world.  If someone is living with chronic inflammation of their face or body, could it be that their inability to repeatedly ask for help is the root cause of the chronic failure??

Ask the question, review the details of what makes a good patient vs. a bad patient.  If you decide you are, in fact, a good patient….,   then your only job is to find a new practitioner with the talent to help your stubborn, treatable case.   …And then allow yourself to trust again……    

I have made it my life’s mission to help good patients who are still suffering both in the office and online.  I will also expend countless amounts of energy trying to teach “bad” patients how to become better patients, allowing others to help them out of this difficult, spiraling situation.

-Dr. Neal

©2008  ”Are You A “Good” Patient”   by Dr. Neal Schwartz