I have to agree they are book smart and have taken classes but MOST study bipolar,depression,Ect few know anything about panic other than what they can give u for it.

I'm very lucky as my pdoc just gives me meds but my therapist suffers from panic disorder and GAD so I'm very very lucky its like talking to someone that really understands.....

Lee

ask your therapist whether he is trying to recover its common in australia for panic attack sufferers to study psychology with the idea of also curing themselves, eventually qualifying and usually specialising in treating panic disorder, but continuing to suffer, because they never got around to curing themselves

Psychiatrists are human beings. They have emotions and problems just like the rest of you. They are trained to treat medical conditions. They can empathize with your struggle, but can not become emotionally invested in you, because they need to remain objective. They are also trained not to offer advice, but to offer medications and help for YOU to find your OWN way out of your situation.

A smart patient would not seek out a shrink that has had panic attacks, because that shrink would not be able to remain objective about your treatment. That shrink would be too biased to favor one method over another.

A smart patient would also know that one can not get a medical degree through a "home study course". Psychiatrists go through years of training that can not be duplicated from reading a few books. The vast majority of this training is on the job training, getting experience from the patients that they treat, and learning from their mentors. They also have access to scientific journals and books that regular people don't, AND the training to interpret statistics and scientific findings. There is a reason that psychiatrists get to write MD after their name, and your should have some respect for the hard work that they do for all of us.