"Doctors are just people too!" Docs become so important to us in crisis and the loyalty that many get is well deserved. However, I hold a strong belief that WE must be the quarterback of our medical team. Docs don't have time to remain completely informed about the growing tech of health care. Many do their best to read and attend conferences, but there is far too much information for one doc or one team of docs to keep track of. It is my observation that we often expect far too much from docs.

Not all docs have equal knowledge about mental health or meds to assist it. Not all docs can make equal observations of 'the whole person'. Health is too complex to follow an outline or formula where one size fits all. We as patients and care givers have to help them.

Forums like this one, support groups and related literature are rich sources of ideas and hunches. Learn about a new drug, learn about a new approach, or learn of a tried and true regime. Lets don't expect the docs to do all they work - they cannot.

The best docs are VERY open to new ideas, new articles, raw hunches and seemingly 'minor' questions. Quality health care is a "dialogue" between you and your doc, not a monologue that you go and just listen to. Be involved with suggestions, observations, articles, and lots of questions. Get your doc to defend his/her opinion. The good ones can and will. Lets not wait for our docs to take care of us... lets do it ourselves and get them to help us. Tom