Dr. Eric Bender

So I don't specialize in psychotic disorders.

I actually have a colleague who does.

And I send all of the patients with psychosis to him because he specializes in that.

But that does present very differently.

Someone with schizophrenia, that's a psychotic illness.

So there's been a break from reality and they would be hearing things that aren't really there.

They might have disordered thinking.

They might have delusions.

And that will really play into how you interact with someone.

You can imagine if someone's already delusional and maybe suspicious,

those patients in particular might have a really hard time with medication.

Oh, wait, you're giving me something?

You want me to put this in my body?

What is that?

So someone who's specifically trained with psychotic disorders, I always like going to that person.

I know how to treat those patients, of course, and I can do that, but I don't.

That same type of suspicion and worry, though, with anxious patients I have can certainly impact the treatment.

somebody who's really anxious, if I make a small change or suggest a small change to something, that can trigger a huge reaction.

Like, oh, I can't do this.

It's the medication.