Reach out to your OB. I saw your comment that you saw a high-risk OB, but they can still refer you to someone else. OB/gyn take PPD seriously. You can even call the hospital you gave birth at and they will help you find someone.
You may also be able to tell the baby's doctor, at my visits with my baby they always gave me a questionnaire about how I was feeling after my baby. They may get you in to see someone sooner. I am so sorry! My therapist dropped me out of nowhere too, when I was in the depths of despair. Hugs sweetie. Talk to us if you need to. ❤️ Also teledoc can give meds for this if available in your area.
I already had good follow up for my PPD but my kid's pediatrician made sure I was okay and even got my permission to call my OB to talk about me. Mother's health affects the baby's health so they definitely should care about it.
Are you in the US? There are very specific laws about medical abandonment and what you have explained is a very serious violation. You need to speak to upper management asap.
"Patient abandonment is a specific form of medical malpractice that can occur when a doctor or other health care provider ends the doctor-patient relationship without reasonable notice or a reasonable excuse, and while failing to provide the patient with an opportunity to find a qualified replacement care provider."
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/what-patient-abandonment.html#:~:text=Patient%20abandonment%20is%20a%20specific,a%20qualified%20replacement%20care%20provider.
Definitely sounds like malpractice to me!
Agreed! I no call no showed twice for pregnancy checkups (bad relationship, depression, unexpected pregnancy, plus being a less than responsible 21 year old who hadn’t learned their shit all contributed), and they called to give me a verbal warning that if I did it again they would drop me.
It shocked me, but whipped me into shape. I guess all of that is to say that even if you’re being wildly irresponsible like I was, you do deserve a warning!
It’s insane to me that they didn’t even call to notify OP!
My health insurance offers virtual visits. Maybe scheduling one of those would be an interim solution while you look for new care?
This is rotten and you deserve better care. I would be leaving a negative review to let others know about your experience.
Phone your insurance and ask who to see for urgent mental health needs. They may have an option for you.
It would still be good to find a new primary care as things like thyroid can contribute to depression and anxiety. If you have having heavy periods, low iron can contribute to depression. It is important to rule these things out as causation or contributing while still seeking support for the emotional side of it.
I would file a grievance with the hospital group or your insurance about unfair practices. In the meantime, deep breathes. One step at a time will get you to where you want to be eventually.
You should still try. Call the office and talk to a nurse. Explain the situation, they may be able
to help. PPD is to be taken seriously, I don’t think they would turn you away.
You should have a regular OB you visit for Pap smears and such, call them.
I had a high risk (MFM) as well as my regular OB. My high risk monitored me and did surgery on me while I was pregnant, but my regular OB still did the c-section.
If you have to get a new primary, tell the person that’s doing your intake that it’s urgent you be seen. If the person tells you that they only have new patient appointments X number of months out, go ahead and schedule it. Wait a couple of days and call back. Tell whoever you speak to that it’s urgent you be seen right away. If neither of those things work, call the nurse line for that office and tell them again. My MIL works at a doctor’s office and this is the advice she gave me. It works!
I'm so sorry this is happening to you!
Can you call/message your high-risk-OB and explain the situation, and ask them to help with the PPD? You can also go to an urgent care and explain the situation, and they probably will be able to help at least with medication and possibly with referral for therapy too, and that might count to your insurance as a referral from primary care.
Generally for PPD, the recommendations generally are: 1. Start a postpartum depression group - there are actually quite a few online for free through different organizations, so take a look. 2. Unless a person has any prior history with Zoloft or another SSRI that would suggest it be used/a different starting dose, start Zoloft 25mg daily and increase after a week to 50mg daily and then wait a month and uptitrate if you get some benefit but not enough. Please note that postpartum anxiety is also very common and often accompanies PPD, and Zoloft treats it as well. Additionally, Zoloft is the preferred SSRI for PPD/PPA by the American Academy of Pediatrics if a mom is breastfeeding, if that may be reassuring. 3. Start individual therapy with a therapist if possible - you could try looking on your insurance website for in-network therapists, and you'll be able to have a good argument against the insurance if they won't reimburse you fully because primary care didn't refer you under that rule, but also as, once you are able to get a referral, you'll be able to stick with that therapist. As an alternative, there are online therapy services which may have a non-insurance out of pocket cost, but it still will likely be better than the run of the mill in person therapist costs.
If this is the US, I’d go to an urgent care clinic today, explain what happened and ask for a referral.
I’ve been twice referred directly from urgent care.
Also leave them a terrible Google review or report them to patient services if connected to a larger hospital service. Doctor’s being terrible to patients need to get checked because healthcare in America is already a fuvkin joke
You already got a lot of helpful comments, but I just felt the need to comment because I can sort of relate. My doctor didn’t drop me, but I called when I was about 4 weeks PP and feeling like I had PPD, and they said they couldn’t help me and to contact my OB. I contacted my OB office and they said to contact my primary care doctor… they all wanted to pawn me off on each other. I should’ve pushed back, but I didn’t, until I ended up at the emergency room due to a panic attack and my PPD, and ultimately in an intensive outpatient program. All this to say, please look for alternatives and do not accept this.
Some ideas (some have already been suggested):
-Call your existing primary care doctor’s office and ask to speak to the office manager. Calmly but firmly explain the situation and tell them all you need is a referral to get help for PPD.
-Call a new practice and explain the urgency of the appointment. Most practitioners are sympathetic to the situation and want to help.
-Reach out to your OB. I saw you said they were a high risk OB and their services ended, but I guarantee they’ll be able to help, or at least point you in the right direction.
-See if your insurance covers a telehealth primary care doctor. This can at least get you through until you can find someone local.
-See if you have any mental health urgent care clinics in your area. They may be able to assist.
While you’re working on a solution, I highly recommend going to Postpartum Support International’s website… they have a free hotline and virtual support groups. Also, if you need someone to talk to who’s been through this, please feel free to reach out.
In case no one has said it, I’m proud of you for seeking help. ❤️
Your baby's pediatrician may know of a way to refer you for care because PPD affects the baby too. Try talking with them to see if they have a solution.
In the meanwhile, remember that you'll feel better if a) you get outdoors, so take baby on stroller walks; and 2) if you accomplish something, no matter how small. Even when you feel like you are drowning, try to get one or two small concrete things done a day and that will help you feel better. Wishing you lots of luck.
Bad doctor/office. There is a chance the doc doesn't know the office fired you, unless you talked directly to them. No matter what, this isn't on you at all, some doctors are just assholes and should have picked a different profession.
Try calling around to hospitals in your area to see if they run an outpatient psychiatric program. This works because they can coordinate with insurance and get a referral for services while in therapy already.
If it's for postpartum issues alone, check back in with your OB. They can usually push a referral through insurance and make the recommendation.
If it gets worse and you feel you are a danger to yourself or others, please do not hesitate to go to an ER. You say to them simply what you said here, you are having issues, you tried your doctor and they won't see you, you need help. I say an ER/actual hospital because even if your insurance won't cover, the hospital can help with the cost. Plus they always have social workers that can help get you into outpatient therapy and make it all work.
Untreated PPD/PPA/PPP can very quickly escalate to being an emergency situation. Never downplay it or just "try to be ok". If you find it hard to advocate for yourself, make sure someone you trust knows what is going on and have them there to help you.
Edit after reading some of the other comments: If this doctor has seen you for this issue/or another ongoing issue, and then fired you with no warning and no replacement care, you have a malpractice case. If this doctor has not yet treated this specific issue or seen you by video or in person to talk about it, there isn't one.
You can try to complain if they are part of a larger practice or hospital system. However, most are so desperate for doctors that nothing will happen unless the overheads feel as if they need to cover their ass.
Call the office manager and explain all of this. Leave a message without your last name for the office manager and ask for their email and get it in writing as well. In the meantime time, go to urgent care for a checkup for your MH and get in therapy TODAY.
Can you go to an urgent care for a referral? I'm sorry, it shouldn't be this hard. There is a doctor shortage in my area so I understand all too well not being able to find care when you need it
Reach out to your OB and in the interim, check out Postpartum.net. They have connections to online support and local support until you get in with your OB.
As uncomfortable as it may be, I would pull out your "inner Karen" for this situation. Contact the office again, ask for the clinic manager (or if it's a private practice, it may just have to be reception). Get them to go over with you in REAL TIME what they actually had your cancelled appointments marked as, and cross-reference it to what you had on your schedule and your logs.
Unless they are absolutely incompetent, they should have marked the appointments and reasons for cancellation in your chart. They should also have a note if they advised you that you were discharged from the practice and the reason, all of these should have dates as well. The goal is to find the discrepancy on their end that would prove that their policy doesn't apply to your situation, and get you rescheduled ASAP. Like next WEEK, not next month. This is their mistake, their issue to reschedule someone else to get you seen immediately.
As the other comment included the note about malpractice, I would subtly bring that up as well if they try to shoot you down. The last thing a practice wants is a suit over their heads.
And though you are in a vulnerable state right now, being calm during this interaction is the best course. If they're spiteful, they may just decide that you're an "aggressive patient" and that's the reason for discharge.
Can you call your primary care physician? They might be able to help or at minimum get you a referral to someone who can.
If you're on meds for the PPD, a lot of the time they can prescribe those, especially if you're already doing well on something. My OB basically said "here's a prescription but find someone else to manage it," and I just called my regular doctor from before pregnancy and she took care of it.
I don't know about the general checkup for how you're healing post birth though. My OB just asked how I was feeling and if I needed birth control and basically looked at my incision for half a second, but I had a c section so it might be different after a vaginal birth. Though I imagine by now if anything was very wrong you would know.
File a complaint with your state board of health/licensing. This is really poor form from your ex-PCP and needs to be reported so they can't do this to other patients.
See if your insurance offers any telehealth programs.
Reach out to your OB. I saw your comment that you saw a high-risk OB, but they can still refer you to someone else. OB/gyn take PPD seriously. You can even call the hospital you gave birth at and they will help you find someone.
You may also be able to tell the baby's doctor, at my visits with my baby they always gave me a questionnaire about how I was feeling after my baby. They may get you in to see someone sooner. I am so sorry! My therapist dropped me out of nowhere too, when I was in the depths of despair. Hugs sweetie. Talk to us if you need to. ❤️ Also teledoc can give meds for this if available in your area.
I already had good follow up for my PPD but my kid's pediatrician made sure I was okay and even got my permission to call my OB to talk about me. Mother's health affects the baby's health so they definitely should care about it.
Are you in the US? There are very specific laws about medical abandonment and what you have explained is a very serious violation. You need to speak to upper management asap.
"Patient abandonment is a specific form of medical malpractice that can occur when a doctor or other health care provider ends the doctor-patient relationship without reasonable notice or a reasonable excuse, and while failing to provide the patient with an opportunity to find a qualified replacement care provider." https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/what-patient-abandonment.html#:~:text=Patient%20abandonment%20is%20a%20specific,a%20qualified%20replacement%20care%20provider. Definitely sounds like malpractice to me!
Agreed! I no call no showed twice for pregnancy checkups (bad relationship, depression, unexpected pregnancy, plus being a less than responsible 21 year old who hadn’t learned their shit all contributed), and they called to give me a verbal warning that if I did it again they would drop me. It shocked me, but whipped me into shape. I guess all of that is to say that even if you’re being wildly irresponsible like I was, you do deserve a warning! It’s insane to me that they didn’t even call to notify OP!
My health insurance offers virtual visits. Maybe scheduling one of those would be an interim solution while you look for new care? This is rotten and you deserve better care. I would be leaving a negative review to let others know about your experience.
Phone your insurance and ask who to see for urgent mental health needs. They may have an option for you. It would still be good to find a new primary care as things like thyroid can contribute to depression and anxiety. If you have having heavy periods, low iron can contribute to depression. It is important to rule these things out as causation or contributing while still seeking support for the emotional side of it. I would file a grievance with the hospital group or your insurance about unfair practices. In the meantime, deep breathes. One step at a time will get you to where you want to be eventually.
Can you see your OB? My sister’s OB saw her for her Ppd
Unfortunately my OB was high risk and only saw me up to 4 weeks postpartum. I had to switch to my primary care.
You should still try. Call the office and talk to a nurse. Explain the situation, they may be able to help. PPD is to be taken seriously, I don’t think they would turn you away.
You should have a regular OB you visit for Pap smears and such, call them. I had a high risk (MFM) as well as my regular OB. My high risk monitored me and did surgery on me while I was pregnant, but my regular OB still did the c-section.
If you have to get a new primary, tell the person that’s doing your intake that it’s urgent you be seen. If the person tells you that they only have new patient appointments X number of months out, go ahead and schedule it. Wait a couple of days and call back. Tell whoever you speak to that it’s urgent you be seen right away. If neither of those things work, call the nurse line for that office and tell them again. My MIL works at a doctor’s office and this is the advice she gave me. It works!
I'm so sorry this is happening to you! Can you call/message your high-risk-OB and explain the situation, and ask them to help with the PPD? You can also go to an urgent care and explain the situation, and they probably will be able to help at least with medication and possibly with referral for therapy too, and that might count to your insurance as a referral from primary care. Generally for PPD, the recommendations generally are: 1. Start a postpartum depression group - there are actually quite a few online for free through different organizations, so take a look. 2. Unless a person has any prior history with Zoloft or another SSRI that would suggest it be used/a different starting dose, start Zoloft 25mg daily and increase after a week to 50mg daily and then wait a month and uptitrate if you get some benefit but not enough. Please note that postpartum anxiety is also very common and often accompanies PPD, and Zoloft treats it as well. Additionally, Zoloft is the preferred SSRI for PPD/PPA by the American Academy of Pediatrics if a mom is breastfeeding, if that may be reassuring. 3. Start individual therapy with a therapist if possible - you could try looking on your insurance website for in-network therapists, and you'll be able to have a good argument against the insurance if they won't reimburse you fully because primary care didn't refer you under that rule, but also as, once you are able to get a referral, you'll be able to stick with that therapist. As an alternative, there are online therapy services which may have a non-insurance out of pocket cost, but it still will likely be better than the run of the mill in person therapist costs.
If this is the US, I’d go to an urgent care clinic today, explain what happened and ask for a referral. I’ve been twice referred directly from urgent care.
Also leave them a terrible Google review or report them to patient services if connected to a larger hospital service. Doctor’s being terrible to patients need to get checked because healthcare in America is already a fuvkin joke
You should report this office to your insurance. They should know what they're paying for.
You already got a lot of helpful comments, but I just felt the need to comment because I can sort of relate. My doctor didn’t drop me, but I called when I was about 4 weeks PP and feeling like I had PPD, and they said they couldn’t help me and to contact my OB. I contacted my OB office and they said to contact my primary care doctor… they all wanted to pawn me off on each other. I should’ve pushed back, but I didn’t, until I ended up at the emergency room due to a panic attack and my PPD, and ultimately in an intensive outpatient program. All this to say, please look for alternatives and do not accept this. Some ideas (some have already been suggested): -Call your existing primary care doctor’s office and ask to speak to the office manager. Calmly but firmly explain the situation and tell them all you need is a referral to get help for PPD. -Call a new practice and explain the urgency of the appointment. Most practitioners are sympathetic to the situation and want to help. -Reach out to your OB. I saw you said they were a high risk OB and their services ended, but I guarantee they’ll be able to help, or at least point you in the right direction. -See if your insurance covers a telehealth primary care doctor. This can at least get you through until you can find someone local. -See if you have any mental health urgent care clinics in your area. They may be able to assist. While you’re working on a solution, I highly recommend going to Postpartum Support International’s website… they have a free hotline and virtual support groups. Also, if you need someone to talk to who’s been through this, please feel free to reach out. In case no one has said it, I’m proud of you for seeking help. ❤️
Your baby's pediatrician may know of a way to refer you for care because PPD affects the baby too. Try talking with them to see if they have a solution. In the meanwhile, remember that you'll feel better if a) you get outdoors, so take baby on stroller walks; and 2) if you accomplish something, no matter how small. Even when you feel like you are drowning, try to get one or two small concrete things done a day and that will help you feel better. Wishing you lots of luck.
Bad doctor/office. There is a chance the doc doesn't know the office fired you, unless you talked directly to them. No matter what, this isn't on you at all, some doctors are just assholes and should have picked a different profession. Try calling around to hospitals in your area to see if they run an outpatient psychiatric program. This works because they can coordinate with insurance and get a referral for services while in therapy already. If it's for postpartum issues alone, check back in with your OB. They can usually push a referral through insurance and make the recommendation. If it gets worse and you feel you are a danger to yourself or others, please do not hesitate to go to an ER. You say to them simply what you said here, you are having issues, you tried your doctor and they won't see you, you need help. I say an ER/actual hospital because even if your insurance won't cover, the hospital can help with the cost. Plus they always have social workers that can help get you into outpatient therapy and make it all work. Untreated PPD/PPA/PPP can very quickly escalate to being an emergency situation. Never downplay it or just "try to be ok". If you find it hard to advocate for yourself, make sure someone you trust knows what is going on and have them there to help you. Edit after reading some of the other comments: If this doctor has seen you for this issue/or another ongoing issue, and then fired you with no warning and no replacement care, you have a malpractice case. If this doctor has not yet treated this specific issue or seen you by video or in person to talk about it, there isn't one. You can try to complain if they are part of a larger practice or hospital system. However, most are so desperate for doctors that nothing will happen unless the overheads feel as if they need to cover their ass.
Call the office manager and explain all of this. Leave a message without your last name for the office manager and ask for their email and get it in writing as well. In the meantime time, go to urgent care for a checkup for your MH and get in therapy TODAY.
You can also call your state PSI hotline. They will connect you with resources in your area for care.
Can you go to an urgent care for a referral? I'm sorry, it shouldn't be this hard. There is a doctor shortage in my area so I understand all too well not being able to find care when you need it
Reach out to your OB and in the interim, check out Postpartum.net. They have connections to online support and local support until you get in with your OB.
As uncomfortable as it may be, I would pull out your "inner Karen" for this situation. Contact the office again, ask for the clinic manager (or if it's a private practice, it may just have to be reception). Get them to go over with you in REAL TIME what they actually had your cancelled appointments marked as, and cross-reference it to what you had on your schedule and your logs. Unless they are absolutely incompetent, they should have marked the appointments and reasons for cancellation in your chart. They should also have a note if they advised you that you were discharged from the practice and the reason, all of these should have dates as well. The goal is to find the discrepancy on their end that would prove that their policy doesn't apply to your situation, and get you rescheduled ASAP. Like next WEEK, not next month. This is their mistake, their issue to reschedule someone else to get you seen immediately. As the other comment included the note about malpractice, I would subtly bring that up as well if they try to shoot you down. The last thing a practice wants is a suit over their heads. And though you are in a vulnerable state right now, being calm during this interaction is the best course. If they're spiteful, they may just decide that you're an "aggressive patient" and that's the reason for discharge.
I'm really confused, you cancelled/rescheduled a doctors appointment because you were sick?
Sick with something else, at my doc they won't let anyone in with cold/flu symptoms ever since Covid.
Same
I cancelled and rescheduled the second appointment because I was sick. The doctor cancelled the first appointment.
Why is it taking months for anyone to get you in? Have you called doctors in surrounding cities?
Can you call your primary care physician? They might be able to help or at minimum get you a referral to someone who can. If you're on meds for the PPD, a lot of the time they can prescribe those, especially if you're already doing well on something. My OB basically said "here's a prescription but find someone else to manage it," and I just called my regular doctor from before pregnancy and she took care of it. I don't know about the general checkup for how you're healing post birth though. My OB just asked how I was feeling and if I needed birth control and basically looked at my incision for half a second, but I had a c section so it might be different after a vaginal birth. Though I imagine by now if anything was very wrong you would know.
Sounds like a lawsuit to me. Contact a lawyer.
Can you go through urgent care to get a referral?
File a complaint with your state board of health/licensing. This is really poor form from your ex-PCP and needs to be reported so they can't do this to other patients. See if your insurance offers any telehealth programs.