Dr Therese Prieur 2019-10-07 Person 1 5 0

For ten years I have been left apparently incapable of working, whilst also not allowed to claim my workplace pension. I have now changed my GP, even though that means having a male GP. When I worked, I gave permission for Dr Prieur to contact my employer and request a referral to Occupational Health; a letter was placed in my records, but a copy was not posted to the employer. I asked Dr Prieur if I could do a PhD, since she would not allow me to work, but she informed me that I could not, as I would not be able to study without disruption and that it might involve contact with the public. That was despite having never failed to meet a deadline or had participants complain about me to a supervisor or ethics committee. I was informed that I could not become an educational psychologist because I have learning difficulties myself, but I cannot have learning difficulties, as I have a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome. Asperger syndrome was missed by Dr Prieur, despite her having commented on my lack of eye contact and being child like. I wrote a perfectly reasonable letter regarding only being allowed to do data entry and then only with support and retraining, despite having a Master's degree. As Dooley et al. claim, 'Optimal mental health is correlated with secure, well-paid work, in which the worker has control over his or her tasks. While unemployed people have poorer mental health, those who are inadequately employed (i.e. poorly paid, insecure and with unsatisfying tasks) have the poorest mental health' ( 2000, cited in Rogers and Pilgrim, 2014, p. 30). In reply, I received a nasty and defensive letter, from the practice manager, informing me that the staff at the Jobcentre should be assisting me with gaining employment. However, staff at the Jobcentre would not do so, as Dr Prieur had already completed a form for the Department for Work and Pensions, asking them not to let me work. Dr Prieur did not refer to psychiatry and made me choose between an antidepressant and an antipsychotic. Now I have a consultant psychiatrist whose advice to me, based on evidence, is to use both. Dr Prieur also missed Chondromalacia Patellae and did not refer to a physiotherapist. Additionally, she left me on the waiting list for counselling since 2001. I would advise Dr Prieur to listen, communicate directly instead of relying on the practice manager, learn to empathise and make referrals when necessary. If she dislikes a patient, she could have the courage to ask her/him to register elsewhere, instead of asking the manager to send a nasty letter suggesting that s/he does so.