Reply from Blossom HealthApr 28, 2025
Hi Patient A - really appreciate your feedback. We always strive to do right by our patients, so thank you for bringing it to our attention when we fall short. So a few things here:
1. Unlike physiological ailments that are black & white (e.g. a CT scan of a broken bone), very often psychiatry deals in shades of grey and psychiatrists make diagnoses and recommend treatment paths based on their learned judgment of your symptoms, personal history, family background, past medical history. etc.
2. Your first psychiatrist, Dr. Elmer Jones Elma, requested "collateral information" which is just a clinical way of saying he was looking for some further information from the people who know you best (your family, coworkers, etc.). That information provides a fuller picture of your symptoms and helps a provider diagnose you with a higher degree of confidence and precision. He certainly could have done a better job of explaining the request and on responding to your (understandable) hesitancy to proceed. We will address this miscue with Dr. Elma because succeeding for our patients means creating a trusting relationship, and that starts with proactive communication and transparency on why we ask for the things we do.
3. Regarding Dr. Jermaine Nnaeto, I won't share too much on a public forum because we value your medical privacy. But he didn't make the diagnosis you were curious about because it's most commonly a childhood and adolescent developmental disorder, and given your age and life circumstances, it's an unlikely diagnosis in your specific case. Of course it's possible you've gone through life undiagnosed, but even so, given the specific facts of your case, it was his considered medical opinion that other diagnoses are more likely.
4. Lastly, regarding medication. We only recommend medication as needed, and given some of your symptoms, it may be an appropriate option for you (only if you so choose it, of course). At the end of the day, your medical care is always in your own hands and we respect any decisions a patient makes about their care & treatment.
We will also follow up with you privately so that we can speak with more candor to address your concerns and hopefully arrive at a solution that works. We truly want what's best for all our patients, and will do our absolute best to help you achieve your mental health goals.