I come from a country where self medicating is held in great respect. Not a very healthy trend but one well rooted in our culture. A few years back we also got the so called family doctor. The family doctor’s primary role is of giving to the pacient the precious little papers that allows him/her to visit other specialists and the second is to give some prescriptions for colds and flu. Once a problem is serious you get to a specialist, or 10, have 20 different investigations and then you are given a diagnosis. From that point on all you can do is follow the treatement and hope it works.
Things are a bit different in Netherlands. A bit more actually. Here the family doctor is the one that decides how sick you actually are. From my personal experience and from the one of my friends you have to prove at least two times that you are indeed sick. For example I had to complain of severe back pain (I had a psychotic break, thought I was Hulk and lifted the furniture by myslef) two times, couple of months appart and only then did he sent me further, to a physiotherapist. It is very fustrating to explain in a foreign language that you’re in pain…really in pain and then be told “Well if it hurts then sit in another position.” Really? Ya think?
Maybe it’s just my doctor that is distrustful, though I really doubt it since at my school (learning dutch) all the foreigners seem to be complaining that they first have to die and only then will the doctor believe that they are sick.
