u/ulcerbaby

When I (29F) was about 11 years old I saw a psychiatrist for the first time because I was having severe anxiety along the lines of agoraphobia- panic attacks in crowded places like restaurants or movie theaters. I also had some OCD tendencies about food, germs, and mild skin picking. I believe I was diagnosed with GAD by her and prescribed risperidone in liquid form. It was a low dose. Possibly .25 mg.

In the years since then my diagnoses have become more complex and I’ve been on at least 20 other medications. I asked my current psychiatrist about trying risperidone again and she seemed very confused. She explained to me that it’s usually prescribed to people with autism or in an inpatient setting and possibly violent.

The psychiatrist I initially saw as an 11 year old ended up doing other questionable things that made me doubt her capabilities in hindsight. I guess my question is what could have possibly been her reasoning for prescribing risperidone as a first choice to someone coming to her with no prior diagnoses of anything? Does this seem reasonable