Why do doctors ask this?

They are only being thorough by asking about your medical history, which includes knowing if you have been under the regular care of a GP. You see, being under the regular care of a physician means (to them) that your health has been monitored over the years by someone with professional medical training. If you had said you did actually have a GP, they might have asked you if it would be okay to contact that GP about any medical questions they might have, or to have your past records delivered to them so they can have your complete medical history.

Since therapists are not considered medically trained professionals, medical specialists are not going to care if you've been to a psychological counselor. Although, in your neurologist's case, mentioning your therapist might have been somewhat relevant because thought/behaviour patterns could give light to any issues you might have been seeing her about since she specializes in cerebral matters.

As for your experience with the cardiologist (heart specialist), he did not handle your misinterpretation of his questioning very well. It was rude of him and you have every right to feel offended. That being said, you did not have to tell him about seeing a therapist.

When medical doctors are gathering a medical history about a patient, they tend to feel it's a waste of their time when a patient starts to tell them about, what they feel is, irrelevant bits of personal info. Maybe the cardiologist was thrown off by your admission of regular therapy or maybe he was annoyed that you were going off-topic. Either way, it's a natural reaction to probe you for a reason for bringing it up as they don't see counseling as relevant to your medical history.

In the future, don't even mention it, unless you are specifically asked if you are receiving any sort of psychological therapy.

Perhaps the reason you feel more at ease with female doctors, as opposed to male doctors, is because females tend to have more nurturing dispositions in general. It's just a thought.

There was probably just no need to mention that you were seeing the rapist. You'd think it would be better to be completely honest with your doctors but sometimes you may not have to mention absolutely everything.

You left out P.H.Dists.

Had you been listening to the HVAC129ers, you would've thought of that.

...but, as usual, the VHATC-L2 are too busy talking to an obscure psychopathist on the internet to notice that the blue collar guys from a galaxy far, far away are taking care of their spouses.

Bah still better than being asked "Are your stools watery or dry?" IMO.

"discombobulated"

I lawld

I think it's just a formality. Try not to take it personally.

Fullovists.

This is another example of why we should all endeavour to make a concerted and conscientious effort to discontinue using the -ist word endings. [These being ONLY the SUFFIXES which are derived from the Hellenic (Greek) '-istēs'.]

These word endings came into usage in the English language beginning in the 1500's, and have since infiltrated many facets of society. These are firstly a religious tool and secondly a political tool, which seeks only to create division in society. They also contribute to broad generalizations, leading to laziness of thought, stereotypical behaviours, poor communication between people and often lead to numerous other negative behaviour patterns , such as hatred toward others and smugness.
After all, doctors are people too!

[If you follow this advice, this might also help you in your therapy (depending on which type of therapy it is), please continue reading...]

But what type of doctor are they? [You see? What the -ists have done, is to allow you to (don't let them) neatly divide all these people in your mind, which causes you to divide 'them' from yourself, and what these people actually do, is often poorly understood by uninformed and / or ill educated people]. Firstly, there are many different types of doctors, only some of which are Medical Doctors, which might or might not be true in this case. There is no such thing as a 'Doctor of Therapy', but there is a 'Doctor of Physical Therapy'. But the person providing the therapy, might alternatively be a 'Doctor of Psychiatry' or a 'Doctor of Psychology', or varying other titles; or they might not be a doctor at all, as there are numerous medical occupations attainable through a college degree or other training. It is quite possible that the doctor was making a simple inquiry as to which type of doctor is providing the therapy (as this might be helpful in making a diagnosis), and although the doctor should have access to your medical records, he might have either been lazy or too busy to research these thoroughly.
Confused? It need not be. What to do, is to research the doctor that you are seeking treatment from, and to find out what their medical specialty is (if any), and what that type of doctor generally does.

What does D.O. mean?
D.O.A doctor of osteopathic medicine (D.O.) is a fully licensed medical doctor offering all the techniques and treatments of modern medicine with the added benefits of hands-on diagnostics and a holistic philosophy.

The "hands-on" medical treatment is based on an in-depth understanding of how all of the body's systems are connected.

What does M.D. mean?
M.D.A doctor of allopathic medicine (M.D.) is a fully licensed medical doctor offering all the techniques and treatments of modern medicine. The method of treating disease is by the use of agents (medicines) that produce effects different from those the disease produced.

What does D.P.M. mean?
D.P.M.A doctor of podiatric medicine (DPM) specializes in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of foot and ankle disorders, diseases and injuries.

Please also see this link:

http://www.mclaren.org/althadvantage/alistofdefinitionsofmedicalspecia.aspxheltiesadv

How to do this: If you happen to be waiting for the doctor in her / his office (not the waiting room), doctors will often (but not always) display their medical certificates there. Read them and note all the information (write EVERYTHING down). They might also have more than one certificate, so check for this and try to put them into chronological order. If there are any abbreviations, note these as well, and find out what they mean.
You could also check the doctor's business / appointment cards or letterhead, as this usually will have the doctor's formal title printed on it, and sometimes additional information. (This is a good thing to do if you are in the waiting room, have access to the internet, and are able to use it there [remember this is a medical setting, and electronic devices are sometimes prohibited, IMPORTANT!], ask at reception.
If these are not available, ask the doctor to provide ALL their medical credentials. You should also check these through usually Universities / Colleges, Professional organizations or governmental agencies.

ALWAYS use a doctor's proper professional title when in a professional setting (such as a doctor's office, examination room, hospital, court of law, etc.}, except sometimes you could make it less cumbersome in written and spoken language, such as 'Psychiatric Doctor', instead of 'Doctor of Psychiatric Medicine', or 'Dermatological Doctor', instead of 'Doctor of Dermatology'.

Please do not use -ists or -isms (-ismos).

Thank You.

Mental health is part of your medical history. Some mental health specialists would have you take medication, and what medication you've taken is relevant to any doctor in any field. People with certain mental health problems might not be suitable for certain medical treatments. Etc.

Try not to be so defensive about it. Just say "I'm not comfortable telling you" or something. You don't have to tell them anything you don't want to.

Males do tend to have an aura of evil about them...

If you're offended by this it shows some definite insecurities. These are doctors. Their job is to find out what is wrong with you and make you better. If you're seeing a heart doctor and you have a history of Anxiety Disorder...you could be getting EKG's every time you have a panic attack and think you're dying. That is a waste of a doctors time and your time. If you're seeing a therapist and you are taking anti-depression medication they need to know this. If you are schizophrenic and the doctor prescribes you a medication that could affect your mental disorder....they could...themselves get in trouble.

Just be honest with them. They aren't being nosey...they are being your doctors.

Get over yourself. The only way a doctor can help you is if they know absolutely everything about you, from the psych meds you are on, to your sexual activity, to all of the different regions you've visited.

Most Doctors are Assholes.

Doctors like to find out as much as you're willing to tell them.
The more they know, the better they may be able to assist you.
I'm sure they don't take personal interest in the issue, they just like to find out everything that's relevant as part of their job.
They just want to know if there's something they can and should be helping you with.

There's no need to tell them everything if it makes you uncomfortable, but no harm in it either.

I'd rather be honest and see what the specialist has to say.
I'm sure they'd prefer that too.
Even if it's just general advice, they may have something for you.

How do you see a neurologist or a cardiologist without a referral from a GP? That's usually an ironclad requirement for specialists.

They don't want to be sued, that's why they ask. They are covering their butts.

Wow, I didn't actually read all the above, but understand your concern about giving maybe more information than you need to. For your regular check-ups, it's not really necessary to tell your doctor about all of your past. It's actually not part of what they may treat you for, therefore, not a topic of discussion. The exception of course is they prescribe medication. In that case, if you are taking something, you will want to tell them what you are taking so that any medication will not be a problem with what you are already taking.

tell him you go to therapy cause youre a psycho that kills nosey doctors

Mental health can affect physical health.
Some of that can be more direct - after all a neurologist should be concerned about any mental health issues because your brain plays a big part in your mental health.

Other doctors may ask because mental health may also affect how you take care of yourself.

But perhaps more importantly, if your therapist is prescribing medication it can affect what your other doctors are allowed to prescribe for you.

Also, in some states, the doctor may be compiling the information along with any questions you answer about firearm ownership.

I know in NY they already had one case where a patient's previous mental health issues used as an excuse to remove his firearms. he had to go to court to get them back since his treatment had been completed for over 6 months. (he won at least)

So you may have reason to be concerned if this trend continues. Mental health is starting to fall back to dark ages where it was treated like a crime & the sufferers were no better than prisoners.

I see a phycatrist, and I would be offended 2. I think they're either curious or nosy. I agree with dom180 though, regarding the medication aspect. cause medication can cause all kinds of side effects believe me I know. I take clonapin and Prozac. And its horrible.