I have had great experiences with both psychologists and psychiatrists. I consider my primary MH caregiver to be my psychologist who is in private practice but splits her time 50/50 between clinical work and research/education. She refered my to my psychiatrist for meds management when she realized that my problems could not be solved through talk therapy alone. My first psychiatrist wasn't the greatest - I just wasn't comfortable with her clinical style, but I love my current pyschiatrist. I see her primarily for meds management but she also does some psychotherapy so I always see her for at least 50 minutes once a month. She's the clinical director of a women's inpatient program at the major psych hospital in my city and so has very few private patients, so I feel lucky to have her. And when I needed to go IP she got me in immediately and continued as my primary care psychiatrist while I was IP which was great and she coordinated with my psychologist while I was IP so I could continue seeing her too. I've been really lucky to get really good care. Basically having the mix of both has really helped me. I just wish private psychologists weren't so damned expensive - my insurance doesn't cover them and they're not covered under provincial medical insurance either - after rent she's my second biggest expense every month.

--splitimage