First appointment with a Psychiatrist

I'm pretty nervous. I've never been to one before and I was wondering how they do things differently from a gp or a T.

Like, do they do anything special? Or is it just like a normal dr's appointment?

TIA!

The first time that you do, they will usually ask for information about your health, current and past. That includes both mental health and medical issues. They may also ask about medications that you've taken in the past.

They usually ask some brief questions about your family of origin like how many siblings, etc.

It really varies from doctor to doctor as far as how extensive the history they take is.

Here's a link for a patient intake form that I found online, if you want to look at it. It's *very* thorough. It's in pdf format.

You could also call your drs. office and ask about any forms that have to be filled out for the first appointment. Sometimes doctors will have downloadable/printable copies of these form on their web sites, too.

I can really relate with you on this, but with the first psychiatrist appointment I had to go to I was full of irrational and uncomfortable anxiety. I had no idea what I had to do, or what the doctor was going to do. Jumping into something new like that was nerve-wracking. I did find that during the first appointment my psychiatrist just asked a lot of questions, about medical issues, past medications, diagnosis', family history, and general questions about how you are feeling or what you are thinking. That all depends greatly on the doctor though, I've noticed from seeing a couple other psychiatrists since my first time. I wish you luck, and as long as you're open and honest I am sure things should go smoothly.

Hey girl don't even worry about it! its supper easy and all they do is go over what is happening with you, how you feel, what is making you feel like that, and just questions like that!

Be open and honest! They are just there to help you!!

Good luck you can do it!!

A psychiatrist is medical doctor that specializes in mental health. Some do counseling but many just diagnose and prescribe meds. So you have to see someone else for the counseling.

I hope this helps.

I'm going to a therapist as well (goal based counseling) so I'm not expecting her to fulfill that role, but that's something I'll have to keep in mind especially since I think her appointments normally run half an hour unless they're new patient/evaluations/etc and I have the same copay whether it's 30 or 60 minutes