Pros and cons of seeing a psychiatrist?

I can't decide what to do. Can't decide whether to see a psychiatrist or not. was wondering if people here can tell me about their experiences (good and bad)

I just don't know what to do.

Bad Experiences:
Very few, usually happened with pdocs I've had during hospitalizations. One example would be a Indian pdoc who I couldn't understand and he kept getting mad when I didn't get what he was saying. Another was a pdoc who tried to put me into a residential place even though I was clearly doing 100 times better while inpatient, even the staff disagreed with him.

Good Experiences:
I've had great pdocs, way more good then bad. who truly seem like they care and really try their best to help me. That's worth it.

They have specialized knowledge in what meds can work for you vs. your family physician.

That's how I was referred. My family doctor wasn't comfortable prescribing psych meds. I'm very thankful for that referral.

I have psychosis.....T's can't really handle that without meds so it's kind of a necessity to have a pdoc....I actually found my pdoc to be more open and warm than T and had unique insight into my condition and how to deal with issues like sleep etc.

Psychiatrists are for med management. If you need medications (antidepressants, mood stabilizers, anti anxiety meds, or anti-psychotics, or similar), then see a psychiatrist.

I've had one good one and a few horrible, egotistical, uncaring, non-listening ones. They're MDs, so going for medication management is really the main point (though some do therapy, that's not the type I've seen). I once took a friend with me because she didn't believe what I'd been telling her about the one I was seeing at the time. Afterwards, she was speechless, told me she was sorry. He really was a piece of work. I told one that between the two of us, I didn't think I was the one that needed to be on medication. I'm sure that's still in my chart. That's just to say, there are all kinds. Be specific in what you're looking for and find another if you don't feel they are flexible.

Priceless!!

Well you typically need to see one if you are on any prescription medication.

If you feel like you need more help than therapy alone can offer, which would be medication, then you should see a psychiatrist. They have much more knowledge about antidepressants and other psych meds than general practitioners. I have a great pdoc now and have seen others that I weren't crazy about. Still, all were good doctors. I've never had a terrible experience, even in a hospital setting.

I've had a lot of Pdocs. Some good, some bad, some I just don't remember.

Worst experiences:
First time I met the guy, his first comment to me was that I was fat and needed to lose weight. While that was true, the dude was 4x my size!!!!!
A different Pdoc, first time I met him, he asked me how I was feeling. I said I felt depressed. His response was B.S.
Also, I hate Pdocs who try to push new medications or medications they have a deal with.

Best Pdocs are the ones who work with you and give you options.
My current Pdoc is the best Pdoc I've ever had. She lets me choose what I do and don't take and she is constantly up-to-date with my T and primary. She also does a little therapy with me. She one time scheduled an appt with me when my T was on vacation just so I had someone to physically check in with.

But I do have one word of advice: not everyone is how they first appear. I read up the reviews about my current Pdoc before I met her. The reviews were all bad. When I met her, she was extremely intimidating. But, once we got to know each other, she opened up a different side of her. Now she express so many emotions and you can tell she cares. She still can be intimidating at times, but one smile from her and you know you're safe.

A skilled psychiatrist with superb interpersonal skills can really help you figure out what is going on. When I was diagnosed with ASD my life suddenly made sense. After that I actually found therapy very helpful. It was even obvious to family and friends. Before that I was misdiagnosed with BPD and was written off because I did not respond to therapy at all. Obviously I did not respond because my issues had very different origins.

Some psychiatrists are nasty and have no interest in helping. I think some of this depends on how you present and where. E.g., in crisis vs a consultation. Sometimes the diagnosis can affect how a psychiatrist responds to you too.

I have the Didgee Psychotic Disorder so I need to take medication. I'd rather get the scripts and followup from my psychiatrist than from my family doctor.


This maybe true in the US but not in all countries. I'm in Ontario, Canada where a lot of psychiatrists offer psychotherapy to any client who wants it. My psychiatrist does therapy.

I only have the one experience with a psychiatrist, but it's been very good so far.

When I was younger, my primary care doctor put me on medication for anxiety, but it was the wrong med, wrong dose, there was no follow-up, and I don't think she really knew what she was doing with the psych meds.

My current (and first and only) p-doc was recommended to me by my T. It's someone she works closely with and he's just phenomenal. T convinced me to go to see him after I did an assessment which showed how high my anxiety truly was. I'd always known my anxiety was higher than the norm, but needed the actual data points to realize just how high. We talked about it a lot before I agreed to go.

My p-doc is great. He listens, explains why he thinks a certain med will be helpful, talks about what side effects I might see, what results I should expect to see, and always gives me options. He has very open lines of communication, and any time I have questions about meds, I can call or email him. If I don't like certain side effects or something just isn't working right, we talk about it and he makes changes based on what I've told him. He always starts me out at the lowest dose of something and builds up to therapeutic levels slowly. He also gives me some flexibility in how I take medication...like he'll say that if I notice I'm too sleepy at a certain dose, to go ahead and back of to a lower one, or if I need more, I can increase within a certain range.

With my latest med change and new diagnosis, he was instrumental in spotting the patterns that indicated a new diagnosis and med change were warranted. We're working on getting the medication right now. I was having some weird side effects, so he eliminated one of the two meds I was taking to try and isolate the issue. I really, really like the guy and love the way he practices medicine.

Well, GPs don't really have the education to competently prescribe medication so if you need medication you need a psychiatrist. They might be incompetent,too, but chances are lower.

I've generally had good experiences with pdocs. My first one, was always late, which annoyed me, but as things go, wasn't too bad. My second one was amazing - did therapy as well as meds.

My current pdoc was assigned to me, when my 2'nd pdoc left the hospital she worked in. I didn't like him at first because at first he came over all cold and emotional, but since I've gotten to know him a little, he's actually a pretty nice guy with a sense of humour. He's strictly meds management, a 20 min. appointment once a month, which includes a quick check in on my mental state. I can book longer appointments with him if I want, but I've only done that a couple of times - we usually accomplish everything we need to in 20 min. And he's absolutely amazing in emergencies - if I'm in crisis I can always get an appointment within 24-48 hours.

I need a pdoc, because my meds cocktail is too complex for my gp to handle.

splitimage

Thank you all for replying to this thread.

I've only seen one. He's great and does talk therapy as well. It's been great to have a one-stop shop - he does the meds, therapy and understands all the other general health stuff as well. I appreciate it.