[nomdeplume83]

Three months ago, I started seeing a psychiatrist. Or more like his nurse. The psychiatrist came in and spoke to us for maybe a minute, agreed with the nurse's diagnosis and course of action, and I haven't seen him since. I've had two follow up appointments with the nurse just to check on my progress with the meds and that's it. I have another follow up appointment next month. She indicated that in addition to medication I would need psychotherapy but there has been no mention of it since my first appointment. I feel like I go in, pay my copay, tell her how I've been feeling, she types it up, and then I leave. It's not at all what I was expecting when I sought psychiatric care and I'm wondering if this is standard practice or if this office is just a pill mill. Prior to this, I was treated with medication by my PCP who never once referred me out. When I asked for a referral to a counselor/psychologist/psychiatrist, he gave me a referral for a faith-based one which I'm not at all interested in. I did eventually see a counselor for about a month or two but I feel like I got nothing out of it and spent too much money. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Well, the thing is, you are going to a psychiatrist. Their main tools for treatment is medication management. They aren't there to be therapists, or councelors. They are they to prescribe and manage your meds. If therapy is what you are seeking you need to have them refer you to a therapist so that you can get the treatment you want. Unfortunately with MI its not all just once doctor. there are different types of docs that have a different purpose and role in keeping us stable.

[gayleggg]

If you didn't feel right with the ones you've been referred to so far don't give up. Get another referral and thy again. Each therapist is different so you have to work at finding one that fits your needs.

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[Chummy]

Not all psychiatrist are the same. Mine always starts with asking how I'm doing and then we talk about the meds and how they are working. My appoinments are short, but that's more because I do't say much to him. He did tell me what kind of therapy he thinks could help me.

[aetheorist]

It might be a good idea to "shop around." The psychiatrist and nurse ("psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner"?) are essentially a pill mill, and I don't mean that negatively. That's what they're trained and paid for and what brings in the most money for their expertise. Very few prescribers do full-length therapy sessions, some do a little therapy in addition to med management, others don't do any at all. If you feel they manage your meds competently then you may just need to try a few therapists out since the one didn't go so well. Unfortunately there are a lot of bad therapists out there and some good ones that may not be a good fit, so it helps to do one session with a few, try them out (free consult if you can get one) to see how it feels before moving forward.