[dreamrunner]

Although Ive been seeing a psychologist for over a year,
I am seeing a psychiatrist for the 1st time in two weeks.
What can I expect on this first visit?
Will there be a mile of paperwork?
How long in general does the process take?
Do psychiatrists provide therapy as well or just interview and diagnose?
Im quite anxious I will say the wrong thing, or he will tell me that I will need meds the rest of my life.

Id appreciate any wisdom you can impart on my feeble little melon....lol

Ive seen a psychiatrist on a couple of occasions. I found them both to be a lot more "clinical". It was more like a quick fire interview, diagnosis and then prescribing medication. I don't think the majority of them are into the therapy thing, although I may be wrong. Good luck with your visit.

[RACEKA]

My first visit to a psy doc it took about an hour. He goes through a whole lot of questions to find your diagnosis. He then starts you on meds if you need them. I've been seeing him every month since then. I've been seeing about 8 months now. During this period you and him work on the meds until your feeling good.

I see a T for therapy.

[OliviaC]

I saw mainly psychiatrists for my therapy for years, thinking, well they are the MD's and must be the best........wrong in my case anyway!

Psychiatrists tend to be more clinical and their real talent lies in being able to diagnose and prescribe the (hopefully) correct medication, if needed in my opinion.

My last psychiatrist was clinical, administrative (medical director of the clinic) and not supportive when I needed it most; when my self-esteem was at an extreme low point she never gave me any indication that I was worthwhile, never vocalized it even if she felt it. If I said "I hate myself", (which I did say quite often), she would just say "I know" and that was the extent of the help I got in those instances.

My current therapist is a PhD clinical psychologist. The difference between pdoc and PhD are like night and day. the PhD is sooooo much better at psychotherapy for me anyway. She is caring, compassionate. She is helping me to change the automatic thoughts I have which are irrational. I'll put it this way: she knows me better in 6 months than the pdoc knew me after one year and still doesn't (I see her for medication visits).

So after seeing pdocs for several years who mostly only listened long enough to prescribe meds, I am very thankful to have a great psychologist!

Nervousness is okay! You'll be alright.

Probably there will be some paperwork, especially if insurance is involved. They may send it to you ahead of time to fill out and bring in (you could call and ask them to do that) or they may ask or you may choose to arrive early to fill it out. Usually this is done in the waiting room at your own pace.

The psychiatrist will ask you to describe your symptoms (there are no wrong answers) how long you've been experiencing these symptoms, and how they affect you, intererfere with your life (there are no wrong answers). He/she may ask about any family history of similar symptoms for which your family members may or may not have received treatment (there are no wrong answers).
He/she may ask how you are sleeping, he may ask why you think you might be having the symptoms your having (there are no wrong answers).

It will be a friendly discussion, a gathering of information for the doctor in order to help you as best he/she can.

If you are concerned about being on meds the rest of your life then you talk about that with the psychiatrist too. This is about you, not about the psychiatrist.

And, if I didn't mention it.. .. there are no wrong answers. And if you need to clarify something after you've talked about it then just say that you want to add something or you've had a second thought about something.

You can call and ask how long to expect the visit to be. That's a good question and will help you feel less nervous.

I hope it goes well for you!

[SecretGarden]

I have seen pdocs (2- one after the other) for years for my therapy. I think it has worked well for me.

[OliviaC]

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
ECHOES said:
Nervousness is okay! You'll be alright.

Probably there will be some paperwork, especially if insurance is involved. They may send it to you ahead of time to fill out and bring in (you could call and ask them to do that) or they may ask or you may choose to arrive early to fill it out. Usually this is done in the waiting room at your own pace.

The psychiatrist will ask you to describe your symptoms (there are no wrong answers) how long you've been experiencing these symptoms, and how they affect you, intererfere with your life (there are no wrong answers). He/she may ask about any family history of similar symptoms for which your family members may or may not have received treatment (there are no wrong answers).
He/she may ask how you are sleeping, he may ask why you think you might be having the symptoms your having (there are no wrong answers).

It will be a friendly discussion, a gathering of information for the doctor in order to help you as best he/she can.

If you are concerned about being on meds the rest of your life then you talk about that with the psychiatrist too. This is about you, not about the psychiatrist.

And, if I didn't mention it.. .. there are no wrong answers. And if you need to clarify something after you've talked about it then just say that you want to add something or you've had a second thought about something.

You can call and ask how long to expect the visit to be. That's a good question and will help you feel less nervous.

I hope it goes well for you!



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ECHOES answered the question correctly; I did not: sorry! and thanks to ECHOES for providing great information.

I was mainly reacting to the title of the thread and not the content of the message.........but I agree with everything said above.

Olivia

[lauren_helene]

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
OliviaC said:
My current therapist is a PhD clinical psychologist. The difference between pdoc and PhD are like night and day. the PhD is sooooo much better at psychotherapy for me anyway. She is caring, compassionate. She is helping me to change the automatic thoughts I have which are irrational. I'll put it this way: she knows me better in 6 months than the pdoc knew me after one year and still doesn't (I see her for medication visits).

So after seeing pdocs for several years who mostly only listened long enough to prescribe meds, I am very thankful to have a great psychologist!

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">


There is nothing more I can say this says it all

[asylumgardens]

What's the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist?

I was seeking therapy from a social worker and seeing a psychiatrist for my medicines. I didn't like the psychiatrist, and I still don't even though he's my only option to deal with. Maybe it's the whole process of them I don't like, or maybe it's him personally, or probably it's a mix of both, but I don't know. The first time he did the whole interview thing, even going into such questions as "Has anyone ever mentioned you being dropped on your head as a baby?" I LOL'd at that question, but yeah they seem to mostly talk about symptoms, prescribe medicine, and then do follow ups based on how the medicine is working. It just doesn't seem very personal to me, and I don't like it. Mine is out of state as I am home away from school for the summer, so I rely on phone calls, and sometimes I have to call him 10 times before he will even return a call. It's very frustrating.

I have had therapy from a vairety of degreed persons.

My last T was a psychologits and we didn't click and I changed to a psychodynamic psychoanalytic therapist who is a candidate (in training to become an analyst) at a local institute and she is a MSW (Masters Social Work) and LMHC (Licennsed Mental Heatlh Counselor). She is truly wonderful and it is the type of therapy that I want. (The psychologist offered hypnotherapy and did not want to talk).
I found her by contacting the institute (found throguh Google of Psychoanalytic Institutes) and asking for a referral to someone in the community. The candidates for the institute are usually practicing already but continuing their education.

I have had other MSW and PhD clinical psychologists who offered Behavioral Therapy and that type therapy wasn't helpful to me.

Here' s a site you might find interesting: www.guidetopsychology.com.

Sometimes you just have to try out a few therapists to find one you feel good about.

[MissCharlotte]

On my first visit to my pdoc, it was an hour-long appointment. He conducted a very thorough interview, taking notes during that time. He was very kind and the interview was conversational but comprehensive at the same time. I did not fill out any forms. He doesn't accept any insurance, so at the end of the session I wrote a check and he gave me a hand-written receipt.

Some pdocs provide therapy, mine doesn't. He is a psychopharmacologist, and meds are his specialty.

Don't worry about saying the "wrong" thing. There are no wrong answers! I can't imagine anyone saying you would need meds for the rest of your life based on a single interview.....

Good luck.

[dreamrunner]

Thanks all......you are soooo awesome.! Im glad I asked because I got some GREAT answers.