Dealing with mental health issues is no easy task, especially if you try to deal with them on your own. There are just so many factors that must be taken into account, many of which you may not necessarily have an objective point of view on, much more actual medical knowledge.
The worst thing you can do when going through mental health issues is to do nothing about it. Self-diagnosis also can do more harm than good, because then you don’t have any real, definitive information about what it is that needs to be addressed and treated.
For all of this, a licensed psychiatrist is in the best position to help. What do they do exactly and how can they help you?
Meet the Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a specific type of medical doctor (M.D.) whose area of specialization focuses on mental illness. Their training makes them qualified to diagnose, treat, and prescribe medications and treatment plans for the patient. Apart from this, they can also offer psychotherapy, more commonly known as talk therapy.
As with other specializations carrying the M.D. title, a psychiatrist must first undergo several years of intensive studies, including internships, training, and licensure exams in order for them to be certified for practice. This certification must then be renewed every ten years, as required by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Scope of Practice
A psychiatrist’s practice extends to a wide variety of services, from providing urgent care for a sudden presentation of mental illness to providing a comprehensive treatment plan for longer-term mental health conditions.
They may also recommend or order your admission to the hospital should you ever present a threat or harm to yourself and others. In case there may be a conflict of interest preventing them from handling your case directly, they can instead refer you to another colleague to take on your case.
The kind of therapy or treatment they will create will depend on your state and condition. It can involve counseling and advice on how to implement healthy lifestyle changes, as well as how to improve relationships with your partner and family, and even carers.
Reasons You Might Need the Help of A Psychiatrist
Among the many instances which may warrant the intervention of a psychiatrist would be depression, thoughts of harm–whether of yourself or others, actually inflicting self-harm, addictive behavior such as with alcohol, drugs, or gambling, delusions, suicidal thoughts, and others.
Each of these conditions has its own symptoms and methods of treatment. However, it is also possible for symptoms to appear in multiple conditions. This is also why it’s important to defer diagnosis by a psychiatrist instead of trying to figure it out on your own.
Misdiagnosis can have severe consequences, because not only are you not addressing the issues with the right methods, you may also be making your condition worse by piling on other issues that should not have been there, to begin with, but are now presenting because of your self-diagnosis.
A psychiatrist will always conduct a thorough evaluation and assessment of your current condition first, and then delve deep into your past for historical reference, in order to have a more complete picture of your condition. Only then will they be able to create a treatment plan best suited for you.
In some cases, patients don’t get to encounter a psychiatrist until they are already admitted to rehabilitation facilities, like Villa San Miguel Detox & Wellness ( https://www.vsmdetoxaustin.com/). It’s important to know, however, that you don’t need to wait until the situation gets completely worse before you seek the help you need.
Set an appointment for an evaluation today to get answers ASAP.
