Usually when you are sick, it will affect different areas of your body. But if your mind becomes sick, it can have a huge impact on what makes you the person you are, which can be an unsettling thought for many people. If your mind does become sick, you will likely need to speak to a medical professional called a Psychiatrist.
What Is A Psychiatrist?
This is medical doctor who primarily focuses on prevention, diagnosis, treatment, as well as prevention of a wide range of emotional, mental, and behavioral disorders. Psychiatrists have an extremely broad understanding of both mental and physical health, including how they can affect each other. They ascertain if there is any chance of a mental illness having a negative effect on any physical conditions like high blood pressure or heart problems, as well the possibility of medicines causing side effects with body weight, blood pressure, blood sugar, sleep patterns, or the function of the liver or kidney.
Psychiatrist Or Psychologist… What Is The Difference?
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who conducts psychoanalysis of mental states and can prescribe medications along with other medical treatments.
A psychologist on the other hand most likely has an advanced degree in clinical psychology, with extensive training in research and clinical practice who are able to treat mental disorders with psychotherapy.
What Does A Psychiatrist Do?
A psychiatrist will assess both your mental as well as your physical symptoms to make a diagnosis, followed by working together with you to develop plans for your treatment and eventually, your recovery.
Psychiatrists provide urgent assistance with any sudden or preexisting long-term mental illnesses, provide lifestyle change advice, refer you to other necessary medical health professionals, or even admit you to a hospital.
Why Do People See Psychiatrists?
People decide to seek help from a psychiatrist for many different reasons, whether they are sudden, like a panic attack, or problems of a more long-term nature such as suicidal thoughts or feelings of enduring hopelessness or sadness.
How Do They Diagnose Patients?
Psychiatrists are physicians who perform a wide range of psychological and medical laboratory tests to ascertain the mental and physical state of a patient.
What Treatments Do Psychiatrists Use?
While it is dependent entirely on the needs of each individual patient, psychiatrists often use a combination of psychotherapy with the prescription of medication. That being said, they are qualified to utilize many different forms of psychotherapy, including psychosocial intervention, prescribing medication, as well as treatments of ECT or electroconvulsive therapy.
Psychotherapy treatments or ‘talk therapy’ involves having an open dialogue between patient and therapist which is utilized to treat a variety of emotional issues and mental disorders. Psychotherapy is ultimately a method of eliminating or at least controlling the patient’s symptoms. Psychotherapy can be either a 1-on-1 basis, in a couple, with multiple family members, or in small or larger groups, and treatment can take anywhere from a couple of sessions over a few weeks up to ongoing sessions over an extended period of many years.