Hey Lemmings
I think maybe I’m just a bit anxious right now.
But I don’t know what to expect.
I already go to a psychologist once a week, since my early teens (although I had some time off until now).
Should I expect the same dynamics?
I know why I’m going and all, I know what I wanna “treat”, but I’m still in doubt about if what I want to treat is the treatment I need, and it would be more of a consequence of some deeper stuff.
Don’t know if I made myself clear, but there it is.
Has anyone been to one before? What should I expect? How it went for you?
I think it depends a lot on where you are. As an Australian, I often find that psychiatrists don’t engage in talk therapies - they’re essentially drug dispensers. I’ve heard (mainly through US media) that in the US though, people will go to a psychiatrist for talk therapy as well as medication. Not sure how it is in the rest of the world.
The most important distinction to remember is that a psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specialises in neurochemistry, whereas a psychologist is an allied health professional who cannot prescribe medication. This means that psychologists only employ non-pharmaceutical therapies (like CBT, DBT, Schema Therapy, EMDR etc.).
Disorders are also often separated into being psychological disorders (mood disorders like anxiety, depression etc.) and psychiatric disorders (ADHD, schizophrenia etc.). The key distinction is that generally psychiatric disorders cannot be adequately treated without pharmaceutical intervention, and also that psychological disorders tend to be episodic whereas psychiatric disorder are usually lifelong.
I guess what you’ll get out of it greatly depends on the reasons you’ve been referred to a psychiatrist. If you don’t mind me asking, do you currently have any diagnoses, or are you seeking a diagnosis for your symptoms?
Good luck you either way mate, getting on top of your mental health is seriously important.
Source: studied a Bachelor of Psychology
I don’t have any diagnostics, no. I think I’m anxious sometimes, but my psychologist doesn’t think I’m more anxious than the average person. Problem is I don’t really know how to describe how I feel sometimes and what exactly is wrong.
I deal with addiction(s) and compulsive behaviors towards them, tho.
My GF is a psychologist and have been talking to me about it for some time and I pulled the trigger now after an episode.
I’m not necessarily after medication and I had discarded psychiatrists before, but more recently, a few years ago maybe, I started to feel myself more open towards them and to think they could help me get through some shit.
We’ll know tomorrow, tho. Thanks for your input :)
Good luck! Whatever you do, know that you’re not alone and that these professionals’ jobs are to make you feel like you can make it through the day, at the very least! So make sure they do their jobs. Don’t ever feel like you’re wasting their time or anything, which is what I struggled with. They’re there to help you.
I’m also glad you girlfriend is a psychologist. My wife has helped me through so much stuff, and she isn’t a psychologist, she’s a baker. But without her, I wouldn’t be here. And I certainly wouldn’t have sought help if she hadn’t helped me realize that what I was experiencing could be alleviated with help from professionals.