First time psychiatrist visit?

Question

I am going to be having my first psychiatrist visit on September 19th. What should I expect?? My pcp told me to go to one because they are better at managing mental conditions and with the medication I am on from my previous PCP(primary care physician), it's good to keep notes on it from a medical standpoint. I'm going to see him because I was diagnosed with A.D.H.D. when I was 19. I've been on meds ever since. Adderral XR seems to help the most.

Answer 1

Don't expect anything because there is nothing to expect ... your psychiatrist will not be telling you anything, will not be judging you by any standard, will not expect you to do or say anything more than you want to ..... they will just talk to you, find out how you feel about things, what you think about things, what you think and feel about yourself.... then reflect the things you tell them back to you for you to think about ....

I know, sounds strange doesn't it, but it really works, somehow things start becoming clearer to you, making sense, and in doing this you start finding answers and solutions to the things that make no sense in your life and things you feel you have no control over .... don't be afraid of your psychiatrist, trust them, they won't hurt you ..... they want to help you help yourself .....

Answer 2

you will have to answer alot of questions but dont worry. its ok. if things and questions get to personal just say i dont know.  

Answer 3

Going to a psychiatrist is a lot like going to any other doctor. Doctors all have their specialty so there will those little differences. Unlike a lot of the doctors who want to examine parts of your body, the psychiatrist is there to exam your brain.

They are trained in mental health. They specialize in prescribing medications that help with mental disorders. Just like an ob/gyn, or cardiologist, or pulmiologist, or family doctor are specialized in their fields.

As for what will happen at the first visit - you will go into some sort of office. If you have the paperwork with your diagnosis, or if it was sent to them, they will talk to you a bit about that to see if they agree with it. Sometimes they will spend time asking you questions, such as if you have trouble concentrating, if so what does that look like; what other symptoms do you have; etc. They might also ask you about depression, racing thoughts, hearing things, mood swings, or many other things.

They then will ask you how you medication is working for you, if you have any side effects, if you think that the dose is right, if you think that you want to stay on it or try something else.

They might tell you about other medications, ask if you have tried them and what the effects were. Depending on what they see, hear, and feel about it, they could go in several ways. Keep everything the same, change the dose, or taper down and change to a different medication.

Psychiatrists usually do not do a lot of therapy. Most have tight schedules like a lot of other doctors. If they have time they might offer some suggestions on what you can do for something if you need it.

This may not be exactly what happens, but it should be fairly close.

Best Wishes!!!

Answer 4

Bring a list of the current medications you are on. Other than that, just go in, relax, and know that your psychiatrist is only there to help YOU so be completely honest with your answers. Remember, everything you tell him/her is confidential so no answer or question is silly or stupid. If you have any specific questions about your medications or anything else, you can write them down so you don't forget to ask them.