When you are ill or in pain, the leading solution is often to go to the doctor who can provide medicine or another solution to help you mitigate the symptoms. So if you are having a problem that involves emotional issues, the ideal provider might be a psychiatrist.
Understanding the role of a psychiatrist and how they can assist you can help answer the question of whether or not they are the best professional to treat your symptoms and diagnoses, or if you should turn to another health professional.
What is a Psychiatrist?
A psychiatrist is a doctor who specializes in mental health. Like your physician, they have gone through medical school and rigorous training to gain an understanding of mental and physical health challenges. But unlike your physician, their specialty is centered on the biology and psychology of the brain.
A psychiatrist also differs from a psychologist. Primarily a psychiatrist, as a medical doctor, can prescribe medication. For this reason, medication-assisted treatment is often at the forefront of psychiatric treatment, although a psychiatrist can also use talk therapy and other solutions to help manage mental health conditions.
Reasons to Go to a Psychiatrist
Identifying whether or not a psychiatrist is right for you often begins with identifying what you are experiencing. You may not have a diagnosis but the signs of your symptoms can indicate whether you have a mental health condition that a psychiatrist can assist with. These conditions include:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- OCD
- Addiction
- Bipolar Disorder
- ADHD
- Sleep Disorders
But it also may not be obvious that you are dealing with one of these mental health conditions from the signs alone. Sometimes, you may find yourself experiencing increased sadness, stress, anger, irritation, a change in eating or sleeping habits, and other concerns that may not need mental health medication to manage.
In some cases, the issue can be a physical health problem that would be best treated by a physical health professional. Challenges like life transitions, relationship difficulties, anxiety with an apparent cause, or temporary sadness after a particular event often do not require medication and can be completely treated with a psychologist and talk therapy.
Some of the indicators that can give a yes answer to the question “Should I see a psychiatrist?” include emotions, thoughts, and behaviors that:
- Come on suddenly, seemingly without reason.
- Become intense quickly.
- Interrupt your day to day life.
- Last for a prolonged period.
- Happen for a short duration but continue to recur.
- Result in contemplation of self harm or suicide.
- Lead to increased reliance on alcohol or substances.
- Cause feelings of detachment, memory lapse, or hallucinations
If these or other issues have prompted you to wonder if you should see a psychiatrist, scheduling an appointment with one can be a good way to get started. The psychiatrist can take stock of your various symptoms and, if applicable, provide a diagnosis so that you can begin treatment.
Aware Behavioral Health and Dr. Surin Sehdev provide psychiatric treatment in Dallas to help with different mental health conditions. While we work with many patients who have a diagnosis and are looking to continue treatment, we also welcome patients who sense there is a problem and believe their lives could be better with the right solutions.
Dr. Sehdev is patient focused and works to form a complete picture of his patients in order to truly understand the challenges they face. To get started with psychiatry in Dallas, send us a message to schedule an appointment.
