How a Psychiatrist Can Help With Your Mental Health Struggles

The tendency with mental health issues is to try to ignore them or self-treat them, but this could be a mistake. Just as you should see a doctor for your physical health, seeing a doctor for your mental well-being is just as crucial. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues.

The role of the psychiatrist

A psychiatrist evaluates, diagnoses, and treats psychiatric disorders by addressing both the physical and mental aspects of these conditions. Typically, a psychiatrist will be involved when medications or other medical treatments are needed to address the disorder. The psychiatrist may also provide therapy. However, in most cases, a psychiatrist prescribes and monitors the patient's medication and medical treatment while referring the patient to a psychologist for talk therapy.

Conditions a psychiatrist treats

A psychiatrist treats a range of conditions, from common emotional issues such as anxiety and depression to more complex mental and cognitive disorders such as bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and schizophrenia. Other conditions they treat include:

• Autism spectrum disorder
• Body dysmorphic disorder
• Dementia
• Dissociative disorders
• Eating disorders
• Gambling addiction
• Gender dysphoria
• Mood disorders
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Panic Disorder
• Personality disorders
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Sleep disorders
• Substance use disorders

Anyone having trouble with their behavior, mental, or emotional state to the point it is interfering with daily living should consider seeing a psychiatrist. All these conditions are complex, and many have causes, such as chemical imbalances that a patient cannot self-treat.

Getting an accurate diagnosis

When dealing with mental health, the first step is getting an accurate diagnosis. Many of these disorders have similar symptoms, and it takes a trained professional to evaluate the patient, order the right tests, and ask the right questions. Not only does the doctor need to determine the nature of the mental health disorder, but also they must rule out any physical causes. Several physical ailments, such as thyroid disorders and hormone imbalances, can exhibit symptoms similar to anxity and depression. Successful treatment relies on getting the diagnosis right.

Prescribing medication

In most cases, the psychiatrist will prescribe a type of medication such as an antidepressant, mood stabilizer, antipsychotic, or antianxiety medication. These medications usually work on balancing the brain chemistry to relieve symptoms so the patient can feel and function better. In addition to the right diagnosis, the psychiatrist must know a patient's medical history, current conditions, and any other medications they take.

The patient often has to try multiple medications to find the right one. The psychiatrist usually has the patient start the medication on a low dose to see how it will affect them and then increase the dose from there. The psychiatrist monitors the patient on a regular basis to make sure treatment is working, and there are no troubling side effects.

Make additional treatment recommendations

The psychiatrist can also provide the patient with additional treatment suggestions and lifestyle advice to help them manage their condition. Successful mental health treatment is often the result of a combination of therapies.

Talk therapy

A psychiatrist may recommend the patient attend sessions with a therapist or psychologist in addition to taking medication. Therapy can help the patient develop healthy coping strategies that make it easier to live with their disorder. Therapy can be especially helpful in modifying harmful behavior patterns and uncovering unhealthy ways of thinking that may have resulted from years of living with an untreated mental health disorder.

Other treatments

Sometimes, traditional treatments do not provide enough or any symptom relief, and sometimes, treatments stop working. For these cases, a psychiatrist may recommend alternative treatments like the following:

• Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). A non-invasive treatment that uses magnetic pulses to help with treatment-resistant depression (TRD); treatment is carried out in a series of sessions
• Ketamine therapy. Use of a dissociative drug used in anesthetic medicine to help TRD; ketamine therapy may be delivered through an IV or nasal spray
• Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT). A medical treatment commonly used for severe depression and TRD or bipolar disorder when other treatments have failed involves electrical stimulation of the brain while a patient is under anesthesia

The psychiatrist will evaluate the patient carefully to ensure that the treatment is safe and likely to be effective.

Medical treatment for mental health struggles

If you or a loved one are struggling emotionally, do not wait to seek help. Mental health issues can derail a person's life and may continue to get worse without treatment. To learn more about psychiatric treatments, call our caring team today.

Request an appointment here: https://mb.futurepsychsolutions.com or call Future Psych Ketamine Clinics at (843) 788-9718 for an appointment in our Myrtle Beach office.

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