Can anyone recommend a psychiatrist-privately pay

[Mrsmitchell1984]

I have been taking Prozac for 7.5 weeks

Rather than my GP guess what to do next-I would rather see an expert.

Does anyone know a psychiatrist in the London area?preferably south east London?

Thanks x

[yenool]

Is the prozac not working? GPs deal with a lot of mental health issues, they usually have quite a good grasp on what to try as second/third line treatment and I'm sure they would refer you on the NHS if they thought it was necessary.

Alternatively the GP may know somebody that you can see privately if you prefer. I think going via your GP is probably better than getting random recommendations off the internet.

Also keep in mind going privately is quite expensive (hundreds per appointment) and diagnosis/treatment can be strung out over many appointments. When I looked into going privately it was this potential four figure cost that put me off.......

[anthrokid]

Tell your GP that you want to see a psychiatrist and that you don't mind going private. If you request the referral, they shouldn't be able to refuse. It may be a lengthy wait though. However, keep in mind that Prozac can take quite a while to have a noticeable effect, anywhere from 6-8 weeks is normal, but some people see results sooner, and others later.

I disagree with yenool, I don't think many GPs have a good enough grasp on treatment for mental illness. Sure, they can prescribe medications, and they will go through the list of "best treatment" until something works. That's not to see that GPs are bad at treating mental health, but they are generalists and they have to treat and assess for an array of conditions and have less specialised knowledge. For example, a GP can prescribe medication for and manage arthritis, but a Rheumatologist would often be consulted initially to help make diagnostic and treatment decisions. In the same way, a psychiatrist specialises in mental health and it better equipped to manage psychological disorders and figure out what options will work for a person. Of course, there is the matter of cost. I don't know what prices are over there, but generally it's a minimum of $200 AU per hour to see a psychiatrist privately here, so that is something to keep in mind.