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  1. #1
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    Feb 2017
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    Psychiatrist appointment

    After an 8 month wait, I finally have a psychiatrist appointment tomorrow. I'll actually be seeing a resident at the university. I'm a little nervous about how young this guy is. I think it's going to be more embarrassing explaining my problem to someone in their early 20s than it would be to an older person. I wonder if he's even encountered health anxiety before outside a textbook. I hope I can explain how bad off I am and not leave the impression that this is no big deal.

  2. #2
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    Re: Psychiatrist appointment

    I hope he's not too young and I understand exactly what you mean, Sparky. Let us know how it went and I do hope you felt it was worth the long wait.

  3. #3
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    Re: Psychiatrist appointment

    Why are you seeing a psychiatrist for health anxiety?

    I would have thought it's a therapeutic aid you need rather than a medical one. Psychiatrists are usually reserved for somebody who is suspected of needing medicated assistance rather than talk therapy.

  4. #4
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    Re: Psychiatrist appointment

    Quote Originally Posted by ankietyjoe View Post
    Why are you seeing a psychiatrist for health anxiety?

    I would have thought it's a therapeutic aid you need rather than a medical one. Psychiatrists are usually reserved for somebody who is suspected of needing medicated assistance rather than talk therapy.
    I'm wondering if that's the case then how come GP's can prescribe anti-depressants to people all the time?

    I've been to see a CBT therapist through a doctor referral, but always wondered why can't I be referred to a Psychiatrist when my anxiety is at an all time high?

  5. #5
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    Re: Psychiatrist appointment

    Quote Originally Posted by MrLurcher View Post
    I'm wondering if that's the case then how come GP's can prescribe anti-depressants to people all the time?

    I've been to see a CBT therapist through a doctor referral, but always wondered why can't I be referred to a Psychiatrist when my anxiety is at an all time high?
    GP's can prescribe medications, but I personally don't believe they should be able to prescribe anti-depressants.

    Therapists and psychologists can't prescribe any kind of medication, but a psychiatrist can.

    Psychiatrists aren't inherently more capable of providing therapy to a patient, and psychiatrists and psychologists can both specialise in different fields.

    CBT is still (in my opinion) about the most effective form of therapy for any kind of anxiety disorder. Combined with self help and meditation, mindfulness etc it's going to work for most people...assuming they really put effort into fixing themselves too.

  6. #6
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    Re: Psychiatrist appointment

    Perhaps there is a need for medication? I don't know the rules in all states, but in mine, I must see a psychiatry practice to get my meds. My PCP prefers those meds are prescribed that way. I also see a therapist/psychologist for talking through my issues.


    As to answer Sparky....a few years ago, I saw a resident at a University Psychiatry practice. Saw him for a year. I enjoyed that time...he was good. He moved on after he graduated to a different state. That, to me, is the only thing I really didn't like about seeing a Resident, instead of someone in full practice, meaning that they will eventually move on in fairly short order.


    Edit to add....when Residents, they are overseen by a full-fledged doctor....which you probably know. They will run everything from your sessions by their superior.

  7. #7
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    Re: Psychiatrist appointment

    Quote Originally Posted by Sparky16 View Post
    After an 8 month wait, I finally have a psychiatrist appointment tomorrow. I'll actually be seeing a resident at the university. I'm a little nervous about how young this guy is. I think it's going to be more embarrassing explaining my problem to someone in their early 20s than it would be to an older person. I wonder if he's even encountered health anxiety before outside a textbook. I hope I can explain how bad off I am and not leave the impression that this is no big deal.
    I don't think age matters. Just like MDs, psychiatrists have very rigorous training in a wide range of mental health disorders.

    My therapist is a PhD who has spent the last 10 years studying mental illness, and specialized in CBT. She's probably a few years younger than me, but the important thing is that she is properly trained in her field.

    I don't think you need to worry about this. Keep an open mind and remember that the important thing is that you develop a beneficial working relationship regardless of age.

  8. #8
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    Re: Psychiatrist appointment

    Sorry to be so long in giving an update. I got a bad cold right after I returned from the appointment, and was down and out for a couple of weeks, and then we went right into holiday madness at work and home!

    To answer AnkietyJoe's question, I was seeing a therapist earlier in the year who said that she believed that I needed medication, and that was why I wasn't making much progress in therapy. At the same time, I take a medication for a legit medical condition that makes my doctor hesitant to prescribe anti-anxiety medications because there is some risk of interactions. So we called in a psychiatrist for expertise in the field of anti-anxiety drugs to find out exactly what our options were.

    The resident turned out to be quite good. His youth came across as enthusiasm rather than inexperience. He talked to me for over an hour, and then he went out to talk to his attending for another 20 minutes before bringing her into meet me. I felt some difficulty in sharing the details of my anxiety, but in the same way I have with anybody because it's embarrassing, not specifically because he was younger.

    So the good news is that the appointment went well, and he was knowledgeable on the interactions we were concerned about. The bad news is that the interactions are a concern, and although the psychiatrist was comfortable trying out one of the several possible medications and seeing how I reacted to it, I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with trying it. The very fact that I have health anxiety ironically makes risking drug interactions rather anxiety provoking!

    I guess it would be different if somebody could say "Take this drug and it will work!" but it's more like, "Take this drug and maybe it will work, or maybe it won't!" And years ago my experience with anti-anxiety medications was that they generally did have an effect on me. So it seems like a lot of risk with little chance of reward.

    They would have also liked me to try doing therapy at their facility, but it's a two hour round trip to the university and back, so it's just too much of a time and financial burden to make that trip on a regular basis.

    One thing the attending did suggest was an app called Woebot. I had mentioned that I was looking for something more structured than the interpersonal therapy I had found locally. Woebot is a free app you download on your phone, and it's basically a chatbot that walks you through applying CBT techniques to your thoughts. It has some definite limitations, but I've found it interesting, if nothing else. I did some searching and there is also another app called Wysa, which has more of a mindfulness based approach. Only some of Wysa's material is free, though.

    So that is my long update. I have not yet gotten to talk to my local doctor about what the psychiatrist's report to him.

    Forgot to add, my diagnosis was Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
    Last edited by Sparky16; 02-01-19 at 07:12. Reason: Added a detail

  9. #9
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    Re: Psychiatrist appointment

    I'm glad it went well! Bit of a bummer that meds aren't going to work out (for now) but it's nice you found some self-help resources too.

    The therapist that helped me out the most was actually very young and she was awesome. My psych isn't young but I would never have met with him if it weren't for that therapist on my college campus and my regular GP.

    To add to your list of free resources, my therapist gave me the following:
    https://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/Res...After-Yourself
    It looks like they've updated their site but it used to be a bunch of free workbooks for various issues and I think it still is, just more modernized. Hopefully that can help you too.
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  10. #10
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    Re: Psychiatrist appointment

    Hi

    This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your post was moved from its original place to a sub-forum that is more relevant to your issue.

    This is nothing personal - it just enables us to keep posts about the same problems in the relevant forums so other members with any experience with the issues can find them more easily.

    Please also read this post:

    http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=213239
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