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Finding and Working With a Psychiatrist |
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Finding a good psychiatrist is essential, both for the initial evaluation and diagnosis process, and for long-term care and treatment. A thorough initial evaluation will increase the likelihood of a correct diagnosis and effective early treatment; however, the relationship with a psychiatrist does not stop there. Schizophrenia and other major psychiatric disorders are almost always lifelong illnesses, and maintaining an ongoing relationship with a psychiatrist you trust is essential. A good psychiatrist will help you identify a treatment plan that works for your individual case, will listen to your concerns and help you adjust your long-term plans if necessary, and provide information and support for your life with your diagnosis. There is no guarantee that you will find a psychiatrist that you work well with on the first try - many people have to go through a few different doctors before they find one they are happy with. Maintaining a good doctor-patient relationship is so essential to preventing relapse, improving treatment compliance, and promoting recovery (as research studies have shown), that this is definitely a process to put some thought into. For example, a UCLA research team identified 10 key factors to recovering from schizophrenia, by examining the cases of 23 schizophrenia subjects who met the criteria for recovery (remission of symptoms, return to independent living, successful function at work and school, maintenance of social relationships). 78% of the subjects reported that accessible and supportive psychiatrists/therapists contributed to their recovery, and 91% of the subjects were involved in ongoing psychotherapy. Similarly, a study carried out in 8 hospital locations in the U.K. with acute-admission schizophrenia patients found that a good patient-physician relationship influenced positive attitudes towards treatment. Below are some suggestions and resources for finding and identifying a doctor that will be right for you. If you have further techniques or experiences that might be beneficial to others on this topic, please email us at szwebmaster@yahoo.com Where to look for a good psychiatrist:
Considerations when looking for a psychiatrist
Other questions to ask a prospective psychiatrist:
More articles on how to find a psychiatrist or other mental health care provider:
Working with a Psychiatrist: You can help yourself or your family member get the best care possible by making sure the psychiatrist has all the information he/or she needs to make a good diagnosis and treatment. A great way to do this is to keep a symptom and/or medication journal. A symptom journal is something that is helpful during the initial evaluation sessions. It is a place to write down all the odd/troubling experiences, behaviors, feelings, actions, conversations, or any other symptoms that you think the psychiatrist should know about. Keeping them all in one place, with the days and times of occurrence, will provide the psychiatrist with an ongoing picture of how the illness is manifesting in the person's life. It will also ensure that you don't forget an essential piece of information accidentally during the appointment.
A family medical history is another thing to bring with you, especially to initial appointments . This should be a comprehensive list of all past medical conditions (psychiatric or otherwise) that have been diagnosed in you, your immediate family, and your extended relations. You should also include conditions such as substance abuse. The Department of Health and Human Services has recently released a free, web-based software called "My Family Health Portrait" to assist consumers in gathering and organizing their family medical information. Schizophrenia and other major psychiatric disorders have a strong genetic component to them; a family medical history is an essential tool to help a psychiatrist come to a diagnosis. A medications journal is an ongoing documentation of the medications your psychiatrist prescribes, and how they effect you. Keeping a record and brining it with you to appointments will make future treatment adjustments much easier. A good technique might be to make a page or section for each medication, including information such as: name of medication, dosage prescribed, any potential interactions or side effects, symptoms it is supposed dto treat, etc.In the same page or section, write down exactly how the medication effects you from the day you start taking it - what symptoms it helps, what (if anything) it makes worse, what side effects you experience, and anything else you want your psychiatrist to know.
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