Should I see a psychiatrist or a psychologist?!
Question: I'm not to sure what the difference is, I know one of them can prescribe medication. Anyways, I'm 16 and I feel extremely depressed. I feel like no one cares about me, and no one understands. I've been having occasional thoughts of suicide for the last 5 years or so. I think I need help, but I'm not sure if I should tell my parents. I tried once to tell my mom but she said "you're too pretty to be thinking about suicide, and if you're having boyfriend problems, than its nothing to worry about". I was totally confused because first I don't think I'm as pretty as she believes me to be because I don't have a boyfriend. I feel like theres a great miscommunication between my and my family. The question is which is more appropriate for me a psychiatrist or psychologist?
Answers: I'm not to sure what the difference is, I know one of them can prescribe medication. Anyways, I'm 16 and I feel extremely depressed. I feel like no one cares about me, and no one understands. I've been having occasional thoughts of suicide for the last 5 years or so. I think I need help, but I'm not sure if I should tell my parents. I tried once to tell my mom but she said "you're too pretty to be thinking about suicide, and if you're having boyfriend problems, than its nothing to worry about". I was totally confused because first I don't think I'm as pretty as she believes me to be because I don't have a boyfriend. I feel like theres a great miscommunication between my and my family. The question is which is more appropriate for me a psychiatrist or psychologist?
See a psychiatrist. More schooling and can write you a presciption for an anti-depressant if you need one. Some parents just don't understand how common depression is today among young women! (Some young men too.)
Don't even consider suicide! It's so selfish, because it ruins the lives of your family and friends FOREVER. And, even if you're not religious, it's a sin. That's pretty scary. Try to remember that G-d never gives us more than we can handle.
As a fellow sufferer of Depression, I say you SHOULD see a psychiatrist. You can have your Mother read this. How guilty would she feel if you DID commit suicide? (Even though we know you're not going to.) But Depression is common and BAD. You can be beautiful and not have a boyfriend. I promise you that life really begins after high school. You sound really intelligent. Having a bf in high school means nothing. You'll see.
Please make an appt. to see a psychiatrist. Today. :)
Start out by seeing a psychologists. They will counsel you on your issues. If they believe you might need some medication, they will send you to a psychiatrist, they can prescribe you medication. Hang in there.
you gonna have to tell your parents to see either one. im sure your parents care about you but if you dont taklkto them how are you gonna find out. do you have friends, a school counselor. everybody has someone they can talk to but you have to be brave enough to open up and get it started. dont use medication, start out with talking to someone even if it is a psychologist. you need to learn why you fell like yhou do before you start taking drugs.
You go to make an appointment they will set you up with the psychologist for evaluation and then they will set you up with the psychiatrist for a prescription or they will just tell the psychiatrist to write you one.
But you have to be careful because many of the psychotropic drugs give people suicide thoughts so if you don't feel right on something they prescribe make sure you tell the psych right away that you need to change your meds.
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My understanding is that they basically function the same except the psychiatrist can prescribe meds. I would go to whichever one was readily available to you. If they aren't right for you they will recommend that you see the other. I remember 16... it wasn't all fun and games for me either. It was really a rough time for me and I also didn't feel as if I had any support at home. But let me tell you, it gets better. I did meet a great guy who became my best friend, my boyfriend, my fiance, then husband.. we have been married 14 years and I have never been happier. It will happen for you... I never thought I would ever meet anyone and I did and I never ever thought I would be happy and I am. It's worth sticking around for. God has a plan for you and I guarantee it's a good one. We sometimes just aren't patient enough to wait and see what it is. Good luck.
A psychiatrist is a M.D. and can prescribe medication.
Based on what you have said that is what you need to see.
A psychiatrist will give you medication. A psychologist will talk with you and help you work on your selfesteem.
Because of your suicidal thoughts, I would recomend starting with both. When you are feelong better you can decide what you need.
Either way, see a medical doctor and have your thyroid and hormone levels checked.
Suicidal thoughts are an internal desire for change. Accept that and try to work on fixing your damaged emotions. Be strong and trust that life will get a whole lot better.
A psychologist usually has a Master's Degree in psychology, while a psychiatrist has a Doctorate and is able to prescribe medication. You need someone to talk to that you are comfortable with - if you end up needing meds, even a counselor can refer you to a doctor for that... but the first thing you should do is go to your school guidance office and talk to the school psychologist or social worker. They can talk to you about how you are feeling right now and help you find someone to counsel with on a regular basis. :) Good luck
You can see a psychiatrist, psychologist, or licensed social worker. A psychiatrist can prescribe medication because they have more training in human biology. They are an especially good choice if you have medical issues that might be contributing to your problems. Also, if people choose to take medication, some of them prefer to do therapy with the person prescribing medication, so that it's easier to adjust the meds as appropriate, since the prescribing doctor is seeing you more frequently. A clinical psychologist has more training in assessment, reading scientific research, and therapy techniques. Most people are surprised to learn this, but it takes as much time or more to become a licensed clinical psychologist as to become a psychiatrist. A psychologist is a good person to go to for a diagnosis, and may have more time available for therapy than a psychiatrist, but he or she almost never has prescription privileges. A social worker has more training in making use of community resources to solve practical problems. A social worker has less training than a psychologist or psychiatrist, and is therefore less expensive.
Despite these differences, success in therapy is not related to the kind of degree or the years of training that the therapist has. The most important predictor of success is empathy--do you think this person listens to you and understands you. However, once you find someone you like, some techniques do work better in therapy than others. For depression, cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy have the most support.
I would go to the cheapest person--usually, but not always an LSW, or to someone on your insurance plan or at your school. I would call ahead and talk to a few people and ask them what treatments they use for depression. If they say CBT, behavior therapy, or interpersonal therapy, they've been paying attention to the research. Finally, I would go in. If I didn't feel heard, I'd move on right away to someone else.
On the medication issue. The truth is that, in general, people are most likely to commit suicide just as they are starting to get better, whether they are improving because of medication or talk therapy. It seems that as people are beginning to improve on medication, they enter a period when they are at risk for suicide, but it's not clear that the risk is higher than if they did not get treatment. It may be, but the research hasn't settled this question.
Medication, cognitive behavioral therapy, and interpersonal therapy are all about equally effective. However, CBT and interpersonal therapy are better at preventing future depressions, and medication only helps you when you're on it. Sometimes, it's good to start with meds just to get your energy up to do the work of therapy, but I would hesitate to make them my long-term solution. Doing a proven therapy technique is more likely to help in the long run. Get a good therapist you trust and talk through your options. You could probably start with your school counselor.