Which do you recommend? psychologist, psychotherapist, psychiatrist?!


Question:

Which do you recommend? psychologist, psychotherapist, psychiatrist?

i'm not sure which one to go to, but i suffer from panic attacks and i believe i have some form of anxiety and depression...i'm almost 16 and basically want an answer for how severe they may be and help with my panic attacks, and if it helps, i also cut at times.


Answers:

Hi there! I have to give you kudos for reaching out and trying to get information and support for yourself! When someone is depressed or having anxiety reaching out can be so hard to do!
I would suggest starting out by making two appointments. I would make one with a psychiatrist as soon as possible for an assessment and another with a psychotherapist. Here is why and some other thoughts:

Because you cut at times this tells me that things are pretty darn serious and you feel like you dont have any other good outlets or options to control or let out the pain you feel about whatever is going on around you. It also signals to me that there could be something going on with your brain chemistry that could be alleviated with medications. Here's the deal - if you go to the psychiatrist and he prescribes you meds the worst that happens is that you take your time to decide if you want to take them and TELL him about your decision. You are almost an adult and you can obviosly read and use the computer so if you're concerned about taking meds look em up on the internet (using reputible sites) and do your homework about what they do and the side effects, make a deicsion and tell your psychiatrist what you decided. At least you'll have been assessed by someone. The best case seniario - you go, get assessed and be informed about the best treatment options for your indidivual case.

The second appointment with a psychotherapist is very much NEEDED! A psychotherapist is someone who is going to listen to whatevr you have to say and help you learn how to manage what is going on instead of cutting or isolating. Everything is confidential too. The other good part of seeing a psychotherapist is that they might have some good referrals for a psychiatrist or two that they prefer to work with so you can get your referrals that way too. If you find that you have trouble talking about what is going on you may want to look into finding a psychotherapist (LPC, MFT or LCSW) that is also an art therapist. These people will be trained in using talking and artistic expression as a way of doing therapy and bringing about relief and change.
I wish you the best!! Please take care of yourself!

BTW - bmwdriver's answer is incorrect. yes, psychiatrists go to med school, psychologists go to school for four years and psychotherapists go to school for two years but also get 3,000 hours of experience under a liscensed person before they can get their credentials. Psychotherapists are trained to help you deal with these problems. As you've seen from the varried answers many people feel like meds are not enough and the relationship with your therapist is very importnat - you have to feel confortable or you wont like going there.




The consumer health information on answer-health.com is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions.
The answer content post by the user, if contains the copyright content please contact us, we will immediately remove it.
Copyright © 2007-2011 answer-health.com -   Terms of Use -   Contact us

Health Categories