When To See A Psychiatrist? Signs and Reasons To See One

Table of Content

• Who Is A Psychiatrist?

• Psychologist Vs Psychiatrist

• Psychiatrist Vs Therapist

• When To See A Psychiatrist?

• Common Mental Health Disorders Psychiatrists Treat

• Psychiatric Treatments For Mental Illness

• Take-Home Points

• FAQ on When To See A Psychiatrist?

Introduction

In the hustle culture of today's world, mental health is often ignored. We are all busy running after a purpose at the cost of our health, mental well-being and peace.

While having the inner motivation to come up in your life is not wrong, we shouldn't neglect our peace and mental well-being on the path to achieving success. 

If you are having any difficulties regarding your mental health, you should definitely visit a professional getting past stigma and people's opinions. In this article, you would get a clear idea of the psychiatrist, and common mental illnesses and signs that indicate that you should visit a psychiatrist. 

Who Is A Psychiatrist?

A psychiatrist is a medical professional who is an expert at diagnosing, treating and preventing mental, behavioural and emotional disorders. They perform various psychological tests and combine these test results along with conversations with the patients to diagnose the mental health condition. For treating these mental health issues, psychiatrists provide medications and also therapies like talk therapy or cognitive behavioural therapy. 

Psychologist Vs Psychiatrist

Psychiatrists can give medical treatments by diagnosing your mental health conditions. Whereas, psychologists just offer talk therapies (psychotherapy) without prescribing any medicines. In other words, psychiatrists deal with more complex mental illnesses than psychologists, especially the ones that need medical attention. 

Psychiatrist Vs Therapist

Like psychologists, therapists can't give any medications but they are qualified to diagnose a person's mental health and use therapeutic techniques like psychotherapy. Psychologists and therapists are similar yet the latter can't contribute clinically and academically to any research articles. Psychiatrists can contribute to research papers and also prescribe medicines for various mental health issues. 

When To See A Psychiatrist?

Understand that your mental health is always as important as your physical health. So, pay close attention to your day-to-day thoughts, behaviours and patterns. While you shouldn't self-diagnose your mental illness, you can take note of how you feel and what you think while you are functioning daily. 

Mental health disorders are so common nowadays. The sooner you seek help, the sooner you will feel better. Some of the reasons to see a psychiatrist are,  

• Inability to control or manage emotions

• Having irrational or excessive fears 

• Excessive worrying or sadness

• Substance abuse 

• Frequent episodes of rage and anger

• Eating disorders

• Reducing productivity in your office or college

• Withdrawal from social relationships

• Thoughts of suicide or self-harm

Before approaching your mental healthcare professional, don't think or worry about any social stigma attached to it. The sooner you find a solution to your symptoms, the sooner you will feel better. 

Common Mental Health Disorders Psychiatrists Treat

Here are some of the common mental health disorders psychiatrists treat, 

• Bipolar disorder

• Alcohol use disorder

• Alzheimer's disease 

• Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder

• Autism spectrum disorder

• Schizophrenia

• Eating disorder

• Mood disorders

• Dissociative disorders

• Anxiety disorders

• Post-traumatic stress disorder

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder

• Personality disorders

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

• Postpartum depression 

• Depression

• Psychosis

• Panic disorder

• Generalized anxiety disorder

• Social anxiety disorder

• Phobias

• Sleep disorders

Psychiatric Treatments For Mental Illness

Mental illnesses should always be taken care of as soon as possible, even if you feel that they are insignificant in your busy life. Many people worry about the treatments they would be given by the psychiatrist. But you don't need to fret! 

These are some of the common treatments given by psychiatrists that are proven to be highly safe and effective. Here are some of the treatments that you would probably receive, 

1. Psychotherapy 

Psychotherapy is also called talk therapy which involves talking with a trained mental health professional to work through the factors that affect or trigger your mental health issues. The goal of psychotherapy is to eliminate all troubling thoughts or distressing behavioural patterns so that you can function better. Psychotherapy can be for short-term or long term depending on your condition and symptoms. 

There are different types of psychotherapy, like,

1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

2. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)

3. Dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT)

4. Interpersonal therapy (IPT)

5. Psychodynamic therapy

6. Problem-solving therapy (PST)

2. Medications 

Psychiatrists can also prescribe medications to help you manage mental health conditions. These medicines alter the chemical signalling and neural connections within the brain, which can ease some psychiatric symptoms. 

Psychiatrists can prescribe various medications like, 

1. Antipsychotic medications 

2. Antidepressants

3. Hypnotics

4. Sedatives

5. Mood stabilizers

6. Anxiolytics

7. Ketamine

8. Stimulants

3. Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) 

Electroconvulsive therapy is a medical procedure that involves giving short electric shocks to cause a mild and brief seizure. This is used to treat many severe health conditions like depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other mania. This is rarely a first-line treatment and is used only in cases where medications wouldn't help. This can treat people of a wide range of ages, including people over 60. 

4. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a non-invasive medical procedure which involves using magnetic fields to stimulate the nerve cells of the brain. This is majorly used to treat severe depression where other treatments fail to succeed. 

5. Light therapy for seasonal depression

Seasonal depression is also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) which is caused by the change of seasons and mostly occurs during late fall. This can cause symptoms like feelings of unusual sadness, weight gain, loss of interest in activities you enjoyed and oversleeping. In these cases, light therapy - bright lights using a special lamp are used to treat seasonal depression. 

6. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS)

Vagus nerve stimulation is a type of neurostimulation which can change the activity of the nerves and stimulate the brain. This involves the implant which can send mild electric signals to the brain stem through the vagus nerve (in the neck). Since they influence the activity of the brain, they are also called 'pacemakers of the brain. This treatment is specifically used for those people who have treatment-resistant epilepsy and treatment-resistant depression.

7. Deep brain stimulation (DBS)

Deep brain stimulation, like vagus nerve stimulation, involves giving mild electric currents to your brain. This electric current stimulates the brain and can be helped to cure various mental health disorders. Though this treatment has now been only used for Parkinson's disease and epilepsy, researchers are investigating whether it can help conditions like severe depression or schizophrenia. 

Take-Home Points

• Psychiatrists can not only diagnose and treat mental health issues but also prescribe medicines, unlike psychologists. 

• If you are facing difficulty in controlling your feelings or emotions, experiencing sleeping disorders, undergoing mood disorders like depression or anxiety, having frequent nightmares and are observing a sharp decline in your productivity, you must visit a psychiatrist. 

• Psychiatrists can offer various treatments like psychotherapy, medications, electroconvulsive therapy, deep brain stimulation and so on.