What to expect at first psychiatrist appointment reddit

Hello. I've been in and out of therapy for the past two years (give or take a month or so). Although it helped, I wasn't getting any better. On Wednesday I had my first appointment with a psychiatrist. He ended up diagnosing me with mild chronic depression and social anxiety so he prescribed me with Zoloft and Trazadone. I've been taking them as prescribed since Wednesday but I'm worried about the side effects.

I guess what I really want to know is 'does anyone else have experience with these medications and what can I expect to happen personality/mood wise while I'm on them?'

Thanks.

Were you at a clinic where you also see a therapist? If yes, then I am not surprised that your initial appointment with the psychiatrist was so cursory. If you have also started seeing a therapist at this clinic, which you typically must do at least twice before they will schedule you with the psychiatrist, then the therapist is the one who does the thorough and more personal intake and who would show a deeper, more caring interest. Psychiatrists are not paid by insurance companies to do long appointments--they are limited to 15-min appointments. So it serves no purpose for them to have an extended conversation with you. They get paid more to see more people for shorter periods. Most people don't understand this, and no one will really tell you that unless you complain. Psychiatrists are paid insanely well--unlike therapists--but they see a lot of people each day. They don't have time to get to know you. It's not the psychiatrist's job to get to know you or help you resolve your issues; they only write scripts. All they want to know is: Are your symptoms improving? Do we need to increase (or decrease) one or more of your meds? Are you sleeping and eating OK? Even your initial appointment with the psychiatrist will be very brief. Is it a messed-up system? You bet. Is it ever going to change? No, absolutely not. I might be driving a Mercedes 450 SEL, but I would burn out in a week if I had to see as many people in a day as your typical psychiatrist.

As /u/SoupAndChaos said, the first couple of sessions are basically a "I need your personal and family history of "x", your current and "tried" medications, your feelings about how the meds are working.

In some cases, they will try to resolve the problem by asking you to tell them about x, y and z. In others, they're entirely focused on getting you the right meds for your situation and the visits will be short.

It's nothing like the "lie on a couch and tell me your woes" stereotype on TV. If they do talking sessions, yes you will do most of the talking, but with a lot of disorders, the psychiatrist is there more to medicate you.

If a psychiatrist thinks you require talking/behavioural therapy, you'll often be referred to a psychologist on their team instead. Psychology and Psychiatry are distinct but work well together.

Hi all,

I've spent about a decade questioning my mental health and doing little to address any issues. Last fall, I had a nasty bout of depression and sought medical help but found out that my insurance had no mental health coverage. This year, I'm enrolled in a better plan, and after a month or so of being too nervous to call around, I finally booked an appointment with a psychiatrist who comes recommended from a friend and his mom who both see him as well.

Since booking that appointment, I've been really anxious and worried that I won't know what to say and that I won't be taken seriously as an adult who believes that he has ADHD and was never previously diagnosed. My friend told me to try not to worry too much because he'll ask me questions to help diagnose me, but I'm still pretty nervous. Before booking my appointment, I knew that whatever was wrong with me could one day be resolved, but now I'm worried about being told that all these years of what I believe have been me attempting to survive unmedicated have been totally normal.

Some of my main concerns are the following:

• My insurance requires a $60 co-pay per visit. Can I get diagnosed pretty quickly, or does it require a ton of visits? I'm sure this varies based on the doctor, but I'm trying to get a feel for what to expect.

• I have no intention of lying to my doctor, but I'm also worried that I won't be able to express all of my experiences that have led me to believe that I have ADHD. Any tips on this? When I expressed this to the friend I mentioned above, he recommended that I take some notes of things I want to cover, but I feel like there are so many things and I don't want to ramble on unnecessarily and waste the doctor's time and my money.

• I'm 25 now, and I'm not close enough with my parents to feel comfortable with them talking to my doctor about how I was as a child. I did really well in school, especially as a child, but I think I learned pretty quickly how to function in school with ADHD, which is how I managed to do well in school and fly under the radar for any problems I had. What kinds of questions should I expect about my childhood?

• What was it like for you to see a psychiatrist for the first time, especially if you were diagnosed as an adult? My biggest concern is that I'm not sure what to expect, and even though I feel like I'm pretty good at expressing myself, I don't feel comfortable heading blindly into a new situation, especially one that might alter the course of my entire life moving forward.

• Any general advice? Things I wouldn't think to ask or tell my doctor without having been before?

Thanks for any input you have to offer. Part of my anxiety about the process is excitement, and I'm really hopeful that good things will come out of my appointment.

Quick tldr: 25, seeing a psychiatrist for the first time and nervous about it, asking about your experiences seeing your doctor so that I have an idea about what to expect

What does a psychiatrist do on first visit?

How do I prepare for my first psychiatric appointment?

What questions does a psychiatrist ask on the first visit?

What to talk about with a psychiatrist for the first time?