Do I need to see a psychiatrist?

Maybe. But maybe not. Often, your primary care doctor can prescribe psychotropic medication to help you with your anxiety, depression or bipolar disorder. Sometimes though, if your diagnosis is a little harder to nail down, it can be helpful to do a more thorough evaluation than your doctor has time for. I can help with that. Actually, that is what I did for the doctors over at Community Health Partners before I left to start my private practice.

I will meet with you for 90-110 minutes to gather a complete history and get a feel for what is going on with you right now. I will then send my diagnostic impression over to your doctor so they can proceed with prescribing medication if that is what you are interested in and if it is appropriate for your diagnosis. I will also recommend counseling if I believe it would benefit your progress toward your goals. That might be with me, or depending on your needs, it might be with another counselor in the community – we will discuss my recommendation at your initial evaluation.

So if you think you want to try medication for your mood concerns, call me so we can schedule a time to meet and nail down your diagnosis so you can walk into your doctor’s office with the knowledge that you have a clear diagnosis for them to work with so they can start out on the right track in finding the right medication for you.