How To Maximize A Psychiatry Visit

Let’s talk about how you can maximize a visit with a psychiatrist. Now, an appointment with a psychiatrist is often difficult to get, particularly if you’re going through your insurance, so you really want to maximize that time. I have six steps today to help you [do that.]  You might only get half an hour with them so you want to make sure that you communicate really clearly and in language that they will understand.

1. Come up with a list of your top three symptoms. These should be whatever is most upsetting and disruptive to your life, whether that’s insomnia, panic attacks, or mood cycles that are feeling unmanageable. Come up with a list of your top three most disruptive symptoms. You may have more than three symptoms, and you may need to reiterate them: “I want to work on depression, sleep, and [whatever your third thing is.] If you have fewer than three, that’s fine, just be very clear on your priorities.
   
2.  Tell them what you’ve already tried. It could be that you tried exercising more, or you tried going to bed earlier, or you tried cutting out caffeine or marijuana or whatever it is.
   
3.  If you’re in therapy and you’re working with a therapist regularly, you should throw your therapist’s weight behind your request with a psychiatrist. You should say, “my therapist and I have been working together for six months and we have tried XYZ and we think medication would be helpful.” Putting your therapist’s weight behind you might help [the psychiatrist you’re talking to] take what you’re presenting at face value and to believe you, as they should. Having a little extra weight from another licensed professional doesn’t hurt. And if you’re anxious, it might help to imagine your therapist there with you as a support as you advocate for yourself.
   
4.  This is optional, but the next step is to list your secondary symptoms. If you feel like the psychiatrist is not getting it and they have too many questions to go through, you can leave this one off because we don’t want to confuse them. If you have a minor issue that would be great to target but you’re feeling like they haven’t really heard you, just stick with your top three. The point here is to prioritize what’s going on.
   
5.  Once the doctor has indicated what medication they’re considering, ask questions about anything that you would need to know, like “Can I still have alcohol while I’m taking this medication?” “Will this medication make me drowsy?” What side effects to expect etc. Getting good information happens when you ask good questions. [Write them out beforehand![]
   
6. If you’re working with a therapist, sign a release with your psychiatrist AND your therapist so that they can talk to each other. While you are the most powerful advocate for yourself and your mental health, allowing other professionals to advocate on your behalf only can serve you better to help you get some relief. And finally, schedule a followup appointment with the psychiatrist and asl how to get in touch if you have questions or side effects.
   

 
If this sounds good to you and you’d like to work with a therapist who can help support you as you’re advocating for yourself with a psychiatrist, you can schedule a consult and we will set up a chat and see if we can match you with one of our therapists.