Psychiatric Services Questions and Answers

Psychiatrists assess all your mental and physical symptoms, help make a diagnosis, and work with you to develop a management plan for your treatment and recovery. Psychiatrists provide psychological treatment and prescribe medications, and they also conduct procedures, one being electroconvulsive therapy. As part of their work, a psychiatrist may provide urgent care for a sudden mental illness, help you with a long-term mental health condition; give advice on lifestyle changes; work with you individually, or along with your partner, family; provide second opinions as well as advice to other doctors and health professionals; refer you to other health professionals, and admit you to a hospital if required. Psychiatrists may also recommend and provide a range of treatments, including psychological treatment (also called psychotherapy or talking therapy), medication, brain stimulation therapies, such as electroconvulsive therapy. They may also offer practical advice about your diet and sleep and other ways to help yourself get better. They may also provide you with further information about your condition to help you better understand your symptoms and treatments better. Your psychiatrist can explain why they recommend a specific treatment, how it works, what the side effects are, and how much it costs.

You should see a psychiatrist if your mental health condition is complex or difficult to diagnose, involves suicidal ideas or plans, is severe or happens suddenly, or needs medication that only a psychiatrist can prescribe. You should also see a psychiatrist if you are not responding to standard treatment.

There are a number of reasons why someone might want to see a psychiatrist:

– Problems adjusting after significant life changes or stress
– Anxiety, worry, or fear
– Depressed or low mood that doesn’t go away
– Suicidal thinking
– Thoughts of hurting other people
– Hurting yourself on purpose
– Too much energy, and therefore, being unable to sleep, wind down, or relax
– Constant negative thoughts
– Obsessional thinking
– Feeling on edge or jumpy
– Feeling like people want to harm you
– Hallucinations (hearing or seeing things that aren’t there)
– Delusions (fixed beliefs with no basis in reality)
– Rushing, disjointed thoughts
– Out of control alcohol or drug use
– Problem gambling, gaming, or other addictive behaviors
– Problems around body image, eating or dieting
– Memory problems
– Poor concentration and attention, hyperactivity
– Violence, agitation, or emotional outbursts
– Insomnia and other sleep problems
– Conditions that start in your childhood, such as autism, childhood anxiety, and intellectual disability

A psychiatric evaluation is a diagnostic tool that a psychiatrist often employs. It may be used to diagnose problems with thought processes, memory, and behaviors. Diagnoses can include depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and addiction. Psychological testing can involve formal questionnaires, surveys, interviews, checklists, and observations to assess a person. The type of psychiatric evaluation often depends on the patient and what needs to be evaluated. When determining the appropriate test, the individual’s cognitive functioning, abilities, current symptoms, and attitudes are considered. The duration of a psychiatric evaluation usually varies from one person to another. The amount of information needed determines the amount of time the assessment takes. Typically, a psychiatric assessment lasts for about 30 to 90 minutes. However, it can be less or more depending upon the needs of the patient.

If you need to see a psychiatrist, then we encourage you to contact us through our website. We also offer telehealth services for patients and specialty programs. Call us for more information. We serve patients anywhere in Michigan and our corporate offices are in Ann Arbor MI and surrounding areas including Pittsfield Charter TWP MI, Ypsilanti MI, Saline MI, Dexter MI and Scio TWP MI.