The mental aspect of health is often overlooked by many folks due to the intangible symptoms presented by common mental health disorders.  Fortunately, there are a number of medical professionals such as psychiatrists, who deal with such disorders using medicated therapy.

To shed some more light on this uncommon medical practice, we’ve prepared a guide detailing some basic psychiatric services.  In case you’re in need of other medical services or products we’ve also included various resources throughout this guide.

Basic Psychiatric Offerings

Psychiatric Consultation/Checkups

All psychiatrists utilize consultations as a means of evaluating their patient’s mental health and identifying any pre-existing mental conditions.  These consultations are important as they help physicians get to know their patients.

Aside from building a good rapport, checkups can serve as a way for psychiatrists to monitor their patients throughout the course of a medicated or behavioral treatment.  This not only ensures more effective treatments but also allows patients to voice their opinions.

Some patients respond differently to certain medications due to the development of adverse side effects.  By making use of consultations, patients can inform their psychiatrists about these effects so they can make the necessary adjustments.

Psychiatric Prescriptions

With regard to medications, psychiatrists are specifically trained to use different medical drugs in conjunction with treatments.  This combination of medication and therapy is thought to increase the effectiveness of treatments in general.

Because of this, psychiatrists often handle more severe mental health issues that standard psychologists cannot deal with.  Through the use of repeat prescriptions, problematic symptoms are reduced to allow patients to receive treatments and therapy.

The range of medications that can be prescribed by psychiatrists consists of antidepressants, antipsychotic meds, sedatives, hypnotics, and mood stabilizers.  These drugs treat a number of health conditions such as ADHD, schizophrenia, PTSD, and bipolar disorder to name a few.

Psychotherapy

While both psychologists and psychiatrists make use of cognitive behavior therapy, only the latter pairs this technique with medications.  As previously stated this combination is known to increase the effectiveness of psychotherapy significantly.

Most treatments work by consulting with patients over the course of a prescribed drug.  During these consultations, psychiatrists work to identify behaviors that negatively contribute to a patient’s health.

Since its implementation, many patients with OCD, PTSD, depression, phobias, and mood disorders have found success using medicated psychotherapy.  It’s worth noting however that certain conditions do not require the use of medications to be managed.

For hereditary conditions such as autism, psychiatrists instead work to identify avenues of communication that work well for their patients.  They also identify situations and occurrences that can cause their patients distress.

To reiterate, psychiatrists focus on treating severe mental health issues and disorders that cannot be managed or treated by other physicians.  Psychiatrists differentiate themselves from other mental health professionals through their use of medicated treatments.

With basic psychiatric services covered, we sincerely hope you’ll have an easier time deciding whether or not to enlist the help of a psychiatrist.  In order to make full use of this article and the medical resources in it, we’d recommend bookmarking this guide for future references.