How are you diagnosed?

Question

After your conversation with some type of therapist, how do they actually tell you what you have? And how do they begin to go about treating you? I'm going to find a doctor of some sort soon and would like some details before I go.

Answer 1

As a mental health professional, it's important to take your time and gather facts and data that would then help to properly diagnose an individual. While one many have some thoughts about a diagnosis (or several diagnoses for that matter) after a consultation, it's better to keep them on the backburner as "rule outs" until more is known. You may have a suspiscion that someone is bipolar, depressed, etc., but until you know more, you may be misdiagnosing someone.

That said, if the mental health professional you see for a consultation works with insurance companies, they are required to give a diagnosis after the first session (for insurance billing purposes). This doesn't mean that it can't be changed as the therapy evolves.

My personal philosophy is this: Diagnostics aren't so important. Each person as a unique individual, with a unique set of problems and symptoms that need to be treated. We are so quick to label people these days....

In terms of what to expect on your first visit, think of it as time for you to both get to know each other, and for you to assess how comfortable you feel with the therapist (if you are not comfortable with him or her, I urge you to meet with another one and see if it feels like a better fit). The first few sessions will be used to get to know you and your history, and to evaluate the problems you are facing.

The therapist will then discuss the evaluation with you and clearly present his or her opinions on the problems you are facing, what treatments are recommended and how long they are likely to take.

If you decide to pursue the treatment recommended, your therapist will work with you to set goals for treatment and to plan specific therapies to reach the goals. For some problems, medication therapy may be recommended in addition to talk therapies. If your therapist is not a psychiatrist, you will be referred to a psychiatrist for the medication therapy. Your therapist will work with the psychiatrist to coordinate your treatment. For some problems, such as depression, a combination of talk therapy and medication therapy is often the most effective treatment.

You may be asked to fill out, review and sign forms that describe the problems you are dealing with and the treatments planned to deal with them. You may find it helpful to have a copy of these forms to follow your progress.

Your therapist will discuss guidelines regarding fees, using your health insurance, cancelled appointments, missed appointments, telephone calls between meetings, confidentiality, vacation coverage and emergencies.

Hope this helps. Best of luck!

Answer 2

Well if you go to the lady I went too... You'll sit in a chair, and talk about internet dating and comment on how cute her office is 100 times... and she'll play with her shoes the whole time.... Then by the second visit you'll have the whole office memorized!

Then you'll pay her the money and walk out wishing u had just went to yahoo chat or something because its wayyyyyyyyy more better, atleast some people reply.... Oh and she would yawn a lot...

My friend started going to a therapist tho, and she went because her hubby had moved out of state to complete his internship... yet they were happily married... he was just away for a few months... WELL when she went in, it was a "family therapist", and she sat in a bean bag chair, so did the therapist... And she was there for "support" because of her husband leaving for a couple of months plus she has kids and everything... well she ended up crying her eyes out for the whole hour and within 5 min. the therapist told her she didn't have a childhood and everything! She walked out feeling way more depressed then before she went!!! and her husband never really even came up!!!

Just make sure you aint got nothing in your teeth, and that you aren't wearing eyeliner... Make yourself cry like an hr before u go in so u wont have to cry anymore.... and take a deep breath and relax....
They will probably ask u questins... and if they really wanna play with your mind and confuse you they will ask you them again using "different more complicated words"....

:-)
Have fun!

Answer 3

There is a book/manuel called DSM IV which gives the criteria for each diagnosis. Your symptoms, both what you say and your history, helps them decide.

Don't worry about the diagnosis. Worry about the credentials of the therapist and your own willingness to face your problems head on. The therapist does not give you the answers, even with a diagnosis, rather they listen, give you feedback as your discover things to change.

Be prepared. S/he will ask you what you want ..... what do you have problems with, what do you want to change, etc. You set your goals with the therapist's help.

Basically you will be doing a lot of talking and then periodically you will be using those good listening skills.

Answer 4

They ask you ALOT of questions, and you fill out ALOT of paper work on yourself and family history and your home situation.while doing that they are watching body langue and reactions. They listen to what you have to say and what you feel is going on and then they put it together with everything else and they start working on a diagnosis, but a true diagnosis well take a few times of you going and seeing them.

They start you on low dose of meds and slowly increase...My doc would call after I had been on a med for about a week and if I wasn't doing good on it they would change it.

Sometimes it takes trying a few diffrent kind of meds. Because some meds for deppression can make anxiety go up...they are now saying that seraquil can cause diabities also...

I have a very high tolerance to meds so they do not work as well for me.

Be very carefull and research what they say you have and research the meds.

and make sure you feel comfortable with your doc other wise you will not be able to be totaly honest.

Hope it works out for you

Answer 5

Lead a classic existence, marvel the Monkey - Peter Gabriel the medicine is donning off, Novocaine for the soul - The Eels She's lost administration, ineffective Souls - excitement branch Francis Farmer could have her revenge on Seattle - Nirvana they're coming to take me away - Napoleon XIIV Psycho - The Sonics Psycho - Elvis Costello interior the Mouth of insanity - Spock's Beard can i play with insanity - Iron Maiden Lobotomy gets 'em homestead - the adult males They could no longer dangle Teenage Lobotomy - The Ramones at the back of gray partitions - Richard Thompson at the back of Blue eyes - The Who Manic melancholy - Jimi BA: that would desire to violate physician/affected person confidentiality

Answer 6

You fill out a questionaire, usually before the appointment, then they ask you more specific questions once you're there.
They may do tests, depending on what you're there for (i.e. blood, tissue, IQ, etc). Once you leave they'll send the samples away for double checking, then they'll call you within a few days/weeks, for a follow-up appointment, or to tell you results (you may or may not have to go in for the results).

Answer 7

by questioning you and some family history, they also want to know what's going on in your life, how long you've felt bad or had physical symptoms--from there can be determined if counselling, medication or both are needed. symptoms can be similar or overlap, so some of it may seem annoying but they know what symptoms are what in the diverse realm of mental issues

Answer 8

I have gone to a few doctors, and ended up in mental hospitals 5 x last year. Turns out I'm bi-polar. They would've figured it out sooner, had i been honest and willing to help myself. So it's up to you, partly to figure things out. Good Luck!