What sort of questions will a psychiatrist ask me?

Question

After two and a half years' treatment for severe depression and several changes of medication, my GP is going to refer me to a psychiatrist. I have agreed to this VERY RELUCTANTLY, but would appreciate it if patients who have undergone psychiatric treatment could help by allaying my fears about seeing a psychiatrist. Thank you very much in advance.

Answer 1

I went to a therapist first and she listened to me talk about how I had been feeling and then she refered me to a psychiatrist in the same building and when i wen tot her she just aske dme how i had been doing and about me feeling depressed and then she started me off with a low dose of paxil. So she wrote me my prescriptions for my drugs and I talked to my therapist and pretty soon I came out of the slump I was in and began to feel a lot better and have more self confidence. Plus the paxil helped some with my OCD problems. So it is nothing to worry about, they arent going to interrogate you and dont worry about what they write down either its only to help diagnose you. You will be fine.

Answer 2

What your psych will ask will depend on the approach to therapy your psych takes. Cognitive behavior therapy is pretty common now a days, in which they would focus more on your "self-talk" and less on evens in the past. Usually the first session is talking about why you're there and what you're goals for therapy are. The following sessions are spent dealing with why you're there and helping you reach your goals, and other issues that come up. You don't have to say anything you don't want to, but in the end you get what you give. It's not bad. I've found therapy to be place where I can discuss what's going without judgment. Plus you're only seeing this person once a week for an hour, typically. And they have so many patients they don't remember what you say when you leave, that's why they take notes. :) Also there's not much you can say that a seasoned therapist hasn't heard before.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_therapy

Answer 3

Whenever I went it was because I had gotten out of the hospital and they already had my folder from the other docs. The may start off with Dr. so and so has referred you it says here you have been dealing with depression for a couple of years. They might ask when did you start not feeling well. Also what your life is like what job you have do you go to school, married, kids, bascially to see what kind of stressors you are dealing with. Then they will ask you what meds you have tried and what has worked or not. They could also possibly ask if you want to see a psychologist so you can talk things out. You probably will leave the appt when a new prescription and an appt in the near future because you are a new patient and trying some new meds. I hope this has helped. I wish you the best of luck.

Answer 4

Good for you.

Well done in taking the first steps.

I am 34 and have suffered with clinical depression since i was 13.

I finally agreed to counselling services at the age of 32 and it was the best thing i ever did.

I wish I had done it when it was first offered to me at the age of 17 as my life may have been a lot different if i had.

The topic of conversation should be whatever you want it to be about. You will not be pressured into talking about anything you do not want to. It should start as a trust building excercise and will follow a natural progression depending on how comfortable you feel at each session.

I wish you all the luck in the world and congratulate you on making the hard decision to start your recovery.

Answer 5

Mostly they say things to get you into a stream of verbal consciousness and trust, so that you spill the beans all on your own. Then they listen, and sort you out...

Most crazy people have no problem rambling on and on all on their own merit anyway so... It really is an easy Job.

All treatment through medication always comes to the point eventually where if the meds have not corrected the chemicals and their channels in your brain, then that means that you are somewhat reluctant to improve on your own. Too many patients believe that the pills are magic and will just make them better all on their own.

Mental health is like any other exersize and or diet you'll go on. If you are proactive in your health and fitness and do what you are supposed to do to help yourself correct those breaks and dents in your psyche then the meds will work for you but if you rely on meds alone, and never do the work needed to make them productive... You'll hop from pill to pill as each one stops working, you'll get another and another and another... FOREVER!
Some work and some don't, all of them lose their effectiveness eventually. It is a vicious cycle really.

Your doctor just wants to understand how proactive you are and if you're willing to do what you need to do, to help the meds fix you. You can't ignore and numb the symptoms and not remove the cause... It just doesn't work like that. Without understanding what happened to make you ill in the first place, Meds are always just going to be a buffer. an ineffective buffer at that!

Im glad to see that your doctor is wise and willing to actually help you. Took her long enough though... Most patients feel frightened and betrayed at this point. They feel that they are being used and pushed aside for being too difficult to take the time to treat, That is just your sick, negative ego screaming at you for trying to force it into getting better... It prefers to rage and run rampant and medication without therapy allows it to do that unchecked.

Remember... This is your mind and your body. You are in charge! You are at a crossroads... It happens to everyone during this process. Take a breath, take stock of the situation, use your brain and not your emotions and think... You'll be just fine!

Answer 6

is psychaitrist the ones that give out medication or the ones that do psychoanalysis? I get the 2 mixed up. If it's the former, usually ask about how are you feeling day to day,how you're sleeping, how you get on with your family, is there any mental illness in family, thn from your answers she'll ask more questions.Just ahint, don't give too much info, they'll only want to give you more meds, they won't help you in anyother way, this is ONLY if it's the former!)

you are not forced to answer anything you don't want to. Even if they force you, give an answer that is niether here not there or say sorry that's my private buisness (sometimes they even ask where ur family lives, I answered but when I got home I was angry, it's none of their business)

Answer 7

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Answer 8

Psychologists will want to know a little about your personal life and what brings you into tthe office to see them. They need to get a sense of circumstances at home and in your everyday life to help them diagnose and correct the problem early on. Don't be afraid. This is a person that's on your side and wants nothing more than to help you solve your pain. And they are bound by confidentiality rules. So just open right up, the sooner the better.

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Answer 9

They will ask:

Do you know what year/date it is?
Do you have children? How many?
Are your parents living?
How many siblings do you have?
Are you married/engaged?
What meds have you been taking?
Have they helped?
What do you think we can do for you at this office?

They will mostly listen and observe after that. You usually don't need to see a psychiatrist very often--unless he has prescribed a new med--to see how it is working. He may recommend that you see a psychologist/therapist/counselor between visits to him (or her).

Answer 10

try and relax , difficult i know, but remember the psychiatrist will want to help you.he will want to build up a rapport with you and gain your trust he will gradually get you to explain your problem by firstly taking a history which will include your family history,social and work so he can build a picture of you as a whole