Are you supposed to go to a medical doctor or go talk to a psychiatrist first- and if my doctor prescribed me something, would that mean I would have to also go through some kind of therapy?
2007-05-25 08:18:07 · 8 answers · asked by ssmith 3 in Health ➔ Mental Health
Tried athletics- ran daily for 5 years- its time to get help.
2007-05-25 08:24:13 · update #1
You can go to your regular doctor, and they can prescribe medication, but they will usually refer you to a psychiatrist so that you can talk about what is causing the anxiety, and techniques to help you through the attacks. I have had a disorder for a few years now and take medication and that helps a lot. I would reccommend going to you regular Dr. first and then asking him/her who they might refer you to.
2007-05-25 08:24:05 · answer #1 · answered by jasmine f 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, a regular medical doctor could prescribe you medication, possibly an anti-depressant. There are also other medications that could be prescribed. The doctor might suggest that you go to a psychologist or psychiatrist, but might prescribe you the medicine first, and see if that works. You could just start out with going to a psychiatrist or psychologist, instead.
Instead of either of those, if you are doing somewhat okay, I would suggest doing research on your own first, about anxiety in general as well as anti-depressants (such as their side effects and the withdrawal that happens when you want to stop taking them). I took an anti-depressant briefly, and I definitely did not like being medicated. It was not helpful, and the side effects were numerous and not acceptable. Of course, I suppose each person would respond differently to each individual drug. I really do not recommend Paxil, though. You can find other people's bad experiences with it online. You can do research online, and/or by getting books.
I suggest this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Anxiety-Phobias-Panic-Reneau-Peurifoy/dp/0446692778/ref=sr_1_1/103-2716104-7781422?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180121496&sr=8-1
and here's a link to the older version with more reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/0446670537/
I've read some of this book and it's really good, and has helped me, and I think anyone who reads it would benefit from it, even if they don't have any anxiety disorders. It's in no way quack-ish or full of silly ideas. It's very sensible, reasonable, and logical.
Anxiety can be a symptom of other problems, both serious and not very serious. If you have any other symptoms, I suggest looking those up together and trying to see if they might be related. I think an informed patient is the best kind of patient, but obviously a self-diagnosis is not enough. Obviously, visit your doctor. He or she is the expert.
Good luck!
2007-05-25 08:39:57 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can talk to either. Personally, I went to a psychiatrist first. I don't have to do counseling, although it was brought up as an option. It's not required. I usually have to go to the psychiatrist every 2-3 months to make sure that I'm doing well on the medicine and not experiencing bad side effects.
Medical doctors will sometimes prescribe antidepressants and antianxiety medication, but it's probably best to go through a psychiatrist so that you can get the appropriate follow-up treatment. Good luck! It does get better, I promise.
2007-05-25 08:31:54 · answer #3 · answered by Lauren M 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I also have dealt with anxiety and depression too (close cousins they say). I got myself some counseling and also tried meds. You have to test the meds though. I found that Cymbalta works well for me. A lot of anxiety is chemicals in the brain being out of wack (no oun meant) and then this world of ours is just so crazy. I try to just laugh at the world and not care. I even have a big smiley face magnet on the back of my SUV. It ticks off some people! :-) Good luck
2007-05-25 08:31:45 · answer #4 · answered by steve13fla 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
anxiety disorder is really no big deal, very treatable, running is probably really good for you helps get rid of the extra energy. We cant tell you if you need therapy, only your doctor can. no since in going thru this it can be fixed
2007-05-25 08:28:18 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Go to a regular doctor first. Then go from there.
2007-05-25 08:26:30 · answer #6 · answered by asmikeocsit 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try exercise and athletics first....drugs later.
2007-05-25 08:21:19 · answer #7 · answered by Thomas Paine 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
go to a general check up doctor if he doesntr know how to treat it he can tell u someone who can
2007-05-25 08:26:50 · answer #8 · answered by Ovie707 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋