An Introduction To The Treatment Of Certain Mental Health Issues

By Author: de Waal Psychiatry
Total Articles: 2
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There are millions of people worldwide – in the UK, in the US, and elsewhere - that struggle with mental health and related issues all the time. They visit therapists, psychologists, and, in very serious cases that need the intervention of a specialist professional, psychiatrists.
The psychiatrist is a medical doctor with further specialisation to prepare him/her to diagnose, treat and where possible, prevent emotional, mental, and behavioral disorders. The psychiatrist is the professional that offers the highest levels of knowledge in the mental and emotional health fields and is often the one that is approached when the GP or therapist lacks certain qualities or skills.
Also, it has to be noted that the psychiatrist, unlike the psychologist, can prescribe medicine(s) when a patient will benefit from such treatment. Of course, he/she is able to do so because they are also a medical doctor, unlike the psychologist or therapist. Therefore: psychiatrists are medical doctors that specialise in mental health and other psychiatric issues. It makes sense, therefore, that the patient that will benefit from a combination ...
... of therapy and medicines will visit the psychiatrist, often on the recommendation of their GP or other health care professional such as a therapist.
Patients are free, too, to consult the psychiatrist without being recommended to him/her. This happens when the patient may feel their GP or therapist has not helped them enough to improve, or because they prefer to remain, to a large extent, anonymous in their community; therefore they may travel to an out-of-town psychiatrist. There could be different reasons. And today, of course, so many professional services are offered online – also virtual meetings with a psychiatrist. You simply log on to their website and inform yourself of how they go about offering consultations and their services.
Psychiatric help can be sought for many reasons. For example, one person may suffer from severe panic attacks, another may feel they hear voices in their head, yet another could experience hallucinations, and the next one may feel unhappy, sad, and worthless and consider suicide. All of these – and so many others, such as ongoing hopelessness and feeling anxious all the time – are cause for concern and need the intervention of a well-qualified professional such as a psychiatrist.
The psychiatrist will diagnose the patient’s condition and then suggest the way forward, which could be a few sessions of therapy, either in their rooms or online. It could also involve repeated, ongoing therapy or the psychiatrist may prescribe medicines to help the patient cope better. Very often psychological problems can be treated with the right medicine – in combination with therapy.
The psychiatrist understands these conditions, his/her experience as a professional stand him/her in good stead to be able to prescribe the appropriate medicines. Every case is different from the next, and therefore the patient’s medicine will depend on the exact nature of their mental state and their condition.
BPD (borderline personality disorder), for example, is a condition that reminds of Complex PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). PTSD occurs when a person witnesses a traumatic event that they cannot stop thinking about for a long time afterward. Complex PTSD is a mental condition where you experience some of the symptoms of PTSD, but with additional symptoms such as no longer being able to control your emotions, or feeling angry all the time.
Of course, there are others too. BPD shows more symptoms than Complex PTSD, for example, unstable sense of self, difficulty to form and maintain relationships, self-harm, feeling empty, being impulsive. Of course, it is more complex than this. But these are some recognizable symptoms.
The psychiatrist diagnoses these and prescribes treatment, often a combination of psychotherapy and appropriate medication. From time to time he may decide to adjust the treatment. It all depends on how much the patient has improved.
It is good to know that today, as opposed to past decades, the psychiatrist is only a phone call, or an email away.
About Us:
Dr. Hugo de Waal is one of the UK’s top-rated consultant psychiatrists. He enjoys accreditation from various leading psychiatric bodies and has a great reputation built on his excellent knowledge of psychiatry and related fields. He has held senior teaching positions at universities and led and supported other psychiatrists in order to always promote excellence in mental health care. Dr de Waal has published extensively to help aid colleagues, other professionals, and patients in their endeavors to understand and treat mental health issues and has been a member of the Education Section of the World Psychiatric Association for many years. To find out more about Dr de Waal and his services please visit https://www.dewaalpsychiatry.co.uk/.