How Do You Know If You Have a Good Psychiatrist?

Are Some Psychiatrists Better than Others?

The short answer is: yes. But what makes a good psychiatrist better than his or her colleagues? And how do you find a good psychiatrist?

The answer is given to us from a very interesting study in psychiatry. In 1996, a group of researchers from the University of Chicago, the George Washington University Medical Center, the Atlanta Center for Cognitive Therapy, and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine published an article in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. The article was titled: “The Role of the Therapeutic Alliance in Psychotherapy and Pharmacotherapy Outcome: Findings in the National Institute of Mental Health Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program“.

Here’s what they discovered: a “good” psychiatrist giving a patient a placebo (a pill with no medication in it) got better results (meaning that the patient improved more) than a “bad” psychiatrist giving the patient a real medication. Whoa! Read that again.

What Makes a Good Psychiatrist?

What we now know from decades of research in psychotherapy and psychiatry it that the clinician’s skill at creating a successful therapeutic alliance is more important that any other factor in treatment. (The “therapeutic alliance” is a collaborative working relationship with your psychiatrist or therapist to help you meet your treatment and mental health goals). This means that if your psychiatrist is not very good at this, then you are much less likely to benefit from taking psychiatric medication.

So, at Plantation Psychiatry and Plantation Counseling and Wellness, the quality of the therapeutic alliance is front and center. We also practice within the philosophy of Client-Directed, Outcome-Informed therapy.  Finally, we are always working with our therapists and psychiatrists to continually increase their knowledge base and increase their clinical skills. We like to pride ourselves on having happy patients and creating the best clinical and mental health treatment outcomes we can.

How Do I Know if I Have a Good Psychiatrist?

Here are some signs of a good psychiatrist:

• You feel heard, understood and respected.
• Your concerns and preferences are taken into consideration.
• Your doctor explains things to you.
• Your psychiatrist has discussed the benefits of psychotherapy, in addition to psychiatrist medication.
• Your feel your visits are helpful.
• Your symptoms are improving.

 

Psychiatric Care in Plantation Florida – Fort Lauderdale – Davie – Cooper City – Sunrise – Weston

We are a multi-lingual, multi-specialty practice offering a variety of mental health treatments and evaluations, including psych meds, psychotherapy, counseling, faith-based Christian counseling, group therapy, coaching, classes, and mental health and educational evaluations. We serve patients throughout the state of Florida and serve individuals from all walks of life.