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.

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Depression Medication: Should You Take Medication for Depression?

Antidepressant medication, or medication to treat depression, can be prescribed by psychiatrists and other physicians to help reduce the symptoms of depression? But is medication a cure for depression, and is depression medication the right choice for you?

Treatment for Depression & Depression Medication: Plantation, Florida via Tele-Health in the Entire State of Florida

I’m Dr. Chantal, the founder of Plantation Counseling and Wellness is Broward County, FL, When I decided to add psychiatry and medication management to our psychotherapy and wellness practice, it was really important to me to only work with physicians who are thoughtful in the way they prescribe anti depressants. Too often, doctors will prescribe medication without giving thought to the cause of a person’s depression. When psychiatrists or other prescribers do that, it usually doesn’t help people achieve the mental health wellbeing they want. If you’re like most people struggling with some type of depression, you want to feel happy and live your life again. You want to enjoy things and feel motivated, and you want to have more energy and a more positive feeling about your life. We want that for you too!

Plantation Psychiatry

That’s why when I opened Plantation Psychiatry (a boutique division of Plantation Counseling and Wellness) to serve the psychiatry and mental health needs of children, adolescents and adults, I specifically looked for psychiatrists who are interested in collaborating with our psychologists, psychotherapists or family therapists to help figure out the causes of depression, and give each person treatment recommendations that are uniquely tailored to their needs and current situation.

While you might be interested in reading my blog post on the different Types of Depression and the different Treatments for Depression, in this post I’ll tell you a little bit about the Different Types of Medication for Depression.

Depression Medications

Selective Serotonin ReUptake Inhibitors (SSRI’s)

SSRI’s or selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, are sometimes referred to as “new generation antidepressants”. These medications work by increasing the amount of serotonin available in your brain. While no one can tell you that low serotonin levels causes depression (some health care providers may tell you that but the truth is that researchers have not yet proven that low serotonin levels cause depression), we do know that increasing the serotonin available in the brain, for many people, leads to improvements in their mood. That means that they start to feel better after taking an SSRI for a few weeks.

Examples of SSRI’s include: Prozac (fluoxetine), Zoloft (sertraline), Paxil (paroxetine), and Celexa (citalopram).

Serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)

Serotonin and Noadrenaline Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRI’s) work in a way that is similar to SSRI antidepressant medications. SNRI’s make both serotonin and norepinephrine more available in your brain. Norepinephrine (also called noradrenaline) is a chemical in your body that helps to transmit signals among different parts of your nervous system. 

When your levels of norepinephrine are too low, you might experience some of the following anxiety, depression or physical symptoms:

• Headaches;
• Memory Problems;
  
• Sleeping Problems;
• Anxiety; 
• Depression;
• Attention, Focus or Hyperactivity Problems;
• Hypotension (low blood pressure);
• Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar);
• Problems with Heart Rate.

SNRI’s include: Effexor (venlafaxine), Pristiq (desvenlafaxine), Cymbalta (duloxetine), and others.

TriCyclic and TetraCyclic AntiDepressant Medication

TriCyclic antidepression medication has been around longer, and is sometimes referred to as “older generation antidepressants”.  TriCyclic or TetraCyclic antidepressant meds act on several neurotransmitters at once.  They help to change your brain chemistry and may relieve the symptoms of depression, anxiety, OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), and and nerve-related (neuropathic) pain.

Examples of Tricyclic and Tetracyclic medications include: Elavil (amitrityline), Remeron (mertazepine), Seroquel (quetiapine) and others.

What is the Best Treatment for Depression: Medication or Psychotherapy?

Antidepressants and psychotherapy have both been shown to be effective treatments for depression, but the best depression treatment for you will really depend on your depression symptoms and seems to have caused your depression symptoms. After you doctor has had an opportunity to meet with you and fully assess your case, he/she will explain different depression treatment options to you and make some recommendations based on their experience treating depression.

Book your initial new patient appointment, or send us an email to get in touch with our Clinical Coordinator.

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What is a Psychiatrist?

What is a Psychiatrist? 

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor (someone who went to medical school) who completed medical residency in Psychiatry. While many years ago psychiatrists would typical both prescribe psychiatric medication and also provide lengthy psychotherapy (think Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung), nowadays it’s much more common for psychiatrists to prescribe medication, while the therapy is left to other psychotherapists, such a psychologists, licensed mental health counselors, licensed marriage and family therapists, and licensed clinical social workers. School counselors and school psychologists can also provide some forms of psychotherapy. Advance Registered Nurse Practitioners (ARNP) can also prescribe psych meds and provide psychotherapy, although in general they have less training about medicine and medications than physicians do, and less training in psychotherapy than therapists do.

What Does a Psychiatrist Do?

A psychiatrist can do many things to help you with your mental health concerns. These can include:

• Evaluate your symptoms
• Ordering lab work
• Make a diagnosis when applicable
• Work collaboratively with you to develop a treatment plan
• Prescribe medication
• Talk with you to see if other treatment approaches, such as psychotherapy or intensive outpatient programs might be beneficial to you
• Continue to work with you until you achieve your treatment goals

What Can a Psychiatrist Help You With?

• Anxiety, Worry, Fears and Phobias
• Sleep Problems and Insomnia
• Difficulties with Focus and Concentration – ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) – ADHD
• Mood Swings or Emotional Outbursts
• Depression
• Body Image Problems and Eating Disorders
• Bipolar Disorder
• Major Life Changes (such as Postpartum Depression, Death of a Loved One, Depression after Heart Surgery)
• Suicidal Thoughts or Self-Harm
• Anger and Impulse-Control Problems
• Hair Pulling or Skin Picking (Trichitillomania)
• Obsessive Thinking, Compulsions, or OCD
• Intrusive, Disturbing, or Recurring Thoughts
• Hallucinations of Delusions
• Uncontrolled Use of Drugs or Alcohol
• Trauma and PTSD
• Other Concerns with your Mental Health

Psychiatrist in Plantation, FL and throughout the entire state of Florida (via Tele-Health)

At Plantation Psychiatry and Plantation Counseling and Wellness our entire team of mental health professionals (including, psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists, licensed mental health counselors, licensed marriage and family therapists, and licensed clinical social workers) is dedicated to providing you with the best mental health treatments available. We individualize our care to the unique needs of each patient, and utilize only evidence-based, scientfically-validated mental health treatment approaches. We work in a compassionate, collaborative manner with our patients, taking into account your concerns and preferences.

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Am I Depressed? 6 Signs You Should Know About

Signs You Have Depression or Anxiety

There are many types of depression and depression symptoms can vary.  Depression and anxiety are very common and there are several different ways that we can help with depression. 

Here are 6 Signs or Symptoms of Clinical Depression You Should Know About:

1. You’ve been feeling down or irritable.
2. You don’t enjoy things much anymore or feel much joy.
3. You are struggling to concentrate.
4. You are tired; your energy levels are depleted.
5. Your sleeping or eating patterns have changed.
6. You have feelings of guilt or worthlessness.

While not everyone with depression will experience these symptoms, if you haven’t felt happy or felt like yourself lately, our team of mental health professionals can help you figure out what’s going on and what to do about it.

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