Millions of Americans are affected by various mental health disorders. While home treatment may work for certain mild disorders, a psychiatrist or psychologist should diagnose and treat moderate to severe symptoms. For people who require medicinal treatment and the opinion of a medical professional, you must visit a psychiatrist. A psychiatrist may also give you techniques to help you deal with your condition, in addition to identifying and talking you through your most immediate problems.
Depression Treatment
Depression is one of the most common mental health disorders. Symptoms of depression include intense sadness, hopelessness, anxiety, guilt and apathetic tendencies. Depending on the intensity of depression, a psychiatrist may or may not administer medication. In all cases, your psychiatrist will try to understand and get you to articulate the major components of your depression. You may discuss your concerns, fears and overall perception of yourself and others. Understanding your experiences and family history will help a psychiatrist determine whether your depression is hereditary, a result of chemical imbalances, due to external factors or some combination of these.
For people with more severe depression, a psychiatrist may prescribe medication to help control the condition. Common medications include classes of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (e.g. Zoloft or Celexa) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors. These medications work by regulating brain chemistry so that certain neurotransmitters related to mood are released in greater or smaller amounts. Medications take three to four weeks before they produce noticeable improvements. Psychiatrists will often begin at a base therapeutic dose and then increase the dose over time until an effective maximum dose is achieved.
Most antidepressants are taken daily. Since side effects can range in severity, people often try a variety of medications before finding the one that's best for them.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Treatment
Anxiety disorders are a broad class of mental health problem defined by cases where increased levels of anxiety interfere with patients' lives. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a sub-class of anxiety disorder in which patients are plagued by continuous obsessive thoughts over cleanliness, health, weight or any other situation. OCD often manifests itself through repeated actions used to ward off the fear such as repetitive hand washing or doctor visits.
Stress management and behavior modification techniques are effective steps that a psychiatrist may take to improve the immediate symptoms of your OCD or anxiety conditions. With behavior modification, your give you steps to take whenever you feel the urge to engage in repetitive behavior. A simple delay of hand washing or checking medical symptoms online can lead to an overall decrease in repetitive frequency.
In more severe cases of OCD, a psychiatrist may prescribe SSRIs or anti-anxiety medications like Valium or Ativan to help patients manage some of the severe OCD symptoms. However, because some medications can cause dependence, medication must be used only according to your doctor's recommendations.
A psychiatrist will not use medication as the sole treatment technique. Analysis and self-exploration to get to the root of the obsessive behavior can help many patients understand and begin to control the condition.
Bipolar Disorder Treatment
Formerly known as "manic depression," bipolar disorder is a very serious condition that often takes persistent treatment. Because bipolar disorder is characterized by alternating moments of severe depression and uncontrollable high-energy or irritable "manic" symptoms, treatment must attack both ends of the spectrum at once. Bipolar disorder is rarely treated only with analytic, psychosocial or behavior techniques. A psychiatrist will prescribe a class of medications known as "mood stabilizers" to help control both depression and manic aspects of bipolar disorder at once. Common mood stabilizers include lithium and divalproex.
Because various people respond to mood stabilizers differently, certain medications may treat one end of the bipolar spectrum but not the other. In addition, severe or intolerable side effects may require dose and medication adjustment. Thus, medication therapy for bipolar disorder often takes time to get just right.
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