Psychologist/psychiatrist etiquette?

[alleywest]

Hi!

I'm 23 and I've been seeing a psychologist for anxiety/panic/PTSD-style symptoms for about six months.

I'm considering seeing a psychiatrist for the first time to seek a formal diagnosis or opinion. This would make some aspects of my life easier. I'm not particularly interested in medication at this stage, pending professional recommendations.

Is it best practice to let my psychologist know about this ahead of time? Is it in the realm of normal practice for my psychologist to provide information (such as a letter or file) to the psychiatrist I choose to see?

It can be expensive so I don't want to walk in empty-handed.

What’s "normal" for interaction between the two?

Thank you in advance,

Alley

[james1]

Hey Alley,

It is definitely a good idea to speak to your psychologist about seeing a psychiatrist. You don't -have- to, but it is very normal to have both a psychologist and psychiatrist, so they will be very understanding. I don't know if they will provide a letter, but certainly you can ask for them to give you or the psychiatrist something so you don't have to go through the entire story. Often your GP, psychiatrist and psychologist will communicate with each other.

That said, I'm not sure how accurate your diagnosis would be if it was a single setting, depending on how complex the issue is. Especially if most of it is based on a letter from your psychologist, rather than from speaking to you face to face.

Is your psychologist a clinical psychologist? They are actually also allowed to diagnose if you are needing to have something in writing to show someone. Ditto for a GP who will often be able to diagnose depression/anxiety. Perhaps they could be your first point of call if you are just seeking something in writing.

James

[blondguy]

Hi Alleywest

Welcome to the forums and good on you for posting!

James has great advice above.

Your psychologist doesnt need to know about you seeing a psychiatrist at all.

Just have your referral from your GP (to your psychiatrist) and go to the appointment 🙂

The psychiatrist is more of an expert where medication is concerned whereas a psychologist is more of a counselor than cant prescribe meds.

Ive had bad anxiety/depression for years and see my psychologist for therapy and my psychiatrist for more detailed help like medications less often

I hope some of this helps alleywest. Please post back if you have any questions

my kind thoughts for you

Paul

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi alleywest,

Welcome to the forums and thanks for your post.

This is a great question so let me break it down -

Is it best practice to let my psychologist know about this ahead of time?

That's completely up to you. There's no etiquette here and your psychologist won't be offended if you choose not to tell them. Sometimes people can find it helpful though; I see both a psychiatrist and a psychologist so it helps to bounce what he said vs what she said and have them work together that way.

Is it in the realm of normal practice for my psychologist to provide information (such as a letter or file) to the psychiatrist I choose to see? It can be expensive so I don't want to walk in empty-handed.

Not usually. Most people get a referral from their GP which is very basic and doesn't have a lot of information about you. Most psychiatrists like to get to know you from you rather than having someone else's perspective. This isn't a bad thing. This way they get to make decisions with you based on what they learn about you.

Having said that though, sometimes psychiatrists work closely with psychologists so you may even find your psychologist wants to recommend someone in particular who might fit well with you.

If you don't want to walk in empty handed you could potentially look at making a list; maybe medications that you've tried, dates of when things happened, when you started seeing certain people - this can help get them get a better timeline of where you're at.

What’s "normal" for interaction between the two?

Nope - no normal! Everyone's different. It's important to know though that psychiatrists are more interested/focused on medications as well as a clinical diagnosis. So if you have a good idea of what your intention is this can help to.

[alleywest]

Thank you for your responses, everyone!

I've also been told (to the same question by friends) that many psychiatrists do ask for more information from a psychologist if you're seeing one during the first appointment. Either way, I will definitely speak to my psychologist about this decision.

Particular to James's answer: unfortunately, neither my GP or current psychologist are capable of diagnosis. I do intend to see a psychiatrist for more than a single session, of course — I just tend to overprepare for things!

Particular to Paul's answer: Thank you for your time.

Particular to romantic_thief's answer: This was incredibly helpful, especially the list/timeline exercise. I think I've decided what kind of steps I'll take, and appreciate the affirmation of "no normal" in this process. Thank you very much!