How do I choose the right Psychiatrist? Is there a website where people can post reviews?

[hopeless_amp_helpless]

Hello,

After reading some posts I have realised that one of the keys to getting successful treatment is finding the right Psychiatrist.

How do I do this?

I mean I know I can look up a list of Psychiatrists in my area but how do I know which ones are good?

I want to change from the Psychiatrist I was seeing as I don't find him to be very helpful, caring or compassionate. I want someone who is going to listen to me and not just write a script for me. I've only ever been to the one Psychiatrist coz he was close to my house.

So is there a website or forum where people can post their opinions and reviews of Psychiatrists?

OR....is it just a matter of hit and miss?  Just keep trying until you find the right one?

Your help is much appreciated!

[White_Rose]

Dear H&H

Sorry that you are not having much luck with your psychiatrist. To some extent it is a hit and miss affair. This can be because everyone has different expectations of the psych, different personalities that can clash or click and different illnesses requiring a specific approach that some psychs may not have. That's the bad news.

The good news is that your GP should have a some knowledge of all specialists you are referred to. Most importantly the doctor should know if the specialist is good at their job. But however professionally the specialist may be if he/she does not get on with the patient then I think it is forget it time.

I have only seen two psychiatrists. One I saw for a long time and the second when I got so fed up with the first I stormed out of his rooms vowing never to return. My GP sent me to someone else who I found uncomfortable and I ended up going back to the first one. That was a huge mistake. Since then I have distrusted psychiatrists and much prefer psychologists. Other people have the opposite opinion.

But to go back to choice and your GP. The doctor should know you by now and how you react etc. He/she should also know how the psychiatrist operates having got feedback from other patients and the well known medical grapevine. I know my doctor has a very good idea of the way 'her' specialists operate. I hastily add here that she did not refer me to the psychiatrist and has vowed never to send any of her patients to him.

I suggest you discuss with the doctor the problems you have with the psych, the what and the why and ask for another referral. Tell the doc if you can, what your expectations are. It could be that you have an incorrect idea of what psychs do. But it is important that you generally feel comfortable with the psych. He/she may challenge you at times but that is different to to being difficult.

By the way, did you discuss this psych when you asked the doctor for a referral to him? Also, have you considered changing to a psychologist? Your GP can handle the medication part. Perhaps you could talk about this to your doctor.

Also bear in mind a possible difference in fees. Psychiatrist's fees are claimable from Medicare and you pay the gap. You can get ten free consultations from a psychologist every year with a mental health plan, but must pay the full cost for the rest of the year. That is unless you are covered by private medical insurance.

I hope that helps. Happy to explain/comment further.

LING

[White_Rose]

Dear H&H

Sorry that you are not having much luck with your psychiatrist. To some extent it is a hit and miss affair. This can be because everyone has different expectations of the psych, different personalities that can clash or click and different illnesses requiring a specific approach that some psychs may not have. That's the bad news.

The good news is that your GP should have a some knowledge of all specialists you are referred to. Most importantly the doctor should know if the specialist is good at their job. But however professionally the specialist may be if he/she does not get on with the patient then I think it is forget it time.

I have only seen two psychiatrists. One I saw for a long time and the second when I got so fed up with the first I stormed out of his rooms vowing never to return. My GP sent me to someone else who I found uncomfortable and I ended up going back to the first one. That was a huge mistake. Since then I have distrusted psychiatrists and much prefer psychologists. Other people have the opposite opinion.

But to go back to choice and your GP. The doctor should know you by now and how you react etc. He/she should also know how the psychiatrist operates having got feedback from other patients and the well known medical grapevine. I know my doctor has a very good idea of the way 'her' specialists operate. I hastily add here that she did not refer me to the psychiatrist and has vowed never to send any of her patients to him.

I suggest you discuss with the doctor the problems you have with the psych, the what and the why and ask for another referral. Tell the doc if you can, what your expectations are. It could be that you have an incorrect idea of what psychs do. But it is important that you generally feel comfortable with the psych. He/she may challenge you at times but that is different to to being difficult.

By the way, did you discuss this psych when you asked the doctor for a referral to him? Also, have you considered changing to a psychologist? Your GP can handle the medication part. Perhaps you could talk about this to your doctor.

Also bear in mind a possible difference in fees. Psychiatrist's fees are claimable from Medicare and you pay the gap. You can get ten free consultations from a psychologist every year with a mental health plan, but must pay the full cost for the rest of the year. That is unless you are covered by private medical insurance.

I hope that helps. Happy to explain/comment further.

LING

[AGrace]

Hi H&H,

If you visit the royal australian and new zealand college of psychiatry website they only list Psychiatrists across Aus and NZ who have applied for their membership. The Psychiatrists listed should be very good. When you call to make appointment ask what the Psychiatrists speciality is. On your first appointment be clear about what you want to achieve, how and when.after all you are employing this person. 

You may also want to find out what hospitals s/he are affiliated with so you know where you could be admitted if this was ever required.

Hope the website helps.

Agrace

[White_Rose]

I have to disagree with AG. Membership of an organisation may mean the member has certain qualifications but does not mean they are particularly good at the job or that their personalities are suitable or compatible with the client. The psychiatrist I saw was listed with ANZAP but he fell asleep while I was talking to him, was extremely sarcastic and once swore quite violently at me.

LING

[StrugglingStudent]

ratemds.com or rateyourshrink.com.au

Hi H&H,

Finding a good psychiatrist is so hard and we need better resources to be able to find the right one for us!

Over the past 10 years i have seen more psychiatrists, psychologists and counselors than i can remember. Almost all of these were very unhelpful and after each bad experience I find it harder to put myself out there and seek help again. 

I agree with the response from LifeIsNotGood. Each person is different in their personality, their specific illness and struggles etc. so the right medical professional for one person won't be right for another. BUT being able to read reviews of the professionals in our area would give us something more to go on than just a list of surnames in the phonebook. If i want to go out for a coffee i need only jump online to find out every little detail about all my local cafes, hundreds of reviews complete with photographs of the shop, the food, the staff, the price etc. But when it comes to something infinitely more important, we're basically going in blind. 

The two websites i linked at the top are worth checking out as they do contain reviews for some psychiatrists, but they are by no means an exhaustive list. Perhaps we need to be sharing these resources around more and encouraging each other to take the time to write reviews on these sites.

Good luck!