Specifically, one less inclined to just hand out chemical happy pills and instead try to actually get to the root of the problem and recomend how to try to fix it instead of going straight to management? On a partially related matter, I've read that birth control can cause persistant depression and nausea. Does anyone have experience with this?
You would need a psychologist not a psychiatrist. Psychologists say, "Here sit on my couch and let's chat." Psychiatrists say, "If you don't want to take the pills I am prescribing why the hell are you here wasting my time?" Some people have both.
You may not need a psychiatrist if you aren't seeking medications. A psychologist or Licensed Clinical Social Worker may be a more appropriate fit. I would recommend (no particular order)... Call your primary care doctor. They usually know mental health professionals that lean toward medications versus talk therapy. Call your insurance company and ask to be assigned a case manager. Your case manager can help you find appropriate providers. Call your local psychiatric hospitals and ask for recommendations. They will know about mental health providers in the area. Find a licensed therapist that does NOT prescribe medications and ask for recommendations. Search for mental health support groups online. Forum members usually can point you in the right direction. I hope this helps.
I thought psychologists studied normal human behavior while psychiatrists focussed on dissorders... Do psychologists typically have patients?
Obviously people they prescribe drugs to are patients. My sister has an eating disorder that almost killed her. She had both. She basically saw the psychiatrist 10 minutes once every 3-4 months for refills on her meds and saw her psychologist 3 times a week at first and then it petered off over time. In her case, the meds were basically some that had stimulating appetite as a side effect or antidepressants that she seldom took but her psychologist insisted she keep going to see the psychiatrist for. She saw her medical doctors to deal with the physical issues that went with losing half her body weight far more often than she saw her psychologists.
~ Yes psychologists have patients - both in individual and group therapy. Some are trained in psychoanalysis - others in general psychology. Depression is a very common disorder that usually responds with medication ( happy pills ) and talk therapy. Depending on the state licensed clinical social workers generally do not diagnose and treat serious mental disorders. Yes - screwing with hormones can cause depression/anxiety . Talk to your regular physician for a referral.
All of the above is absolutely correct. The advice given by other posters here, sometimes hits the target, sometimes does not. Some states have passed special provisions and training for psychologists to prescribe medications as long as they go through a number of hours of psychopharmacology training and supervise their cases from time to time with licensed physicians. I am absolutely against such laws. No amount of specific psychopharmacology training can substitute for a medical doctor's extensive training in all organ systems before they specialize in Psychiatry, and psychiatric medications do have an impact on various organ systems. Supervision is one thing on paper, and a totally different thing in real life; meeting with a physician for one hour once a month is no guarantee that the psychologist won't screw up and patients won't get hurt. Going to see a psychologist for psychiatric medication in states that were silly enough to approve these laws, is a recipe for disaster. I always thought, "you want to prescribe medications? Simple. Enroll in a freaking medical school, graduate, do your residency training, pass your licensing exams, and obtain a valid physician license (as well as a DEA registration). That is, if you can; that is, if you have the grades, the smarts, the focus, and the drive to do it all. You don't? Then leave the extremely complex business of medical practice to those who are so qualified." I don't even like the practice, common in the United States and some other countries, but by all means not common in many other developed countries, of Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners being able to prescribe medications under a physician's supervision (much less, psychologists; at least PAs and NPs do have some training in other organ systems). I read a telling testimony of a former PA who later bit the bullet and went to medical school, becoming an MD. She said that her current knowledge of medicine, being an MD now, became vastly superior to what she had as a PA, and she was surprised in identifying the limitations she had as a PA, of which she wasn't even aware at the time of her practice as a PA. Normally, in sane states (pun intended), psychologists, when they engage in clinical psychology, do see patients for various modalities of psychotherapy in group or individual but do not prescribe medications, thankfully. Many disorders respond better to a combination of psychotherapy and medication than to either one without the other. Now, something that nobody yet has advised @modernpaladin to do, is to look for a psychiatrist who is also psychoanalytically trained. These folks often do know a lot about pharmacology and medicine but do have a wider view of the human mind and its psychological aspects. Modernpaladin could consult the roster of members of the Washington State psychoanalytical societies, and see who are the members who are also MDs, look them up online, and verify that they also have psychiatric training, and verify their board certification with the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. If Modernpaladin can get a hold of professionals who are both ABPN diplomates (board certified in Psychiatry) and graduates of a psychoanalytical institute, he may be able to find the kind of professional he is looking for. But yes, looking for a referral from a good primary care provider is good advice, because especially if the PCP is experienced and is in that community for a number of years, the PCP will likely know of good psychiatrists and will know their profile, if they practice strictly as psychopharmacologists, or if they incorporate a more psychologically-minded view of the patient's issues.
