Who is a psychiatrist?
A psychiatrist is a doctor trained to diagnose, treat, and help manage mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders and challenges. They can prescribe medication and evaluate the mental and physical aspects of psychological conditions.
Psychiatrists can treat short-term problems such as panic attacks, hearing “voices,” thoughts of suicide, or frightening hallucinations. They can also treat common long-term issues such as hopelessness, sadness, or anxiety, where patients’ daily lives are affected adversely.
What conditions do psychiatrists treat?
Psychiatrists can treat and manage a wide range of mental health disorders. Some common types of conditions include-
- Eating disorders: These behavioral disorders can develop at any age and are characterized by disturbance in eating patterns. Eating disorders are often associated with distressing thoughts and feelings. They often occur along with other psychiatric problems like mood disorders or substance abuse disorders. Often, these disorders develop in adolescence or young adulthood. Some prevalent eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, pica, and rumination disorder.
- Personality disorders: Common personality disorders include schizoid personality disorder and schizotypal personality disorder. Individuals with personality disorders have disruptive patterns of thinking, moods, and behaviors when interacting with others. Such individuals usually display abnormal behaviors and have a distorted perception of reality across various aspects of life, including work, relationships, and social scenarios. Additionally, they may not recognize their own troubling behaviors or the negative effect they have on others.
- Sleep disorders: These disorders prevent a person from getting proper sleep. Some of the common sleep disorders are sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and insomnia. A psychiatrist may recommend a sleep schedule, regular exercise, and managing temperature and lighting in your bedroom to treat sleep disorders.
- Mood disorders: Common mood disorders, like depression, are characterized by sadness, hopelessness, difficulty sleeping, loss of interest in activities, frequent mood changes or irritability, and loss or gain in appetite and anxiousness. Severe depression can lead to self-harm or a decline in physical health.
- Anxiety disorders: These disorders include phobias, social anxiety, panic disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Anxiety disorders evoke repetitive feelings of panic, nervousness, and fear. These disorders may also involve physical indications such as rapid breathing, sweating, trembling, feeling weak and tired, or heart palpitations. In some cases, anxiety can also have a medical cause. Anxiety has been linked to conditions like diabetes, respiratory issues, heart disease, chronic pain, and irritable bowel syndrome. Drug use or withdrawal may also lead to anxiety.
What kind of education and training do psychiatrists receive?
Aspiring psychiatrists must complete their graduation with subjects such as mathematics, biology, and chemistry. They must then enroll in a medical school where they study and train for four years. The first two years involve learning theory in classrooms and laboratories. During the following two years, they gain practical experience in medical settings such as clinics and hospitals. They learn to diagnose and treat illnesses and conditions under the guidance of experienced doctors and specialists.
Upon completing medical school, students earn a Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.) or a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree. After this, they must do a four-year residency in psychiatry. Psychiatrists can become board-certified by clearing a written and oral examination conducted by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Some psychiatrists may choose to specialize in a subspecialty of psychiatry by doing a fellowship program that can last one to two years, depending on the focus area.
What are the different subspecialties in psychiatry?
Psychiatrists can take up a fellowship in the following accredited subspecialties recognized by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME):
- Geriatric psychiatry (treating the elderly)
- Pediatric psychiatry (treating children and adolescents)
- Addiction psychiatry
- Pain medicine
- Sleep medicine
- Forensic psychiatry (treating patients under the correctional or legal system)
- Consultation-liaison psychiatry (treating patients with complex psychiatric and medical issues)
- Hospice and palliative medicine (treating seriously ill patients)
Besides these subspecialties, psychiatrists can also pursue several unaccredited fellowships, such as:
- Reproductive psychiatry: caters to the mental health needs of pregnant and postpartum women.
- Public and community psychiatry: These psychiatrists work with social determinants of health.
- Emergency psychiatry: These psychiatrists work in emergency room settings with patients in crisis.
Further, some psychiatrists train in two or more specialties and treat patients with complex medical and psychiatric issues. For example, they could train in triple board pediatrics, child and adolescent psychiatry, and adult psychiatry. Or they could train in family medicine and psychiatry.
When should one see a psychiatrist?
Your primary care physician or provider may refer you to a psychiatrist. However, you can directly approach a psychiatrist if you need help with a specific condition or even general mental well-being. If the issue negatively affects your life, it is a good reason to seek psychiatric help.
Here are some symptoms you can see a psychiatrist for, and remember that you can always crosscheck with your primary care provider if you are confused.
- Substance abuse or any kind of addiction
- Disturbed or low-quality sleep
- Irrational or excessive fear
- Uncontrollable emotions such as sudden anger
- Recurring risky behavior
- Eating disorders such as bulimia
- Fear of or withdrawal from social situations
- Suicidal or self-harming thoughts
- Deteriorating performance at school or work
- Excessive worry or sadness
What should one expect during the first visit to a psychiatrist?
When visiting a psychiatrist near you for the first time, you must carry all the necessary medical documents and related diagnoses. It is a good idea to list what you want to discuss with the psychiatrist so you do not forget anything during the visit.
You should also carry a list of your medications, including prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Explaining new symptoms or changes to existing ones will help the psychiatrist make a better diagnosis. The psychiatrist will inquire when your problem began and what may have caused it to aggravate. They will ask about your and your family’s physical and mental health medical history.
The psychiatrist will eventually be able to diagnose the problem or condition and prepare a treatment plan. They will discuss the same with you, and if you have any doubts, you can ask them for an explanation. You could also ask your psychiatrist about other treatment options and how long the recommended treatment will take.
Find the best psychiatrists near you in Reston, Virginia
It is essential to seek treatment for a mental health illness, even though it can be overwhelming to do so. A psychiatrist can make a precise diagnosis and recommend possible courses of action. They have up-to-date knowledge of research, drugs, and other treatment modalities and are authorities in their field. Ideally, you and your psychiatrist should decide on the best course of treatment together.
But all of this is only possible if you can first find a suitable psychiatrist for yourself. And with so many options available these days, it may seem like a difficult task. However, Zocdoc can help you easily access certified medical specialists from the comfort of your home. To avoid the hassles of having to travel to a hospital or clinical facility, you can also schedule a virtual appointment or an in-person consultation with a psychiatrist near you via Zocdoc.
To start looking, simply visit the website and enter your condition/symptoms, location, and insurance plan. Then, you will get an extensive list of top-rated psychiatrists in and around your location, say, Reston, Virginia, and you can narrow down your search further. Make use of specific criteria, such as gender, time of day, hospital affiliation, languages spoken by the doctor, whether or not a provider sees children, and more.
Also, on Zocdoc, you can avoid the inconvenience of having to pay from your own pocket by connecting with in-network providers who accept your insurance plan. You can do this by selecting your insurance company and plan from the drop-down menu on the homepage.
To help you make an informed decision, each psychiatrist’s educational background, including their professional training, credentials, licenses, accolades, and accreditations, is listed on Zocdoc. You can find this information in the profile section for each provider listed on the platform. To assist you in choosing the ideal psychiatrist, Zocdoc also offers verified reviews and ratings from past patients.
Once you are done finalizing a psychiatrist, you can book an appointment during office hours, before 10 a.m., after 5 p.m., or even on weekends, depending on their availability.
The best part is that booking appointments on Zocdoc is quick, secure, and 100% free!
Statistics on psychiatrists in Virginia and the conditions they treat
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were around 560 psychiatrists practicing in Virginia as of May 2021.
Psychiatrists often treat addictions such as smoking or conditions such as depression. According to America’s Health Rankings, in 2021, about 19.6% of adults in Virginia reported having a depressive disorder, including depression, major depression, and minor depression or dysthymia. Women (24.7%) were more likely to be depressed than men (14.3%). The condition’s incidence was highest at 23.4% in those aged 18 to 44. The percentage was lower in those aged 45 to 64 (18%) and those 65 and above (14.1%).
Further, about 12.4% of adults in the state had smoked at least a hundred cigarettes in their lifetime. They also admitted to smoking daily or on some days in 2021. Men (13.4%) were more likely to smoke than women (11.5%), and those aged 45 to 64 had the highest number of smokers at around 15.5%. The percentage was lower in those aged 18 to 44 (12.3%) and those 65 and above (8.1%).
Psychiatrists can also treat frequent mental distress. In 2021, about 14.7% of adults in Virginia reported their mental health was not good for 14 or more days in the past 30 days. Women (18.2%) were more likely to be diagnosed with frequent mental distress than men (10.9%). Those aged 18 to 44 (18.9%) had the highest likelihood of being diagnosed with frequent mental distress. Notably, the percentage was lower in those aged 45 to 64 (13.7%) and those 65 and above (7%).
Sources
Cleveland Clinic[1]
American Psychiatric Association[1]
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
America’s Health Rankings[1]
America’s Health Rankings[2]
America’s Health Rankings[3]
Mayo Clinic[1]
Mayo Clinic[2]
Mayo Clinic[3]
Cleveland Clinic[2]
Cleveland Clinic[3]
Cleveland Clinic[4]
American Psychiatric Association[2]
