The main difference between psychiatrists vs psychologist is the way they approach treatment.
Psychologists are focused on treating disorders through psychotherapy. Fixed sessions are held, usually weekly, in which the professional seeks to use conversations in a welcoming atmosphere, respect and emotional intimacy with his patient.
The idea is to seek to understand the causes that led to mental illness, improving their quality of life, allowing the patient to get to know each other better and be able to develop socially and personally. In the case of psychiatric disorders, the psychologist makes the referral to the responsible professional.
The psychiatrist, on the other hand, also holds regular meetings with his patients every month. The use of medication is the main form of treatment, and at each meeting, the condition is assessed and possible medication adjustments are made. The psychiatrist’s objective is to provide an improvement in the quality of life in the short and medium-term, making use of the prescription of medicines, when necessary.
The psychiatrist is an essential professional for society, especially nowadays. Stress and the way people lead their lives today are increasingly responsible for the emergence of mental disorders, which makes psychiatry very important.
There is probably a specific reason you are turning to a psychiatrist. Often these are very personal things that you would normally not talk about openly. Many people find it difficult to formulate their problem and get to the point – almost at the push of a button. You may also be ashamed and do not want to address some things directly.
If you’d rather avoid addressing your problem specifically or have concerns about confiding it to a stranger: no false shame. There’s probably nothing your psychiatrist hasn’t heard in one form or another. So there is no reason not to say unpleasant things too. Everything that is said remains confidential. So you don’t have to be embarrassed, your psychiatrist has probably known these problems for many years.
Patients usually feel stressed by their problems. So it makes sense to talk about it at the first contact. Just tell me what is important to you. If the psychiatrist has any questions afterward, he will ask them carefully and empathically. Its aim is to get as complete a picture of your situation as possible.
So, psychiatric treatment is recommended in the following cases:
Severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia
Mood disorders
Drug Addiction
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Depression
Bipolarity
Anxiety
It is very important to get information from reliable and scientific sources. We can, for example, listen to the news or we can read the recommendations of the authorities, posted on their official pages. We need to know how to protect ourselves and how to protect our loved ones, but to do this it is enough to inform ourselves once or twice a day. It is not recommended that the news always run in the background. If we have children, they must be specially protected from this information in the media. It is important and correct to explain the current situation to them in a language they can understand, but without alarming them.
Let’s do sports, even at home
Physical activity helps reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression, as multiple scientific studies have shown. How does this happen? As we exercise and immediately after, our brain secretes more dopamine and serotonin – important neurotransmitters for our well-being.
Physical activity also leads to an improvement in blood flow and an increase in oxygen levels in the brain. Exercising helps us feel full of energy and optimism, improves our sleep quality, helps us have more confidence in ourselves and, last but not least, strengthens our immune system.
Let’s learn to breathe properly
Another important thing we can do is learn to breathe properly. When we feel anxiety, we are often in a state of hyperventilation – in which we breathe more alert, jerkier and more superficial. A healthy, abdominal breath helps us reduce anxiety and depression, increase our energy levels, strengthen our immune system and reduce blood pressure.
Breathing and mindfulness techniques
There are breathing techniques that can help when you feel anxiety or even a panic attack. We can, for example, count to 4 as we breathe, hold our breath for 1 second and then count to 5 as we exhale. During inspiration, it is the abdomen that must increase its volume, not the chest. If we do this exercise for 5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes in the evening, we will feel much calmer after only a few days.
Also, at the time of an anxiety or panic attack, to recover we can try the following mindfulness technique, which works: 5-4-3-2-1: to identify around us at that exact moment, 5 things on which we see, 4 things we can feel, touch, 3 things we hear around us, 2 things we can smell and 1 thing we can taste (water, candy, etc.).
This technique shifts our attention to things in the external environment, to distract us from the negative emotions we feel at that moment and from unhealthy patterns of thinking.
If you notice that anxiety increases in frequency and intensity and affects your normal life or if you notice that a family member is particularly anxious for a longer period of time, it is very important to ask for help. This condition, as well as depression, is not one that we can solve on our own, is very important to remember.
Also, such a condition does not mean that there is something wrong with us and we are not the only ones who face anxiety and depression during this period, which is why medical help is valuable. Call a psychiatrist or psychotherapist, discuss the things you are going through, bring to light the emotions that affect you negatively, to solve them and to be able to enjoy life.