Seeing a psychologist?


Question:
So my physician told me to see a psychologist to get evaluated for ADHD, and discuss depression/anxiety. She said that the psychologist could call her with the results and she could prescribe meds if necessary. Is that normal? Honestly, I want the drugs. I don't mind getting evaluated and all, but I'm not trying to get better without the drugs. Just being honest. Some people have told me I should just see a psychiatrist because they can prescribe the drugs. I'm confused.

Answers:
A psychologist cannot prescribe any medications. Their degree is a PhD. Only somebody with an MD can do that, so it's a regular doctor or a psychiatrist for prescription meds.

A psychologist will evaluate you for ADHD, then refer you to a psychiatrist for medication.
Do what you like, if you would rather see a Psychiatrist then make an appointment if you feel better with your Physician prescribing you meds and a Psychologist evaluating you then go with that. A Psychologist cannot prescribe you meds but they do go more in depth in the study of Psychology Psychiatrists have medical school then psychiatric training. Sometimes people feel like Psychologists understand more but sometimes it is not a matter of fact of knowledge of the mind sometimes one professional sees something and and others sees something different. So go with what you feel best or try each and go with the one you think is better.
a physchiatrist is an md who can prescribe drugs. a physcologist is a phd. who cant prescribe drugs. usually your insurance plan will cover both, one for therapy and one for the rx. if your lucky your insurance will cover the md for both.goodluck;)michele
your a idiot drugs are bad for you and you psycho
Your physician can prescribe you psychotropic medicine. Some primary care/family docs don't feel comfortable doing that, while others are okay with it. It sounds like your doctor is okay with it. I would suggest going to a psychiatrist if your doctor has a hard time finding a med/dose that works for you. Primary care/family docs don't get a lot of psychiatric experience in their training, that's why most people just go to a psychiatrist for meds. My family doctor started out prescribing my antidepressants, but when it became apparent that my depression was rather resistant to everything he tried, he suggested I go to a psychiatrist so maybe I could go on a combination of different meds. He said he just didn't feel comfortable trying to prescribe combinations to me and I appreciated his honesty. My advice would be to go to your regular doctor if she is okay with prescribing for you...if it gets to a point where you need more specialized help, then ask her (or your psychologist) to refer you to a psychiatrist. Hope this helps.
Go talk to the psychologist first. It will be good for you to at least begin to develop a relationship with a psychologist. Just go and tell the psychologist all of this. That you're a little confused and you aren't really sure what you should do. They can help you figure out the best course of action probably better than any of us could. That's my suggestion is just go and discuss all of this with a psychologist and then decide where to go from there.
I started off seeing a psychiatrist for my bipolar first, and then after time he recommended to me that I see a psychologist.

Most psychiatrist will have thier staff ask you qustions before seeing you to evaluate your condition (all 3 I have been did, this may just be coincidence, i dunno). My psychiatrist also wanted to know who diagnosed me (My reg practitioner suggested the diagnoses and sent me to him).

I am currently seeing both. Psychologist for talk therapy (controling anger, dealing with anxiety/paranoia) and Psychiatrist for my meds and for monitoring of my condition.
The main difference between a psychiatrist and psychologist is a psychiatrist can prescribe medication, a psychologist can not. What you have said is perfectly normal, your physician wouldn't feel comfortable prescribing the medication for mental disorders such as ADHD, depression or anxiety because he's not qualified to diagnose it, hence he has to refer you to a psychologist for diagnosis, then he can treat you.
A psychologist can not prescribe medication, If you go to one for an evaluation and they decided that you need treatment they will probably recommend a psychiatrist who is a medical doctor specializing in psychology. The psychiatrist will work with the psychologist to make sure that you get the medications that you need and they will work together to make sure that you're being monitored with the medicine. My therapist is my psychiatrist so he already keeps a close eye on my medication, But I also see a psychologist and as they work together it's easy for everyone to stay on the same page. You want the attention of both of them to make sure that you're getting the best treatment that you can get. IF you get medication from your primary physician and the psychologist doesn't know her/him they may have more of a problem keeping track of the medications and possible side effects.
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