Psychiatry

If you are experiencing severe symptoms of a mental health disorder, you may require the intervention of a psychiatry team. These symptoms may include:

• Confusion
• Deep sadness
• Delusions
• Extreme mood swings
• Hallucinations
• Overwhelming worry
• Paranoia
• Suicide attempts

Not all mental health symptoms warrant psychiatric treatment. You may be able to find improvement by working with a licensed social worker, a mental health counselor or a psychologist. If you need additional help, you may be referred to a psychiatrist by a psychologist or your primary care provider (PCP).

Visiting a Psychiatrist’s Office

When you begin working with a psychiatrist, the doctor will perform a series of assessments to learn more about your mental health. Getting your blood analyzed or completing other lab work may help the doctor learn about physical factors that may contribute to your condition.

The doctor will also talk to you about your experiences. Understanding how you perceive your thoughts and actions can provide important clues about your psychiatric needs.

The data that the doctor gathers will serve as a basis for forming a diagnosis. Once your mental health condition has been identified, a treatment plan can be established.

Psychiatric Disorders

Psychiatrists are aware of many different mental, emotional and behavioral health disorders. Evaluations and examinations can help determine whether you have one or more of these conditions.

Your mental health diagnosis may include:

• Bipolar disorder
• Borderline personality disorder
• Depression
• Generalized anxiety disorder
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Narcissistic personality disorder
• Panic disorder
• Phobias
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Schizophrenia
• Social anxiety disorder
• Eating Disorder

Determining the cause of your mental health symptoms is important because the diagnosis will shape the course of your treatment plan.

Treatments for Psychiatric Conditions

Because psychiatrists are doctors with medical degrees, they can offer treatments that aren’t available to other mental health professionals.

For one thing, they are able to see your care needs from a unique perspective because they are trained to treat both the body and the mind. This allows doctors to consider ways that your physical and mental health interact with one another.

In addition, psychiatrists can prescribe medication to help reduce your symptoms. Some prescription drugs work by balancing the levels of important chemicals in your brain. Your doctor will continue to monitor your health while you are on psychiatric medication.

Prescription drugs used in psychiatric treatment may include:

• Antidepressants
• Antipsychotics
• Mood stabilizers
• Stimulants

You may take prescription medication in conjunction with a variety of other treatments for your mental health disorder.

Therapy is another common approach to improving mental health. You could attend individual sessions or be referred for psychological  testing. During therapy, you may learn tools for redirecting your thoughts or adjusting your behavior as you go about your everyday life. Psychiatrists or other mental health professionals can conduct therapy.

Patients respond to treatments in different ways. What works well for someone else with the same diagnosis might not be as effective for you. Successfully improving your mental health will require keeping in close contact with your doctor and being willing to adjust medications or other treatment approaches as needed.

Psychiatric Services at LISH

People of all ages can benefit from psychiatric services. At LISH, we provide this type of care for children and adults. We also have specialists with expert knowledge about psychiatric care during the senior years.

The fields of psychiatry and neurology often intersect. Our medical team includes specialists in both of these areas. In fact, the wide range of healthcare services that we offer at LISH allows our psychiatric team to work closely with many of your other medical providers.

Psychiatric care is available at several LISH facilities throughout the region.

Schedule Your Appointment for Psychiatric Care

Psychiatrists provide medical care for people with mental health disorders. Your mental, emotional or behavioral symptoms may require the intervention of a psychiatric healthcare provider.

By working with your psychiatrist and following the prescribed treatment plan, you may be able to reduce your symptoms and improve your relationships with the people around you.

For psychiatric services on Long Island, contact LISH. Our central office phone number is (631) 650-2510, and our online contact form offers another option for reaching us.