hello all, I talked to my psychiatrist today for the first time, he’s really good and i feel very happy with this. something that threw me off was the thought that i was going in for a full psych evaluation, i thought i was going to be tested and asked questions about different parts of my mental health, as well as family history and all that. i dont think it was a psych evaluation because none of this happened, i was not assessed or tested or asked questions, no diagnostic anything. i think this was more of like an introduction to everything, getting my therapist established as well as a separate psychologist to do all the tests. the session was overall pretty ok but i brought my mom since i tend to be forgetful and she wanted to have some stuff to say, and she sort of talked over me which was ok in the end, the psychiatrist didnt really give me any questions or ‘guidelines’ to follow for talking, just told me i could say whatever i felt like sharing and i didnt really understand what he wanted to hear, but in the end i was able to talk about my different stuff and we’re gonna set up some developmental assessments with adhd and autism, as well as the assessments for depression and anxiety.
i was also perscribed lexapro and im going to start taking it tomorrow, i hope this goes well for me. i think ill update here regularly about the meds and also my improvements with therapy and how i feel about stuff.
i do have a question though. would another psychiatrist ask questions about me and where im at? i felt like i had absolutely nothing to go off of and what he wanted to know about me, not because he didnt seem interested but just because he made it seem like i could share anything at all, which was too open ended for me i guess? i probably shouldve asked for some questions but i felt very anxious, also with my mom there and all i felt nervous about that.
alright, thats all for tonight, bye (:
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This is so huge! How are you feeling about it all?
Are you feeling relieved about it?
I totally feel you about not having any guidelines to follow.
I’m someone who needs prompting to know where to end up. Perhaps they could have asked some questions to help prompt you with talking about things.
Are you seeing him again at all? Because perhaps this could be something to address.
Even if you just let him know “I’d find it helpful if there were questions to answer so I know what to talk about and address”.
I’m looking forward to hearing more!
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Hi Graciee,
I’m so glad your appointment went well. It is not unusual for the 1st appointment to be a little uneventful as it tends to be more of an intake period and a time for you and the therapist to both dip your toes in the water as it were.
My suggestion is when you go to your appointment, perhaps share that this process is very new to you and you would like some suggestions on what might be a good place to start. They are there for you and should be happy to help.
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hi graciee,
i’m so happy to read how the psychiatrist appointment went. i agree that it feels more like an introduction session but i look forward to you following up with the additional assessments - i hope this brings you clarity and direction in knowing more about yourself! i wish you the best of luck in trying lexapro. i know you posted this update 10 days ago so hopefully things are going well! i’m glad you feel comfortable here to share how your journey is going to find the help you deserve. how are things going lately?
as for your question, if your psychiatrist asks you open-ended questions again, it wouldn’t hurt to ask for more specific questions as you want to get the most value out of your session without struggling to find an answer yourself. i encourage you to be your own advocate because you know yourself best! and if having your mom there for this next session adds any extra anxiety, maybe she could sit in the waiting room for part of it that doesn’t require notes? hope to hear from you soon, graciee! you’re working through amazing progress!!
love,
twix
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