I want to seek professional help for my mental health. Do I consult a psychiatrist first and then they refer me to a therapist? What’s the process? Also I was looking at this site [nepalmentalhealth.com](https://nepalmentalhealth.com) . There are various categories? How do I know what I need?
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I suggest you book a psychologist first. They will diagnose you. If they feel like you need medical attention for your mental health, they will inform you to see a psychiatrist.
Both deal with mental health, but the approach is different.
Psychologists talk to you, gives you suggestions and advices to tackle your mental health. Psychiatrists might prescribe medicines. Sometimes both of those professions have different approaches to the same problem.
Welp if ya meds, go to a psychiatrist, if ya need therapy to to a psychologist. My advice is go to a psychologist and take a CBT first and then go for the meds.
Honestly bhanne ho bhane dubai chahinchha. Meds for the chemical shits and therapy for behavioural help and venting. For example
meds help you sleep better and reduce the consistent panicky thing. They make you feel something if ya feeling everything is dull.
Therapy helps you know the trigger for the anxiety and teaches you how to deal with them.
Let me clear some things out.
Psychiatrists are medical professionals. They have studied the anatomy, physiology, pathology etc etc of your nervous system. They have studied MBBS and then Residency in Psychiatry (atleast 8 years in total).
Psychologists are not medical professionals. They are more of a behaviour expert. Their primary job is not to diagnose a condition and treat it (medically). They are better trained to recognize human behavioural patterns and then suggest you things and come up with strategies to deal with it. Their primary goal is to provide a non judgemental and safe environment for an individual to come out with their mental or emotional problems and help with it behaviourally.
Psychiatrists approach it differently. Some mental health issues are pathological meaning it’s a form of disease that needs to be treated. They might not just be a behavioural thing. They are trained to diagnose such diseases as well as suggest you with behavioural changes
To put it into context, Anxiety attacks and related disorders can be treated very effectively by a psychiatrist but not necessarily by a psychologist. Similarly intrusive thoughts and impulsive behaviour may be more effectively treated by a psychologist.
IMPORTANT: One thing you need to keep in mind is that a Psychologist’s diagnosis is SUBJECTIVE because their diagnosis requires an interpretation of patient’s statement but a Psychiatrist’s diagnosis is much more objective because there may be tests involved.
How about psychics?