According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly one in 5 Americans live with mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other psychological disorders.
If you’re one of them, making the decision to ask for help with your behaviors, feelings, and relationships can be difficult. However, finding a psychiatrist may be your first and most important step toward feeling better.
Here are some tips to find the right psychiatrist for you.
Tip#1 Get Referrals and Recommendations
Start your search for a good psychiatrist by requesting a referral list from your primary care provider, insurance carrier, or other medical professionals. You can also add to this list by asking for recommendations from people around you who have visited a psychiatrist or know someone who has.
For recommendations, your great resource is your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. You can also add to the list by searching “psychiatrist near me” on search engines like google.
Once you’ve got a list of psychiatrists in hand, do some homework to narrow down the list and choose the best one.
Tip#2 Find Out About Your Insurance Coverage
If you can’t pay the full fee of your psychiatry services out of pocket, find a psychiatrist who comes under your plan. Your insurance provider can also provide you with a list of in-network providers.
Your insurance provider’s website is also a great resource for finding psychiatrists that accept your insurance.
Tip#3 Research the Credentials of the Psychiatrist
You want to receive care from a psychiatrist who has received all the necessary training and is equipped with all the skills needed to provide you care. So, it’s important that you check the credentials of your listed psychiatrists to choose the right one for you.
Board certification is an important credential to consider as it informs you that your psychiatrist has the necessary training, skills, and experience to provide you with the best and most compassionate care in psychiatry. You should also make sure that your potential psychiatrist has experience and dedication to staying up to date with the latest evidence-based practices in their field.
You can research your potential psychiatrist’s medical school, training hospital, certification, history of malpractice, and disciplinary action on the license status.
Tip #4 Consider the Experience of the Psychiatrist
The more experienced the psychiatrist is, the better your results are likely to be. So, you should have your mental issue addressed by an experienced psychiatrist.
To find out about the experience of your potential psychiatrist, ask how many patients with your specific condition the doctor has treated. If you need psychiatry procedures, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, biofeedback, or electroconvulsive therapy, find out how many of the procedures like yours the doctor has performed.
Tip#5 Read Patient Reviews
If you want to know what other patients say about the psychiatrist, read patient reviews. Patient reviews can help you find out about the experience of the patients with the psychiatrist, how well patients trust the psychiatrist, and how much time the psychiatrist spends with their patients.
Patient reviews also reflect patients’ experience with scheduling appointments, office environment, wait times, and staff attitude.
Tip #6 Consider the Communication Styles
Interpersonal styles and compatibility are important in establishing a therapeutic relationship.
For this, make a one-on-one consultation with the psychiatrist. During your consultation, notice if the psychiatrist welcomes your question and answers them in an empathetic way. Also, find out if the psychiatrist shows interest in getting to know you if they consider your treatment preferences, and if they respect your decision-making process.
Psychiatrist in Atlanta, GA
If you’re looking for a highly skilled and experienced psychiatrist, look no further. At Chastain Psychiatry, our dual board-certified psychiatrist, Dr. Cody Michael Browning, provides highly compassionate and non-judgmental care for a wide range of psychiatric issues, such as depression, anxiety, trauma-related disorders, and others.
If you would like to make an appointment with our highly experienced psychiatrist, call us today at 404-963-2647.
