Psychiatrist

What is a psychiatrist?

A psychiatrist diagnoses and treats mental health, behavioral, and developmental disorders. These conditions can be challenging because very few laboratory tests exist that can help in their diagnosis. Instead, a psychiatrist must use their specialist knowledge and experience to decide what’s causing your symptoms.

To make things even more complicated, mental health problems affect people differently. For instance, some patients with depression have insomnia and struggle to sleep, while others develop hypersomnia — sleeping too much.

Psychiatric patients frequently have more than one mental health problem at the same time. They may also have physical health conditions that add to the complexity of their diagnosis and treatment. With all these factors to take into account, psychiatrists must have exceptional skills to help their patients.

What conditions do psychiatrists treat?

Psychiatrists treat a wide range of mental health disorders. Some of the most common include:

Depression

Depression causes persistent feelings of hopelessness, despair, worthless, and guilt that are impossible to shake off.

Anxiety

Anxiety disorders make you feel chronic stress and intense fear or dread. Some conditions, like phobias, focus on a specific object or experience, while generalized anxiety disorder encompasses almost every aspect of your life.

Substance abuse and addiction

Substance abuse, including misuse of alcohol, prescription medicines, and illegal drugs, triggers mental health disorders and worsens existing psychiatric conditions.

Behavioral disorders

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) are examples of conditions that affect behavior. They typically start in childhood and can seriously affect a child’s progress in school and life in general.

Developmental disorders

Developmental problems like autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have varying effects depending on where you are on the spectrum. Lack of empathy, poor social skills, and having little or no understanding of social norms are just a few symptoms of ASD.

The psychiatric professionals at ADHD Institute of Michigan specialize in helping people with anxiety and behavioral disorders. They use advanced diagnostics like Cambridge Brain Sciences psychological assessments that you can complete at home and offer secure telehealth appointments.

What treatments does a psychiatrist use?

Psychiatrists use two primary treatments, talk therapy and medication. Talking about your feelings and the issues you face with a non-judgmental professional can be of great benefit.

Psychiatrists use medications to complement your talk therapy. The ADHD Institute of Michigan team helps you find the combination of treatments that works best for you.

If you want the best care for psychiatric conditions like anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, call ADHD Institute of Michigan or book an in-person or telehealth appointment online today.