Counseling - Minneapolis,MN

I talked to my personal doc and quickly came to realize he had very little knowledge regarding mental health meds.

A doc is fully able to prescribe meds for all sorts of things. I prefer to visit with a psychiatrist about mental health medications. There is no way I want to have a doc give me some meds without them knowing anything about the other choices there might be out there that might have less side effects or that are more effective.

A psychiatrist will always know the current meds plus the older ones and will b able to put your medicine history with what med would work best for you in particular.

If I had any questions about meds then I would have talked to the pharmacist about it.

In the past I saw a psychiatrist for medication and a counselor for therapy. For several years now I'be seen a psychiatric nurse practitioner for med and counseling. He no longer takes my insurance and so I'll be seeing a psychiatric nurse practioner for med and a social worker for counseling.

There are many combinations which will help you. I agree that it's best to see someone in the mental health field and not rely on just your primary care doctor. He can prescribe but you also need to be in counseling to learn new ways of thinking and acting.

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I think it's important to see a psychiatrist for mental health issue, not just your primary physician. Cognitive behavior therapy has been beneficial to many people and you might want to look into that too. You can ask your primary for referrals but as psychiatry is a very unique discipline, and as you are unique too ;), you should go to the pros.

Your primary care physician should be able to refer you to someone who accepts your medical insurance. Explain that you didn't like the last person and want a new referral.

I also suggest you re-post this and put "Osseo MN area" in the TITLE so it gets seen. Not every question goes to every Mamapedia member anyway, but it could get missed without your specific location in the title.

I think most primary care physicians don't have a lot of experience with anxiety and depression issues. You can see a psychiatrist who can prescribe medication as needed, but you can also see any therapist or psychologist who has a relationship with an MD who can prescribe. So you can really see anyone for the therapy part and just give that person permission to share your info and refer you to anyone with whom they collaborate.

I didn't have anxiety but I certainly suffered from clinical depression for many many years, so I understand how overwhelming this can be. Just take the first step and ask for a referral. Mention the claustrophobia issue if you think it will matter what size office you are seen in too.

Make sure that exercise plays a role in your life.