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Where to go for diagnosis?

  • 07-03-2015 3:19pm
    #1
    bergsteiger
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1 ✭


    Hi,

    I writing this because a person that is close to me fears he might suffer from bipolar disorder. Where would one go for a diagnosis?

    I don't like the thought of going to the GP with something major like this. The GP he went to before about panic attacks just prescribed him a random SSRI which made some things even worse.

    Where I'm from, you'd go straight to a consultant psychiatrist, who in my country is a medical doctor. Here in Ireland, some counsellors seem to be called psychiatrists as well and they are not medical doctors but have qualifications in Psychology. I am a bit confused who to contact. He is not looking for counselling at the moment as that hasn't helped much in the past. He's looking for a doctor that can give him a reliable diagnosis and prescribe the right medicine.

    Thanks!


Comments

  • #2
    JuliusCaesar
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,885 ✭✭✭JuliusCaesar


    A psychiatrist is a medical doctor. Nobody other than a medical doctor with specialised training in psychiatry is allowed call themselves a psychiatrist.

    A GP can refer your friend to a psychiatrist.

    He can attend a psychiatrist in the local mental health services (HSE) free of charge; or he can use his health insurance if he has it, to attend a private psychiatrist.

    At worst, if he is feeling really bad, he can go to A&E and be seen by the liason psychiatrist there.

    There's a whole sticky where the differences between the various mental health professions is explained.


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