How do I see a psychiatrist?

LegacyUser

I am having a tough time recently and would like to see a psychiatrist. I was hoping someone might be able to point me in the right direction. Do I need to be referred by a GP? And if so, do I simply request and they refer or do they need to feel that in their opinion I really need it?

Thank you.

Fakediamond

Talk to your G.P. As with any illness, your G.P. will ask some questions and assess your needs. S/he will refer you on if necessary.

Penny Tration

You talk to your GP first.

Tell them that you've been feeling down/anxious/however you've been feeling, you think there's something wrong and you'd like some help.

Your GP will ask questions about your mood, eating patterns, sleeping patterns, hobbies, friends, family, all basic stuff so don't worry.

From there, he or she will tell you what they think you need. Generally if they believe you have depression or another mental health problem, they'll then refer you to a psychiatrist, and in some cases prescribe a low dose of medication to even out your emotions until the psychiatric appointment, as there can be several weeks of waiting for the first appointment.


It's not too bad or too scary. Good luck.

Esel

If you feel it is serious enough (for example having suicidal thoughts) you can go to the Accident & Emergency department of any hospital. They would normally have a psychiatric registrar on duty.

antix80

You can receive counselling for a lot less without a referral. Eur50 an hour or even less in some places that operate a sliding scale or use student counsellors.

Psychiatrists are doctors and will charge a lot more. But your gp can prescribe meds also.

First port of call is your gp. If you visit a and e without a referral and don'thave a medical card you'll be charged eur100

LegacyUser

Esel wrote: »

If you feel it is serious enough (for example having suicidal thoughts) you can go to the Accident & Emergency department of any hospital. They would normally have a psychiatric registrar on duty.

Hang on. That's not quite good advice.
A&E is not an appropriate place to show up if you feel a bit down or angry or whatever.
Your GP is your first port of call, even if you are feeling suicidal, as presumably you are looking for help. If the GP feels you need specialist advice they can refer you to local services urgently and you ought to be seen within a week, depending on the urgency.
Sorry if I sound a bit short but I am a psychiatrist and our A&Es are overrun with people having emotional difficulties because they are under the impression that emotional instability is an emergency. It's an abuse of tertiary specialist oncall services, in my opinion, unless you have a major mental illness like schizophrenia or bipolar affective disorder.

Penny Tration

vivgrey wrote: »

Hang on. That's not quite good advice.
A&E is not an appropriate place to show up if you feel a bit down or angry or whatever.
Your GP is your first port of call, even if you are feeling suicidal, as presumably you are looking for help. If the GP feels you need specialist advice they can refer you to local services urgently and you ought to be seen within a week, depending on the urgency.
Sorry if I sound a bit short but I am a psychiatrist and our A&Es are overrun with people having emotional difficulties because they are under the impression that emotional instability is an emergency. It's an abuse of tertiary specialist oncall services, in my opinion, unless you have a major mental illness like schizophrenia or bipolar affective disorder.

The poster said if OP has suicidal thoughts, to go to A&E, not just if they're feeling down.


If someone feels suicidal and isn't already engaging with the mental health services, A&E is EXACTLY where they should go!