Qualities of a Good Psychiatrist

Different physical and mental problems require specific skills set to diagnose and treat. Unlike medical conditions, identifying and fixing mental illnesses is not simple. Psychiatry is the branch of medicine that deals with various mind-related disease. The medical doctor who specializes in psychiatry is called psychiatrist. If a person is facing a serious mental illness, she or he has to find a good psychiatrist to fix it. This article discusses the qualities that a person should see in a psychiatrist to get a mental issue solved.

If you are struggling with a mental problem and want to say goodbye to it, this topic is for you.

Psychiatry and Psychiatrist

According to an (APA) American Psychiatric Association;

“Psychiatry is a branch of medicine focused on the treatment, diagnosis, & prevention of an emotional, behavioral and mental disorders.” It is different from psychology; therapies and medications are used here to treat a problem”.

“The medical Doctor (a D.O. or M.D.) who specializes in the mental health is known as psychiatrist, including substance use disorders.” They are eligible to assess the physical and mental aspects of many psychological problems”.

Qualities of a Good Psychiatrist

In order to diagnose and treat effectively, a psychiatrist needs to have some essential skills and qualities. Here are the top 8 qualities a good psychiatrist must have:

1. Is Accessible

While some professionals only provide his or her office’s number phone number, a caring psychiatrist shares her or his number with the patient so that direct contact could be made. But in some situations a psychiatrist cannot share his personal contact number with you; so they share their email address or the link of another social profile; and reply if a patient asks something.

2. Gives Hope

Staying hopeful is of utmost importance for the patient and practitioner because some mental problems take enough time to fully get cured. The health of our mind is also depend on the thinking of a person; if a person thinks always negative about his mental or physical health, it can be damage his mental condition. Psychiatrist need to convert his thinking from negative to positive; and it is possible with the help of hope. A good psychiatrist always gives hope to a patient no matter how annoying that person is.

3. Possesses Some Humility

Humility is an important skill for all ranks within the medical profession. Medical schools do not ask students to develop humility as an essential skill but it always helps psychiatrists. However, being too much supportive and caring may not help. If your psychiatrist has personality traits such as care, humility, humbleness, politeness, she or he may be a good doctor for your mental problem.

4. Prescribes Judiciously

If your psychiatrist does not listen to you completely or just gives a short time to speak, she or he may not be able to get to the root of the problem. A good psychiatrist, on the other hand, takes enough time to see all aspects of the problem and then prescribe medication and therapy. He or she ask different questions about your condition to know the exact problem that you are facing.

5. Refers to Other Doctors

Having proper training and experience is necessary to cure a mental problem. A psychiatrist will refer you to another doctor if she or he is not able to handle it well. While finding a good psychiatrist, you should see if your doctor has treated that condition before or not.

6. Thinks Holistically

Some mental problems are linked to the lifestyle, diet, sleep patterns, and similar aspects of a person’s life. A good psychiatrist looks at all sides of the picture and asks enough questions to know the root causes of the problem. Oftentimes, no medication or therapy is required, changing lifestyle or diet will be enough. Good psychiatrist don’t waste your money if the problem can be solve without any medicine.

7. Keeps Good Records

Some psychiatrists do not maintain a patient’s diagnosis and treatment history. As a result, they will ask all the things each time you show up. This practice can waste the patient’s and doctor’s time and hurt the effectiveness of the treatment. A good psychiatrist not only maintains your record, she or he always remember you and your problem. They saved the details of each person in the computer; and that information can be seen by just type the name of that patient. As we know that the technology is rising very fast; so hospital have their own websites and they maintain the patient records on their site. The medical history about the patient can be accessible by entering the username of the patient.

8. Consults Other Physicians

A good psychiatrist do not mind consulting other physicians to treat your issue properly. You can also ask to the psychiatrist about the list of good psychiatrists in your area; or he may refer you to the best one that he/she already know.

Finding a Good Psychiatrist: The Last Word

Psychiatrist can be find easily in any area but the question is how can we find a good one, you just need to do some research in your area; and find the above qualities in the psychiatrist. This article discusses the qualities that a person should see in a psychiatrist to get a mental issue solved. If you are struggling with a mental problem and want to say goodbye to it, this topic can help you to find suitable mental health professional. If you are still looking for more answers, you should do some more research online and consider contacting the nearest clinic to check the profile of your mental health professional. Hope you find the psychiatrist that understands your problem and easily fixes it.

Author Bio:

The author loves to write about physical and mental illnesses. She lives in Atlanta with her short family of 3. She also works with a local magazine where her role involves covering important mental disorder cases solved by the best psychiatrist.