Finding A Good Psychiatric Provider
There are numerous obstacles for finding psychiatric care today much less good psychiatric care.
Not only is it challenging to find someone who has availability, when you do it’s important that it is someone you feel comfortable with, trust and feel a fit with. So, how do you find not only a psychiatric provider but a “good” fit for you?
What Questions To Ask When Exploring Your Fit
Let’s first qualify “good.” This is subjective based on your priorities and what you are looking for in a psychiatric provider. When you are exploring what a “good” fit would be for you here’s some questions to ask yourself (this list is not exhaustive):
What quality is most important for the psychiatric provider to have?
What type of communication style do you hear, feel safe, grow with, respond to, and feel empowered by?
Do you feel comfortable and safe in their presence?
Do you feel heard and seen during your interactions?
Does their age, gender or cultural background matter to you?
Does it matter to you what they have experience with?
Do you have a good understanding of their approach in diagnosis, medication management and psychotherapy?
How long are their visits?
What is their reputation in the community or with their colleagues?
What Separates The Average From Exceptional?
There is a lovely article titled The Secrets of Super Shrinks by Dr. Scott D. Miller, who is a researcher and teacher. He has studied and researched in depth what separates average or mediocre treatment from exceptional treatment. The whole article is fascinating but it can be simply summarized as, a person seeking psychiatric or mental health care should be able to confidently say that:
My psychiatric provider listens to me. We have a good connection/fit.
I believe my psychiatric provider can/is helping me.
Additionally, it’s been found that one of the key qualities in a good provider is not necessarily empathy, kindness or intellect it’s — curiosity. An article in Scientific American titled What Single Quality Predicts A Good Doctor by Llana Yurkiewicz explores this concept.
Truly curious people go beyond science into art, history, literature, and language as part of the practice of medicine. Both the science and the art of medicine are advanced by curiosity.
The book How Doctor’s Think describes that the best diagnosticians (those who come up with the most accurate diagnosis and treatment plans) ask not only more questions but the right questions. They are curious! They ask the questions that elicit the patient’s true story. So, another question we can add to the list above in exploring your fit with a psychiatric provider is:
Are they genuinely curious about me and my story?
Overall, what qualities you need in order to have a good fit with someone is unique to you and only you. If you’ve had care before that went well or didn’t, take some time to reflect on that relationship and write down what worked or didn’t. Start to develop your parameters for what a “good” psychiatric provider would look and feel like for you.
Red Flags For Psychiatric Providers
Your psychiatric provider has a prescription (medication) solution to every symptom or problem you bring up.
You are unable to reach them between visits.
Your psychiatric provider never asks about your quality of sleep.
The only options for care/treatment provided are medications. There are no additional suggestions of therapy, lifestyle changes, behavioral modification skills, sleep hygiene, nutritional changes, or stress modulation.
Your medications are not explained to you.
Other medical reasons for your symptoms are not considered or talked about.
You only offered medication options that are brand name or the “latest, greatest” instead of well researched generic options.
Your psychiatric provider cuts you off when you bring up critical issues and defers to “that sounds like something you need to talk with your therapist about.”
Your psychiatric provider is unwilling to connect and collaborate with your therapist.
You have consistent issues getting timely refills (and you didn’t have refills waiting at the pharmacy).
You first visit is less than 50 minutes. How are they supposed to get your full story in less?
Your follow-up visits last 5-10 minutes.
You don’t feel comfortable or safe in their presence.
Summary
You deserve to share your story, concerns and fears in a safe space. You deserve to feel not only comfortable with your psychiatric provider but feel a good therapeutic relationship exists between you two. Hopefully this post and the resources within help you to explore what “good fit” means and looks like to you.
If we have the opportunity to explore our fit together, I encourage you to bring your list of questions you have for me. Know what you need out of a psychiatric provider and ask me questions to assess if I would be a good fit for you. Know that it’s ok if we are not. Maybe I can suggest other colleagues who may be a better fit based on your needs. And, if we are a good fit always know I am committed to being first and foremost curious about you and your story.
