A psychiatric intake appointment is the first session you will have with your psychiatrist.
Why Do I Have Such a Long First Appointment?
This first appointment typically runs for about 45-60 minutes in length. Like virtually every other medical specialist, your psychiatrist needs more time during the first appointment to get to know you and your history. This is probably the most important appointment you will have with your psychiatrist. The psychiatrist’s main objective is to come up with a diagnosis for what may be going on with you. The diagnosis they arrive at will determine the medication and treatment they choose for you. Psychiatrists don’t want to waste your time or money. They want to get it right the first time so appropriate treatment can begin right away, and relief can be achieved as soon as possible. The information you supply to your psychiatrist is vital and needs to be as accurate as possible.
What is the Psychiatrist Asking that Takes so Long?
Psychiatrists will be asking dozens of questions in a number of different areas of your life. They will first ask you why you are here and want to hear your insights and perspectives as to what you think may be going on. After all, you have been living and dealing with the problems, so you know better than anyone about what you are experiencing. Based on what you tell them, and the psychiatrist formulation of symptoms you report, they will start narrowing down possible diagnoses. They will be asking you about a variety of symptoms to determine if a particular diagnosis is fitting.
More broadly, they will also want to know some general information about you, so they have a broader context. They will ask about your occupation, education, financial or legal stressors, family and relationships as well as any stressors related to them. The psychiatrist will spend a great deal of time getting a very thorough medical history from you to include previous treatments and medications, what worked or didn’t, and family medical history and what medications other family members may have taken and whether they worked. Gathering this information beforehand can be very helpful to your psychiatrist. Genetics plays a big role in many mental health disorders and also plays a role in medications. Often a medication that worked for a close family member is likely to work well for you too.
Is Every Appointment Going to be an Hour?
After the initial intake, typically your psychiatrist will prescribe a medication and then ask you see you back in a month to check in and see how you are tolerating the medication and if you are getting relief. Follow-up appointments are typically 30 minutes. They will ask you about side effects and make decisions about adjusting the dose of the medication or switching to another medication based on what you report. It is important to take your medication everyday and pay attention to things you notice whether positive or negative so you can report this to your psychiatrist. The information you provide will guide the next steps. After the medication is working well and no further changes are needed, follow-up appointments often get shorter and are less frequent.
If you are interested in working with one of our psychiatrists, feel free to contact IPC so you can schedule an appointment. Please call us now at 763-416-4167, or request an appointment on our website: WWW.IPC-MN.COM so we can sit down with you and complete a thorough assessment and help you develop a plan of action that will work for you. Life is too short to be unhappy. Find the peace of mind you deserve.
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