There are a lot of different ways that we can get help for our mental illness or our mental
health problem. If part of your treatment journey takes you to meet a psychiatrist,
what kind of questions would you have? What would you want to know?
Well, today, we are joined by Dr. Sparshu who can help answer some of those common questions.
"Hello, Dr. Sparshu":) Let's start off with a question that comes up a whole lot.
What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist?
"Where did I lose you?"
"I'm sorry.....I'm not that kind of doctor.
I'm not a therapist.....it's not my training."
"So, psychiatrists and psychologists both help people struggling with their mental health.
But, the big difference is training. Psychiatrists are medical doctors.
So, we go to medical school to become doctors; and then after that, we do more training to become psychiatrists.
So, we learn about all different types of physical and mental illness and how we can treat those with both "talk therapy" and "medicine".
Now, psychologists....they do a lot of school too, but they don't go to medical school.
And, some of them will do "talk therapy", and other ones do tests to figure out what's going on with you, or to see if you have special learning needs.
One of the great things about mental health though, is that we get to work in teams.
So, psychologists and psychiatrists may work together to help get you feeling better.
And, there may be other people who are on your team too.
Nurses, pharmacists, social workers, other doctors, recreational therapists, or occupational therapists.
"Now what do you see here?"
"Some nice flowers."
Sometimes in movies, they'll show rooms without doorknobs,
couches for people to lie on while talking
and ink blot tests so you can read their minds.
But, what is it really like to meet a psychiatrist?
"You really think that I couldn't see that coming?"
"I can read your mind."
"Ya....really...."
"Pick a colour.......blue."
"Pick a number.....17."
I wish that I had tools that let me read peoples minds.
That would make my job sooo much easier.
But, umm, no. Hollywood's take on psychiatry is pretty out of date,
and pretty inaccurate.
When people come to see me,
we just sit together....on chairs
and, we talk.
And, the first part of that is all about getting to know each other.
And, when you see that a psychiatrist is just a normal person
who cares about you
and wants to help
it's a lot easier to then start talking about the tougher things.
Umm, the things that might seem a little bit scary,
uncomfortable
or even embarrassing
Where would you meet a psychiatrist?
And, what is the difference between an in-person appointment
versus a virtual appointment?
"So, I'm gonna ask you a couple of questions."
"Oh....g-go ahead."
"What do we do....uh...we sit?"
"Whatever makes you comfortable."
"Yeah....a couch, sit over here."
"Aright, so...who starts?"
Most psychiatrists work in medical clinics,
or in offices.
Some work in hospitals.
Usually, we just meet in a pretty boring office...
It might have a desk,
a few chairs....
nothing too exciting.
And, a telehealth appointment isn't that different.
I'd still be sitting in my office,
but you'd be sitting somewhere else.
Maybe at home or at school,
and then we'd chat on the phone,
or, we'd have video chat through the computer
instead of in real life.
"Check the heart....check that, check that."
"Is it the brain?"
'no sign of cardiac anomaly or unusual brain activity'
"So, then it was poison?"
'my diagnosis is that you've experienced
a severe anxiety attack'
Do I have to get blood tests,
or needles,
or have a brain scan?
Usually, no.
By the time most people come to see me,
their family doctor has made sure that they are in good health otherwise.
Sometimes things come up while we are chatting
that make me worried that something might be going on in your body
that's affecting your brain or your mental health,
and if that happens,
I might suggest that we do some tests just to be safe.
Are you going to make me take pills?
"Medication could help."
"Drugs??"
Can't do drugs....I don't do drugs."
My job is to use my knowledge,
and my experience, and my training
to let you know the options
of how we might get you feeling better.
So, depending on what you're struggling with,
I might suggest that we try
a medication as one part of your bigger treatment plan,
but I'm not going to make you do anything.
Do you think
I'm crazy.
"Have you any idea why your raven is like a writing desk?
I'm frightened, Alice.
I don't like it in here. It's terribly crowded.
Have I gone mad?"
I'll let you in on a little secret....
there's no such thing as "crazy".
Now some people get confused,
they may lose touch with reality,
but they're sick, and they need help.
But, that doesn't make them crazy.
As a doctor, I do my best to help all people;
especially the ones who are really sick.
So, No....I'm not going to think you're crazy.......
maybe just a little weird 😉
But, that's ok:) Some of the best people I know
are a little weird.
Are you going to tell other people what I tell you?
"Have you noticed any recurring thoughts or images.....
things you can't get out of your head?"
"Doctor, I feel fine......really.
"Saying you feel fine doesn't solve this."
"Would you tell me about patient confidentiality?
That's a good question.
So, most of what we talk about
is just going to be between You and Me.
I may share some of that information
if there is other people involved in your care,
like your family doctor;
and, sometimes, people have urges to hurt themselves,
or they tell me about times when other people have hurt them.
And, if that's the case,
I might involve someone else, such as their parents
just to make sure that they are safe.
Sometimes too, peoples mental health
affects their learning.
And, so, with your permission,
I might write a letter to your school.
But, I'm not going to go around
sharing your secrets.
I can only help you if you trust me.
So, I take your privacy very seriously.
Are you going to commit me to a hospital?
I do everything I can
to help people stay in their every day lives.
Getting to sleep in your own bed,
go to school,
spend time with your friends and your family.....
those are all really important to good health.
Hospital is our absolute last resort.
It's when people just can't live their every day lives anymore;
or, they're really struggling to keep themselves safe.
Now, I don't like to force people
to do anything.
So, if I think you might benefit from going into the hospital,
I'm going to ask you to go to the emergency department first.
Once you're there, you're going to meet with the doctor
and they are going to do an assessment as well.
And, they are going to tell you about all of your options,
and decide whether coming into hospital
might be useful for you.
Now, if you do end up being admitted to a mental health unit,
it's usually just for a little while.
So, our goal is to have you stay
as long as it takes to get healthy,
but to do that as fast as possible.
So, while you're in hospital,
you'll be meeting with your treatment team regularly
and you'll be going to groups to learn about things like
coping skills, self-care;
and, you'll be there with other people about your same age,
who are also struggling with their mental health.
And then, when you're getting better,
you and your treatment team are going to have a talk about
what kind of resources you might need in the community
to make sure that you keep building on the gains that you've made in hospital.
What do you most wish patients or youth would understand
when coming to meet with you?
I would say,
you're not bad,
broken,
or weak....
you're suffering.
You need and deserve help.
You don't have to be ashamed or afraid to talk to a psychiatrist.
We've dedicated our lives to helping people just like you.
And, remember, the best thing that you can do to help me help you
is be honest; no matter how silly,
sad, or weird the things that are bothering you may seem......
just tell me.
I'm not here to judge.
And the more information that you give me,
the better able I am to help you. 'Cause remember.....
I can't read your mind.
Stay tuned for when we meet Dr. Sparshu again.
In the meantime, for a variety of information on mental health topics,
check us out at mentalhealthliteracy.org.