How You Will Feel When You See A Psychiatrist

Most people put off going to a psychiatrist for as long as possible.  Yes, there are some people who enjoy seeing a psychiatrist who may even schedule appointments more often than necessary, but those people are in the distinct minority.  Why is that the case?  On the surface one would think that it would be pleasurable to be the center of attention, and to meet a person whose primary interest is in making you happier.  But in reality it is just the opposite– going to a psychiatrist goes against all of one’s impulses, particularly when we are already feeling anxious or depressed.  We dread the exposure.  We worry that we will be judged.  The whole thing seems to be such a hassle.  And then there is the cost… which quickly becomes a good reason to just skip the whole thing.  Besides, it will probably all pass over soon, we tell ourselves.

Or will it?  Often by the time we consider seeing a psychiatrist we have been struggling for some time.  We have lost sleep, we may have tried medication given by our family doctor, and we have tried to talk to people in our inner circle or family.  As part of our depression or anxiety we may have withdrawn from those people, making communication less likely and more difficult.  When we finally get to the psychiatrist’s office we feel compelled to pour it all out– to tell someone just how miserable we have been feeling without concern over feeling embarassed or showing our vulnerable side.  It feels good to finally get things off our chest.

But later, after getting home, we feel a bit awkward over sharing everything with a person we hardly know.  We worry that we looked desperate, or needy– and who wants to feel like that?  When the time comes for the follow-up appointment we don’t want to go.  Plus we may have stopped the medication because we forgot a couple doses, or because it made us feel funny in some way, and we are a bit embarassed about telling the psychiatrist that we didn’t talk his/her advice.

All of these feelings are common and normal.  Ideally a good psychiatrist will temper the patient’s enthusiasm for self disclosure just a bit to reduce the chance that this reaction will prevent the patient from following up.  My reason for writing is to help you realize that everyone has an internal dialog that is often filled with embarassment or shame.  That dialog is harder to ignore during times when we are depressed or anxious– the very time that it may be helpful to see a psychiatrist.  I encourage you to ignore the voices when they keep you from seeking help;  once you are ‘over the hump’ and we have met a couple times those feelings will be left far behind.

JJ

Jeffrey T Junig MD PhD

Fond du Lac Psychiatry

Telepsychiatry for All