Psychiatric care as part of the bigger picture.
Psychiatric care can help clarify symptoms, identify treatment needs, and determine whether medication or other medical approaches may be appropriate. At StarFish Health, psychiatry is designed to work alongside therapy and other behavioral health supports when those services are part of your care plan.
Overview
Psychiatry is the medical side of behavioral health. A psychiatric provider, a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner, evaluates what you are experiencing, considers physical causes alongside psychological ones, and works with you on a plan. That plan may include medication, and it may not.
Appointments come in two forms. The first is a diagnostic evaluation: your symptoms and their history, previous treatment and how you responded to it, medical and family history, sleep, and what daily life currently looks like. Follow-up appointments are shorter and focused on how treatment is working, side effects, and adjustments.
Who This May Help
Psychiatric care fits a range of situations. These are some of the most common reasons people start.
- Symptoms are significantly affecting your sleep, concentration, mood, or ability to function day to day
- You and your therapist think medication might be worth exploring
- You are already taking a psychiatric medication and want it reviewed by a new provider
- You are managing a mental health concern alongside substance use and want one team addressing both
- You have been given a diagnosis you do not fully understand and want it explained clearly
- You are stable and simply need ongoing prescribing and monitoring from a consistent provider
What to Expect
From your first appointment to ongoing care, here is how it usually goes.
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A diagnostic evaluation
A thorough first appointment covering your symptoms, history, and what you want to be different, ending in a working diagnosis.
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A plan you understand
If medication is a reasonable option, your provider walks through what it is for and what to expect, and the decision is yours.
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Ongoing follow-up
Shorter visits to check how treatment is working, manage side effects, and adjust as needed.
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Coordination with your care
Your provider works alongside your therapist and other providers, with your consent, so decisions are made together rather than in isolation.
Psychiatry FAQs
Will I automatically be prescribed medication?
No. An evaluation may conclude that therapy or another approach is the right first step. If medication is recommended, your provider will explain what it is for and what the alternatives are, and the decision is yours.
Is psychiatry the same as therapy?
No. A psychiatric provider is a medical clinician who can diagnose and prescribe. A therapist provides talk therapy and does not prescribe. Many people see both, and the two work best when they are in contact with each other.
What happens in the first appointment?
Mostly listening and questions: your history, current symptoms, medications, and what you want to be different. You will not be asked to share more than you are ready to.
Can I keep the medication my previous provider prescribed?
Often, yes. Bring the names and doses, or the bottles. Your provider will review what you are taking before recommending any change, and will explain the reasoning if a change makes sense.
Can psychiatry help if I am also managing substance use?
Yes. Psychiatric care can be part of treatment for people managing both a mental health condition and substance use, coordinated with the rest of your care team.
