FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
How to
contact a psychiatrist
An appointment with a psychiatrist
can only be obtained by referral from a general practitioner
(GP)/family doctor or in emergency situations through a local
HSE mental health unit.
A GP is usually the
first person to help with concerns about a person's mental health
such as depression/bipolar disorder,
anxiety, memory problems/ dementia. For many mental
health problems it is not necessary to see a psychiatrist as a
GP will be able to treat them and/or may refer a person to other
members of a mental health team, such as a clinical psychologist,
occupational therapist, psychotherapist or
specialist counsellor.
If a psychiatric referral
is required a GP will either refer you to the local
public psychiatrist for your area or may suggest a private
psychiatrist if available. In emergency situations,
access to mental health services through a local
HSE mental health unit may be possible in the absence of
a GP.
Please note:
The College of Psychiatry of Ireland cannot provide
referrals or recommendations to a psychiatrist.
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Are lists of psychiatrists
available?
The College of Psychiatry of Ireland does not
provide regional or national lists of psychiatrists.
If you think you have a mental health
problem please do not hesitate to discuss this with a
GP. Early intervention and treatment of a problem is vital to
alleviate or avoid suffering.
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What is a
psychiatrist?
A psychiatrist is a qualified medical doctor
who on completion of medical school, and a period of general
medical work undertakes to specialise in the care of those with
mental health problems. He/she is a specialist in the diagnosis,
treatment and prevention of mental illness and emotional
problems.
The psychiatrist is
trained to understand and treat mental health problems from three
perspectives: physical, emotional (psychological) and social.
Physical Problems
The psychiatrist looks
for causes, such as hormonal imbalances, which can cause mental
health problems. This is particularly important as
emotional disturbances can affect the body and
physical illness can also affect the mind.
Emotional Problems
The psychiatrist looks
for factors which may cause mental health problems. He/she may
use counselling or other talking therapies to treat such
problems.
Social Problems
The
psychiatrist will seek lifestyle stresses such as financial
problems, unemployment or loneliness. They may be able to help
solve some social problems but often will refer the person to
the appropriate support service, person or agency.
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What is mental
illness?
A person in good mental health generally feels happy, confident and
sociable. As many as one in five people will suffer from a mental
illness in their lifetime sufficient to warrant medical help. This
may range from mild anxiety when driving after an accident to
severe depression. Many people do not seek the excellent help
available for mental problems and suffer needlessly.
The range of physical and psychological
treatments is increasing all the time. Most people take
their mental health for granted and are unaware that it is as
important to care for their mind in the same way that they
care for their body.
Psychiatrists are at the forefront of
understanding and treating mental health problems. It is worth
visiting a GP to discuss a mental health problem to decide if
the help of psychiatrist is needed.
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How do psychiatrists
train in Ireland?
The psychiatrist is a
qualifed medical doctor who has undergone at least 7 years post graduate specialist training (in psychiatry)
approved by The College of Psychiatry of Ireland. Currently, part
of that training requires successfull completion of the
MRCPsych examinations.
Over the 7 years the
trainee psychiatrist gains experience in a wide range of
psychiatric problems with an emhasis in the area in which they hope
to specialise.
Psychiatry is an ever
evolving specialty and training is constantly being up-dated
to respond to this.
What recognised official qualifications should a psychiatrist
working in Ireland have?
Psychiatrists are listed
as doctors and as specialists in psychiatry with The Medical Council. They
will typically have MB B.Ch Bao and MRCPsych listed after their
name and may have other specialist qualifications also.
The Medical Council lists
are public and therefore can be seen by everybody.
Section 43(8) of the Medical Practitioners
Act 2007 requires all registered medical practitioners to quote
their registration number on all medical prescriptions and all
other documentation and records, whether in paper or electronic
format, relating to their medical
practice.
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What are the
treatments used by psychiatrists?
Psychiatrists use three
approaches to understanding and treating mental illness. These are
the physical, emotional (also called psychological) and social
dimensions. The psychiatrist carefully assesses each person's
problems. This assessment will include a detailed interview and on
occasion, interviews with relevant others. They may do a
physical exam if there is any possibility of relevant physical
problems. They may order blood investigations or a CT scan of
the brain. They may request a more detailed examination of an
aspect of mental functioning such as memory from a
psychologist.
Most psychiatric
assessments are fairly straightforward but some may take days or
even weeks to complete. The majority of psychiatric assessments and
treatments are carried out for a person as an outpatient.
Occasionally however an admission to a specialist hospital is
required.
On completion of the
assessment the psychiatrist will discuss the treatment plan. Each
plan is tailored to the individual person, their illness, lifestyle
and as far as possible their preferences.
The psychiatrist's choice
of a treatment is based on its proven effectiveness in treating a
symptom or illness. Psychiatric treatments (both medications and
counselling/psychotherapies) are researched and scrutinised in the
same rigorous way as all other medical treatments.
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Where do
psychiatrists work?
In Ireland psychiatrists
work in a variety of settings. These include general and
psychiatric hospitals, universities, community mental health
services and private clinics.
Psychiatrists work in
teams that care for adults, adolescents and children. These
teams are generally based in the community. Some
psychiatrists work in prisons services. The HSE employs many
psychiatrists. There is one adult psychiatrist for approx every
30.000 section of the population. These psychiatrists are allocated
geographically so wherever you live in Ireland there is a
psychiatrist employed to treat you if you become mentally unwell.
Whereas the allocation of adult psychiatrists is reasonably good,
there is a major shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists and
of psychiatrists specialising in particular mental health
problems.
Psychiatrists are also involved in a broad
range of community issues and organisations and are often called on
to assist both government and non-government agencies in the
development of mental health services and policies.
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What are
specialist areas of psychiatry?
The majority of
psychiatrists work as general adult psychiatrists, while others
specialise within the field of psychiatry. The specialties that
have developed include child and adolescent psychiatry, psychiatry
of old age, learning disability psychiatry, forensic psychiatry
(concerned with legal, compensation and criminal cases)
psychoanalysis and psychotherapy.
Psychiatrists also act as
consultants in drug and alcohol programmes.
Liaison Psychiatrists specialise in the
assessment and treatment of mental health problems that present in
the general hospital setting and in medical patients.
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What is the
differences between a psychiatrist and a psychologist?
A psychiatrist has a
Medical Degree(MD) and is a medical doctor who further trains in
psychiatry which specialises in the care and treatment of
people with mental illness and mental disorders.
A
psychologist obtains a primary honours degree in psychology
first and then must undertake further education and specialist
training to develop a career in psychology. Psychology is the study
of the human mind, examining human experiences such as human
emotions, thoughts and actions.
Psychologists may work in
a variety of settings such as education, career psychology or
mental health.
In the treatment and
diagnosis of mental illness, psychiatrists and psychologists work
closely together. Some of the assessments and treatments they use
are similar.
A psychiatrist will refer
to a psychologist if they feel further evaluation of a particular
aspect of mental functioning such as memory testing is required.
They may also refer to a psychologist if a psychological treatment
in which the psychologist is a specialist is required.
A psychologist will refer
to the psychiatrist if further evaluation of the patient is
required or to assess the value of adding medication to the
treatment plan.
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What is
a multidisciplinary team
The psychiatrist sometimes works alone but
more commonly works as part of a "multidisciplinary team”. This
team may consist of some of the following people: a social worker,
an occupational therapist, a psychologist, a doctor training in
psychiatry, a psychiatric nurse. Each person plays an important
role:
The psychologist -
See above
The social worker
-
In their assessment of peoples needs,
social workers place emphasis on the strengths and the
natural coping abilities of service users and their families. They
act to empower service users to access the services and
resources they require, to recover and maintain good
mental health, and achieve a good quality of life in terms of their
relationships, income, leisure, occupation and
accommodation.
The occupational
therapist -
His/her basic degree is occupational
therapy. There is again much overlap with the other
members of the team. Specialised areas include assessment of
skills such as social skills, money management skills,
ability to perform everyday tasks such as shopping. Where
the person is found to have problems in any of these areas the
occupational therapist will develop a programme to
help.
The doctor training in
psychiatry-
This is a doctor who is specialising
either in psychiatry or general practice. He/she will
contact the psychiatrist if further advice is required.
The psychiatric nurse
–
This is a nurse who has trained in the
care of people with mental health problems. Skills include
assessment of problems, administration and monitoring psychiatric
medication and counselling skills. When a patient is seen
by any member of the team his/her problems will be
discussed confidentially by the team and a plan will be formulated
to decide which team members are best positioned to help.
Confidentiality is carefully maintained within the
team. As the team works as a unit confidentiality is with
the team not with the individual team worker seeing the
patient.
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