What to expect

When you first see your psychiatric practitioner, he or she will perform an initial checkup called an assessment, which will include an overview of your symptoms and collection of your medical history. A determination will then be made about whether or not the medication is a viable option for treating your particular mental health disorder.

Based on this assessment, the doctor will then make a diagnosis and develop a treatment plan designed with your specific needs in mind. The decision is ultimately up to the patient. If it is decided to move forward with this option, various medications, possible side effects, and proper dosages will be discussed.

Initially, the medication will be prescribed for a trial period to observe and monitor its effectiveness. This is where the “medication management” portion of psychiatric care comes into play. If the treatment is meeting the patient’s goals, the patient will be advised to keep moving forward. However, different medications affect brain chemistry in different ways, so not everyone will respond well to a particular prescription.