Same here, slows down the mind at bedtime, have not noticed any adverse effects for 5-6 years now. Always had problems sleeping for most of adult life, wish these were discovered sooner, lol.
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Clinical Psychologists are well trained in psycā¦ Main difference is the medical training, therefore the ability to prescribe meds.
IMO, comparing a psychologist to a psychiatrist is like comparing a chiropractor to an orthopedic surgeonā¦ Both psychologists and chiropractors may know their niche areas well, but MDs have been trained in all areas of allopathic medicine and are able to incorporate a whole body approach into their treatment strategy, which makes all the difference in the world in my book.
IMO there is even less comparison than thatā¦ If you want to talk to someone who is skilled at listening about your feelings, marriage problems, porn addiction, etc a psychologist might fit the bill. If you want treatment for medical illness in the most complex (by far) organ in your body, a psychiatrist fits the bill.
Just came across this as I was reading this discussionā¦
I am definitely an anxious personā¦ It feels nice knowing Iām not the only one who needs a little pharma help on this!
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Better living via biochemicals, I always say!
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Many clinical psychologists are trained with this in mind, especially if they are treating comorbidities (i.e. Depression and Diabetes in a clinical health psychology scope). The lab I worked in in undergrad was especially good at this and have published studies on the effects of ADHD/ADD meds on sleep, and the overall effects on physical health. My colleague from that lab is doing work with CF, Coping and the effects on disease progression.
Now, Counseling/ Health Psychologists are different, and I would argue the same thing you are.
Iām currently looking at a Medical Family Therapy program to augment my PhD program, and it has a heavy rotation of classes in physical health, some of which Iāve already taken some science courses relating to. No, Iām not going to medical school, but Iām not looking to treat the medical aspects of disease. Psychologists are there to enhance the work of the Psychiatrist.
In fact, many clinics use this idea. They have psychologists and therapists who see the patient regularly and the psychiatrist sees the patient as needed for med regulation. I prefer this approach, as I canāt take antidepressants and appreciate the psychotherapy provided by the psychologist.
Edited to add: Psychotherapy is the majority of the training in clinical psychologyā¦ Itās elective for Psychiatrists. Iāve never had a Psychiatrist do my psychotherapy, itās always been a psychologist/therapist.
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You have been misinformed: Psychotherapy training is definitely not an āelectiveā part of Psychiatry residency programs. It is quite mandatory (and understandably so).
http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/articles/psychotherapy-training-residency-programs-demand-and-peril
These are just a sample of the issues in psychiatry and the limited training received in psychotherapy (Iām on my phone, so Iām limited on sources. Iām on a computer hiatus until I am done with my break from my research). Iāve found a number of postgrad programs that expand on the limited training received in residency (elective was a bad word choice, itās more of a choice to pursue further training in therapy than what is offered in residency). I would suppose during residency it would depend on the program, but I know there are many, many other aspects of residency that have to come first.
Clinical Psychologists start from day one learning assessments and begin to work on psychotherapy skills with in the first year of grad school. They must have a certain number of hours doing psychotherapy prior to doing their final year (or more) of training as an extern. Between research and therapy, itās a very intensive program.
The benefit to having a psychiatrist is the ability for the psychiatrist to differentiate between psychological symptoms of a medical condition versus those of purely mental health dx. For example, Boys Town uses predominantly Psychologists and LMHPs for care, but a Psychiatrist follows via notes from these practitioners and follows through as needed.
Half the problem with healthcare is the fact that there are these constant battles on who is betterā¦ A physician or another type of training. It is silly, really, because it comes down to the situation. What might work for one person may not work for another. Saying a psychiatrist is far superior to a psychologist is pointless, as they all have their place in the system. All that matters is that a patient gets the right care for their situation. Itās the same argument being had between a PhD nurse practitioner and a Dr. over who gets to be called Dr. and who doesnāt. Personally, Iāve had better luck with NPs than Drs in getting good medical care for my Diabetes, but my Dad has wonderful physicians for his ALS. Itās all about getting what you, the patient, wants in a HCP.
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My experience is that to a carpenter with a hammer the world looks like a nail. A psychiatrist will generally have a medicalized view of the patient and will prescribe a pill. That is what they are trained to do. They are not well trained to treat a patient with mental problems with an integrated approach and most have no interest either personally or as a business in doing so. A psychologist, social worker or counselor are trained to treat you by talking and listening and applying theories to help you learn to get better. But they are not licensed to prescribe medication. In my view, the separation of these two branches was a huge mistake and has led to a number of harmful effects on patients and society. If you can find a psychiatrist who will talk and listen to you rather than medicating you, then you have found a gold mine.
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I tend to have issues with side effects so the dr ordered a test that determined how my body would metabolize it. Whether it would be ineffective or cause problems. There ended up being only 1 good option for my system. Which wasnāt any of the popular options and yet was a cheap generic. (Hooray for that)
When I asked endo about how things would affect me, I think his advice was good - just look for the new normal in my bg swings and tweak insulin levels as needed. Because indeed YDMV.
Good luck in figuring things out.
So true! The best clinic Iāve use had a husband and wife teamā¦ The wife was a clinical psychologist and the husband was a psychiatrist. She was my talk therapy person and he did the med portion, but would talk with you about your issue(s) and consult with his wife about meds and the effects they were having. I miss them! My current team is pretty great too, however. My psychologist works directly with my NP to treat both my mental and physical health.
Psychiatrists have high patient loads because there are just not as many of them. If you can find one who keeps their patient load small and enjoys psychotherapy itās wonderful. Or, you find one like I did who falls asleep during your session because they are overbooked and had call last night. Sigh Thatās why Iām training to be a medical sociologist. So many things need to be worked on or improved. It comes down to the medical model versus the biopsychosocial model and how Drs are trained. The medical model is still so prevelent in our society.
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Have any of you tried over the counter Sam-E for this? Iām giving it a try currently and am trying to figure out if itās affecting my blood sugar or notā¦ in addition to whether itās helping with anxiety or not.
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