can a primary care doctor prescribe psychiatric meds?

Question

Are emergency room and general practice doctors qualified to prescribe psychiatric medications?

Answer 1

Yes: Using medicines requires knowledge of doses, indications, adverse effects, and interactions with other medicines.

Answer 2

Primary care: Sure they can. Main concerns over long-term continued prescribing is side-effects & possible liability issue.

Answer 3

Yes: More antidepressant medications are prescribed by primary care physicians than by psychiatrists. Any licensed physician can prescribe any medication, with a few exceptions. Primary care physicians vary greatly in their comfort level and skill in prescribing such medications, especially when using lithium or antipsychotics.

Answer 4

See primary care: Please see your primary care physician for a general physical. Reversible causes of a mood disorder should be ruled out before seeing a psychiatrist. This can be done with a simple blood test.

Answer 5

Discuss with your lo: Try to explain that many psychiatric disorders are nothing more than medical abnormalities that are very treatable by psychiatrists.

Answer 6

To seek treatment: Psychiatric disorders should be approached as any other disorders, e.g. High blood pressure, diabetes, etc. Seeing a mental health professional, a psychiatrist or a psychologist for a comprehensive evaluation to reach a diagnosis and then seeking treatment through a combination of medications and psychotherapy or either of them alone or any other recommendations by the mental health professional.

Answer 7

Safety first: If someone has a serious psychiatric illness and needs inpatient care, they should be admiited and payment can be addressed later. A hospital can not legally deny admission based on inability to pay. Once admiited, the person could talk to a hospital social worker or financial specialist about payment options. Often, hospitals will write off indigent care or the state may absorb the costs.

Answer 8

Hospital charges: This can be a difficult situation. Hospitals like to get paid and inpatient treatment can be very expensive, up to $1000 per day over even more. Here in mississippi, if one is committed involuntarily, the state picks up the tab. If one goes to an emergency department and is believed to need inpatient care, one can be admitted that way, but often discharged too quickly due to lack of funds.

Answer 9

They live: Someone is admitted involuntarily when a mental health professional or law enforcement official decides the are in imminent danger of killing themselves. Each state has slightly different laws, but this usually means an observation period of 72 hours. During this time medication can only be used if the patient is in immediate risk without patient consent.

Answer 10

Safety first: 1) change into hospital pj's and get rid of all potentially dangerous items (e.g. Belts, shoelaces, soda cans). 2) suicide precautions: range from 1:1 observation where a staff member remains always at your side to every 5, 10, or 15 minute checks by staff. 3) evaluation by a psychiatrist to determine the type of treatment indicated (e.g. Antidepressant medication, psychotherapy, electroshock).

Answer 11

Thinking: Depends on what you're thinking of !.

Answer 12

Unclear: When you say "this, " is it some sort of a recurrent thought you have over and over again and that try to avoid thinking about? If so, it could be a form of obsessive compulsive disorder. It is a little difficult to know what you mean. Maybe you can seek an evaluation with a board certified psychiatrist who could help sort it out. Good luck.

Answer 13

Ask Benefits Person: The person in charge of insurance benefits at the insurance company may know which hospitals have Psychiatry Units. Otherwise, look online for Psychiatric Hospitals, and call each one. You have posted on HealthTap's free, public, informational forum for health questions. People post questions from all over the world. We volunteer doctors on HealthTap do not know about each user's local hospitals.

Answer 14

Wrong place to ask: This is the HT public information site based primarily in the US. We offer to answer questions about medical problems when you submit background information including symptoms, past treatments. etc. We have no information on who/what/ where local medical providers are or how health plans work around the world where the site is seen. You should contact your plan for such questions.

can a primary care doctor prescribe psychiatric meds?

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