For ocd, should my teenager see a psychologist or a psychiatrist? 15 y.o. daughter that can't sleep w/o a night-light (sometimes leave the lights on all night) bc right before she goes to bed she starts thinking about people/zombies coming in her room and

Hello. : Hello. I am a pyschiatrist but i don't have a clear cut answer for that. I am very lucky because in my practice I am able to treat patients with medications and provide counseling. However, insurance companies usually will only pay for medication management by psychiatrists (not therapy). One option would be for your daughter to have a comprehensive evaluation with a doctoral level clinical psychologist. They can start counseling. If the psychlogist believes that your daughter needs a psychiatric evaluation then he or she can present that option to you. Take care.

A : A psychologist she might see will likely intervene by assisting in changing her belief system to promote better sleep habits; this is often a slow process (change often is slow) but nevertheless highly rewarding. There are many times that a psychologist will refer a patient to a psychiatrist for medication assistance. A psychiatrist may or may not offer this kind of non medication (psychotherapy) treatment but also may offer sleep aids or other types of medications, depending on the nature of the sleep problem and anxiety condition/s. I hope these scenarios will help guide your choice too, .

Phobias: Phobias can be effectively treated with meds and therapy in combination or either one, depends on which one she prefers.

Fear: I recommend psychotherapy first, with medications only as backup option if behavior modification proves insufficient to control symptoms. Wish her well.

Psychiatrist: Psychiatrist since the case is significantly complex. The psychiatrist will take care of any further referrals.