are they the ones who 'manage' and 'run' clinics/hospitals/ etc but do they ever have clients/practice therapy or not? or do they only see the people who are more complex...............
i dont really know what they do but i know when i was under CAMHS (both in hopsital and under outreach) i had a consultant psychiatrist who did family therapy with me and also EMDR with my friend but now im under adult services i just have a normal psychiatrist (at least i think so) and she only sees me every 6 months for a care plan assesment!
I think the psychiatrist acts as the RMO - Responsible Medical Officer. He/she is in charge of meds and deciding course whereas a cpn/sw is responsible of finding and putting that care into place. I might be wrong but that is how it seems to be here.
"Everything is possible through Christ, who gives me strength". Phillipians 4:13
When I was very ill and my meds weren't helping, my GP referred me to the Consultant Psychiatrist for my area. I saw him for 4 appointments while I got more stable. After those 4 appointments, someone would normally be moved on to one of the regular psychiatrists for ongoing maintenance. In my case, due to my needs/treatment plan, as well as having an excellent GP, I was referred back to my GP for medication etc maintenance.
I don't know how it works in other areas though, and this was 2005, so things may have changed since then.
Genrally when you see a psychiatrist you actually see someone that is part of a team of psychitrists headed by a consultant, the consultant will genrally be the one too asses you and figure things out and stuff and the team genrally meet up to talk about you and throw ideas around and things. I saw my consultant for ages and then again after my accident but I'm just seeing a normal psychiatris now.
Hope that helps.
The world is just illusion always trying to change me.
You will find wonder wherever you can, and spread joy whenever you are able.
I felt emotions of gentleness and pleasure, that had long appeared dead, divide within me. - Frankenstein.
I went thinking the guy i was seeing was like a counsellor i get a letter in and it says he's a psychiatrist i go and creep aboutonline and discover he's a consultant... should i not get told these things lol ?
I'm always by myself, in a sea of self infliction that I fill.
I've been seeing a child & adolescent consultant psychiatrist for quite a few years now, I never knew there was a difference between a psychiatrist & a consultant psychiatrist? o.O
Learn something new everyday!
i'm with a child and adolesant pysch too, 18 soon to be moved on...i think who knows. and didnt know there was either!! this thread got me thinking haha!
I'm always by myself, in a sea of self infliction that I fill.
I've always seen consultants. I never realised that there were just plain old psychiatrists!
I've always seen consultants too. As to whether they do therapy, I had a consultant in one hospital who did group therapy with us for about two weeks but no one was interested so she gave up :P
If you've ever been sectioned, it tends to be a consultant and one other doctor, which will usually be a s12 dr and probably a specialist/registrar. Just in case you were wondering.
In terms of outpatient appts, I always see the consultant.
"Everything is possible through Christ, who gives me strength". Phillipians 4:13
I was sectioned back when I was 13 & I've seen other people but regarding psychiatrists, I've only ever seen two from the place I go to, but she's been my main one for a few years now, but she does do therapy too, do they tend to do that?
She's also head of referrals for eating disorders & she's specialized in ADHD & OCD (she's diagnosed me with all of these & she was the one who assessed me for them too), but she's also diagnosed lots of other stuff too, are they like, specialized in everything or something, or is it just some that are, or what?
*Excuse the thread hijack & all but it is still related! I'm just really curious now lol, Hope it's okay, if not we can take it PM*
x
The psychiatry team here are separate from the psychology department. The psychiatrists refer to the psychology department and do not tend to carry out any therapy as such but there is a great new consultant in the crisis team who has psychotherapy experience and she is so easy to talk to but sometimes ends up getting you to talk about things you weren't intending to - not good.
The psychiatrists tend to diagnose and medicate then refer onto other agencies or departments that they believe will be helpful and then keep a check on how things are going through OP appts.
"Everything is possible through Christ, who gives me strength". Phillipians 4:13
Aha, I had that experience today, I ended up talking about things I didn't intend to talk about & didn't talk about the most important thing in the first place, not good at all! >.<
I mean, it's good she does do talking therapy with me, well, if you call it that, we sort of talk & then she gives me "homework" & it sorta goes from there, nothing intensive, just talking about different things.
It's ok. Unfortunately, it ended up me being admitted, well I say unfortunate then but prob wouldn't be here if she hadn't been able to establish that connection so with hindsight, prob a good thing.
That's good that your psych does that. How often do you see her?
"Everything is possible through Christ, who gives me strength". Phillipians 4:13
It is actually good they can section you, because if you are at real risk, then they can do something like, immediately, rather than you going home & having to possibly wait a while before anything happens, I'm glad they sectioned you, because if not, like you said, you may have not been here today if they didn't, though being sectioned in itself is a bad experience, the help they can give you is good. *cuddles*
I see her roughly every 2 weeks, sometimes shorter, sometimes longer, she's pretty busy so it all depends, but we do try to make it every fortnight at least.
lol 
