Psychotherapist: when to contact

A little information about the difference between a psychologist and a psychotherapist.

Psychologistis a person with a diploma in psychology. If such a psychologist has undergone special education in a specific method of psychotherapy, then he is already a psychotherapist who can practice. Otherwise, a psychologist is a theorist without experience in practical treatment of people.

Psychologist and psychotherapist cannot prescribe medications, except in cases where the psychotherapist has a medical education in addition to the actual psychotherapeutic one.

Psychiatrist is a doctor and he treats mentally ill people with pills, unlike psychologists and psychotherapists who use conversational methods. Sometimes psychiatrists also receive psychotherapeutic training and can, in addition to pills and procedures, use conversational methods of psychotherapy.

When a psychotherapist is indicated

Psychological problems do not arise suddenly, with the exception of some traumatic experiences (accidents, disasters, sudden death or other severe stress). As a rule, psychological problems begin unnoticed and develop gradually over the years, with symptoms becoming more and more disturbing.

You should seek help from a psychotherapist when

1. Your character has changed. You don’t recognize yourself, you have become withdrawn, you have lost interest in work, communicating with people who were very important before

2. You have lost faith in yourself and your abilities so much that you cannot force yourself to take on a new business, because you are sure that it is doomed to failure

3. Constant fatigue, drowsiness, apathy, laziness

4. Elementary actions turn into a big problem due to the reluctance to make any movements

5. Strange sensations in the body that are difficult to describe.

6. Sudden mood changes for no apparent reason

7. Inappropriately strong emotional positive or negative reactions to simple questions “how are you?”, or watching a movie.

8. Excessive irritability or aggression

9. Constant insomnia or vice versa drowsiness

10. Panic attacks

11. You noticeably overeat or don’t want to eat

12. It’s difficult to concentrate on work, studying, attention floats

13. Obsessive thoughts or actions

14. The desire to hurt yourself

15. Thoughts of suicide

Of course, these are not all possible symptoms, but only some of the most typical ones.

The main thing is not to be afraid to ask for help if something interferes with your daily life.

If you notice similar symptoms in a loved one, there is no need to nag or persuade them to go to the doctor. Just ask leading questions so that the person realizes that problems are really possible, find contacts of specialists so that the person can contact them if desired, offer help and readiness to support when he decides to go for a consultation.

Should I go to a psychotherapist because of a bad mood

You always need to ask yourself whether a bad mood is associated with objective factors or subjective ones. Bad weather will pass, and so will the feeling of a failed project. If you quarrel with your loved one, this is also temporary.

In such situations, you can relax, switch gears, and make peace. It is possible to please yourself with some tasty food, chatting with family and friends, or watching a comedy.

It’s another matter when a bad mood becomes chronic due to the experience of loss, stress, or inability to resolve a conflict or find a way out of the situation.

To find a solution and understand your feelings, you should go to a psychologist.

If this situation is so old that it has grown and seriously affects your life (see above), then it’s time to see a psychotherapist.

However, if you immediately contact a psychotherapist, it won’t get any worse. If the problem is even more serious than you thought, he will refer you to a psychiatrist, and if not, he will help you with psychological tools.

Before contacting a psychotherapist, undergo an examination

Symptoms do not always appear due to psychological problems. Often lethargy, fatigue, insomnia, drowsiness or irritability are signs of common illnesses. Therefore, before going to a psychotherapist, you need to make sure of your physical health. If a therapist, neurologist, cardiologist and endocrinologist say that there are no visible health problems, then this is a sign of psychosomatics and you should really go to a psychotherapist.

But the psychotherapist himself can refer you for a medical examination in order to rule out other possible problems.

The examination procedure is as follows

1. Make an appointment with a therapist, and he will refer you for basic tests, as well as examinations with other specialists

2. If you have chronic diseases, you need to make sure that the symptoms are not a sign of exacerbation of these diseases

3. You should also definitely visit an endocrinologist. Endocrine system disorders may present with similar symptoms.

If you have visited all the specialists, and they unanimously say that there are no visible problems at the physical level, then you can safely contact a psychotherapist.

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