We all face unique challenges throughout our lifetime. For some, the most trying is the loss of a loved one. For other people, it’s getting back to normal after experiencing a traumatic event. And for others, it’s learning how to manage a serious mental health condition like depression or anxiety.
These challenges can be difficult to identify, understand, and manage. In fact, it often takes a professional’s help to do so properly. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
If you are wondering, “Is there a psychiatrist near me?” know that Thriveworks in Baltimore, MD offer psychiatry and medication services. If you’re experiencing signs of a mental health condition, please consider reaching out to Thriveworks Counseling in Baltimore, MD. We have online psychiatric nurse practitioners on our team who are ready to help you, and they’ll meet with you conveniently via video call.
Should I Talk to a Psychologist or a Psychiatrist? What’s the Difference?
For those who don’t specialize in the mental health field, it can be difficult to understand the difference between psychologists, psychiatrists, and other providers. And that’s okay because we’re here to help you understand it!
First, psychologists are mental health professionals who have obtained a master’s or a doctorate in psychology. These individuals focus on helping their clients, using therapy techniques, with a range of mental health problems and life issues, including stress, anger, other difficult emotions, family problems, relationship trouble, and mental illness.
Psychiatrists, on the other hand, are medical doctors who specialize in diagnosing and treating mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, addiction, and bipolar disorder. Board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioners (NPs) can provide these same services, too. Given that psychiatrists in the community have become less available and wait times can be months, we choose to employ psychiatric nurse practitioners so that we can better serve the demands of the growing mental health crisis.
The main difference between a psychiatric provider and a psychologist is that the former can prescribe medication.
How Can Thriveworks Psychiatry Help You?
Thriveworks psychiatry can help people in many different ways. For example, it can help those struggling with psychiatric disorders like anxiety, depression, and ADHD:
Psychiatric Help for Anxiety
Some people experience extreme anxiety that keeps them from trying new things and excelling at work, school, or other areas in their life. This level of anxiety can be categorized as an anxiety disorder — some of the most common include:
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD): People with generalized anxiety disorder experience excessive anxiety or worry on a daily basis. It’s usually diagnosed after someone reports having anxiety almost every day for six months or longer. People with generalized anxiety disorder report feeling restless, wound-up, easily fatigued, and irritable. They can sometimes have difficulty concentrating and have issues with their mind going blank.
- Social anxiety disorder: People with this type of anxiety have a fear of social or performance-based situations. They worry that others will notice their anxiety and judge them for it. This causes people to avoid social situations and can cause problems in work or school. Social anxiety disorder can keep you from building relationships and hurt your social growth.
- Panic disorder: People with this type of anxiety disorder experience panic attacks that can come on unexpectedly or be triggered by something external. Panic attacks involve intense fear that starts quickly and peaks within the course of a few minutes. Symptoms of a panic attack can include heart palpitations, sweating, shaking or trembling, shortness of breath, and a feeling of impending doom. Attacks can be scary and difficult, so many people with a panic disorder spend a lot of time avoiding situations that could trigger them.
Living with anxiety can be exhausting, but know that anxiety disorders can be treated and managed. Treatment looks different for everyone and there are different treatment options available, but anxiety disorders are usually managed using psychotherapy, medication, or a mix of the two.
Our psychiatric nurse practitioners have the skills to treat anxiety disorders with medication — and they can also collaborate or refer you to one of our therapists if therapy could be beneficial to you, too.
Psychiatric Help for Depression
Mood disorders such as depression can cause different symptoms in different people just as physical illnesses can. When clusters of these symptoms add up, they form different types of depression. Some of the most common types of depression include:
- Major depressive disorder (MDD), which consists of frequent feelings of apathy, despair, or unhappiness regardless of what’s happening around you. MDD may be caused by biology, stress, substance abuse, or a combination of factors.
- Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which typically occurs in the late autumn or winter months. It’s caused by changes in sunlight, the weather, and the body’s circadian rhythm.
- Postpartum depression (PPD), which occurs in the days, weeks, and months after childbirth and can cause anxiety, disinterest, and foggy thoughts. It’s typically triggered by stress, genetics, or hormone changes after pregnancy.
- Bipolar disorder, which causes mood swings from manic (high) to depressive (low). Bipolar disorder is split into many different categories including bipolar I, bipolar II, and other types. The severity of your lows and highs will depend on your type of bipolar disorder, which may be caused by genetics or chemical reactions in the brain.
While every depressive disorder has its own unique challenges, people who are depressed often share common symptoms such as sadness and lethargy. If you’re feeling these or other symptoms of depression, please schedule an appointment with us at Thriveworks in Baltimore, MD. Our psychiatric nurse practitioners use their background in medicine to create comprehensive treatment plans that address the physical, mental, and emotional symptoms of depression. Treating depression is often a three-step process:
Your provider will uncover the root causes of your depression by learning more about your family, behavioral, and environmental history. They’ll then use psychoanalytic therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), or other forms of therapy (sometimes in tandem with medication) to treat your disorder. The final step in the process is prevention. Your provider will teach you skills to cope with future shakeups so they don’t become crises.
Psychiatric Help for ADHD
It’s not uncommon to experience moments of temporary distraction or agitation. Maybe you get impatient, start to fidget, and find yourself pacing back and forth. Perhaps you lose focus on what you’re doing, get distracted, and begin to daydream. Or maybe you feel a wave of built-up nervousness or energy and have trouble sitting still.
In short-term situations, these experiences are uncomfortable but manageable. For some people, however, being inattentive or actively impulsive goes beyond occasional moments of unrest. These individuals can experience intense feelings that persist throughout the day and begin to affect every aspect of their lives.
For these people, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can gradually take over their lives and become burdensome. If you think you may be struggling with symptoms of ADHD and are ready to get help, reach out to us at Thriveworks in Baltimore, MD. Our licensed ADHD psychiatrists are standing by to help you find a greater level of calm and stability in your life.
Thriveworks Counseling & Psychiatry in Baltimore, MD
Deciding to consult with a psychiatric provider can feel intimidating. But at Thriveworks, we make the process as comfortable and easy as possible.
Thriveworks clients benefit from remote psychiatry appointments, which give them the flexibility to meet with a mental health professional from home. We offer convenient appointments early or late on weekdays and weekends to fit your schedule and new clients can often see a provider within the same week as scheduling.
Thriveworks accepts many major insurance plans, covering 91% of commercially-insured Baltimore residents, and allows clients to easily schedule a session online. You can also call our support team for quick matching assistance.
If you are experiencing symptoms of anxiety, depression, ADHD, or another mental health condition, please consider reaching out to schedule a session.
