Six ways a psychiatrist can help with depression

There are many health providers that you can see for support with managing depression symptoms, and it can be confusing to navigate them all. You might be wondering what a psychiatrist does for depression and how they differ from other providers.

Psychiatrists are medical doctors who specialize in mental health. This means they can assess, diagnose, and treat depression in a more comprehensive way than most primary care providers. They’re also able to provide treatments — like medications — that therapists can’t. They can be an important part of your comprehensive treatment team.

A psychiatrist can help with depression by: 

1. Providing a comprehensive evaluation

One of the first things your psychiatrist will do to help you manage depression is to provide a comprehensive evaluation of your symptoms and history. Psychiatrists are specially trained in the area of mental health. This often means the assessment that they provide for depression goes much deeper than standard questionnaires general providers might use.

A psychiatrist can provide a deeper assessment of your history with depression symptoms. This can include when you started experiencing the symptoms and how they affect your day-to-day life.

They may also ask you questions about treatment methods that you’ve tried before, which can impact their treatment suggestions. For example, if you’ve tried different medications and have been in therapy for some time and still haven’t found relief, you may have treatment-resistant depression — which needs to be approached in a different way.

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2. Making an accurate diagnosis

Because psychiatric providers offer more comprehensive evaluations than general providers, they may be more likely to make an accurate diagnosis.

A comprehensive evaluation, also known as an initial psychiatric evaluation, is important because other mental health conditions can sometimes get misdiagnosed as depression, and vice versa. Many types of depression often need to be treated in different ways too. For example, depression that’s part of bipolar disorder is approached differently than major depressive disorder (MDD).

In addition, depression often comes along with other co-occurring mental health conditions. For example, up to 67% of people with OCD also live with depression. So, a comprehensive evaluation is important to ensure that other conditions are ruled out and to understand the whole picture.

3. Explaining your symptoms

It’s important for you to understand your depression symptoms and what’s going on in your brain. The causes of depression are complex, and they include both biological and environmental factors. Learning more about what’s behind your depression symptoms may help you to see them as what they are — signs of a health condition — rather than a personality trait or flaw.

Psychiatrists are especially trained in the area of mental health, which means they’re more equipped to explain your symptoms to you in a way you can understand.

4. Prescribing medication

One of the main reasons why people with depression see a psychiatrist is to discuss medication. Medication isn’t the only effective treatment for depression, nor is it necessarily the most effective for everyone. But many people find some relief from their depression symptoms with medication — especially if their symptoms are more severe.

Medical doctors or nurse practitioners who specialize in psychiatry are specifically trained in the different types of medications available to treat depression. They can ask questions about what you’ve already tried and the specific symptoms that are bothering you most. With this information in mind, they can make treatment recommendations tailored for you.

Medication management also isn’t just about the first prescription. Psychiatric providers offer follow-up appointments, which are important opportunities to discuss side effects and how well you feel the medication is working.

5. Helping with treatment-resistant depression

Maybe you’ve already talked to a general provider or therapist about your depression, but the treatment methods that they’ve recommended haven’t been as helpful as you’d hoped. If you’ve tried all the first-choice treatments and still haven’t found relief, you might have persistent depression (also known as treatment-resistant depression).

Talking to a psychiatrist about these concerns can help you find a treatment option that works for you. They can also recommend different treatment methods that might help you find some relief.

6. Providing or referring you to therapy

One of the most effective treatments for depression is psychotherapy also known as “talk therapy.” You might not think of seeing a psychiatric provider for therapy, but these providers are licensed and qualified to provide this service. Although the number of psychiatrists who also provide therapy services has diminished in recent decades, it’s still worthwhile to ask.

Even if your psychiatrist doesn’t provide therapy, they’re likely to be able to provide a referral for therapy treatment. By working with a therapist that your psychiatrist is already connected to, you may be able to get more consistent care. For example, your psychiatrist can share their observations about your symptoms with your therapist. 

And due to confidentiality laws, your psychiatrist and therapist can’t share anything about your treatment with one another unless you sign a release form.

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A psychiatrist can do more for treating depression than you might think. Psychiatrists can help with personalized treatment and long-term support, even if you live with persistent depression and past treatments haven’t worked for you. There are effective options out there, and seeing a psychiatrist can be one part of a more comprehensive treatment plan.

At Rula, we’re committed to delivering a comprehensive behavioral health experience that helps people feel seen and understood so they can get back to feeling their best.

Rula makes it easier to find a licensed therapist or psychiatric provider who accepts your insurance so you don’t have to choose between affordable care and excellent care. With a diverse network of more than 15,000 providers, 24/7 crisis support, and appointments available as soon as tomorrow, we’re here to help you make progress — wherever you are on your mental health journey.

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