Why See a Psychiatrist Instead of a Therapist?

If you are trying to figure out whether a psychiatrist or therapist would be better suited for helping you address any mental health concerns, there are some differences in their type of care that may matter to you. Psychiatrists are considered medical doctors, so they are allowed to both diagnose medical conditions, but also prescribe medications and other types of health care if it would be beneficial to their patients. The term therapist is a broad name for counselors, psychologists, or any other licensed professional who is able to provide mental health care through talk therapy or psychotherapy. They are able to diagnose and treat mental health conditions but are not allowed to prescribe medications and many other forms of health care. Essentially, psychiatrists are able to provide a much wider range of care for those who require more than talk therapy or psychotherapy, most frequently for the more severe cases.

You may choose to seek mental health care from a psychiatrist rather than a psychologist for many of the same reasons you would choose the former over a therapist. While there are some cases of psychologists in specific states that have training in clinic psychopharmacology, allowing them to prescribe certain medications, psychologists are typically not able to prescribe any medications as a form of treatment for their patients. This means that if you have a mental health concern that would be benefitted heavily from a medical prescription as a part of the treatment plan, or would be best treated with a variety of treatments working in tandem, a psychiatrist would be the best option for you.

A psychiatrist is able to diagnose essentially every kind of mental health disorder, though they may specialize in one area over another when offering treatment. Some examples of possible diagnoses from a psychiatrist include:

• Anxiety disorders
• Depressive disorders
• Bipolar disorders
• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
• Eating disorders
• Personality disorders
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Gender dysphoria
• Body dysmorphic disorders
• Schizophrenia
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Postpartum depression
• Sleep disorders
• Autism spectrum disorder
• Alzheimer’s disease
 
This list is only a portion of the mental health disorders that are diagnosed and treated every day by psychiatrists, and it is very common for patients to be experiencing more than one of the disorders together. Because of the variety of disorders that psychiatrists are able to diagnose, they require different types of treatment and medication options available to ensure that each treatment plan is customized to suit the exact needs of every single patient.

Dr. Moses Tabe Ambilichu M.D. is excited to announce that he is accepting new patients, so he can start helping you with your mental health concerns today. He is medically trained to help patients of all ages, offering pediatric, adult, and geriatric mental health care, all of which are available either in person or through telepsychiatry to ensure that anyone who needs the support and treatment is able to have it regardless of their ability to be there in person. Whether your mental health concerns are mild or severe, Dr. Moses Tabe Ambilichu M.D. is able to provide a combination of talk therapy, psychotherapy, medical prescriptions, and more to ensure that you are able to receive the treatment that will be effective in helping you return to living your best life possible.

For more information, contact us or schedule an appointment online. We have convenient locations to serve you in Creve Coeur MO, Independence MO, and Columbia MO. We serve patients from Creve Coeur MO, Overland MO, Bridgeton MO, Independence MO, Raytown MO, Kansas City MO, Columbia MO, Shaw MO, Midway MO and surrounding areas.