After getting a detailed understanding of your concerns, your psychiatrist will then usually focus on gathering a very detailed history of common psychiatric symptoms. They will also ask questions about any past treatment you may have received.
Sometimes people are confused or shocked when physicians ask about symptoms that are not related to anything they brought up in their history. For example, a person may be really worried about their worsening anxiety, and that’s why they made the appointment. They can be surprised when later on they are also asked about periods of euphoria, or aggression, or suicidal thoughts.
Psychiatrists ask all of these questions because very rarely is there a single symptom in a mental health disorder. People are frequently frustrated by one particular symptom, but don’t realize that it’s just one aspect of a group of symptoms they are actually experiencing. Certain groups of symptoms can be related to a single diagnosis.
Your psychiatrists will also spend some time screening for any history of high risk behaviors, regardless of why your appointment was made. There are some things that are too important to not ask, because they act as warning signs that should be considered in all care planning.
In general, the best approach to this part of the evaluation is to attempt to engage in an honest conversation about what you’ve experienced prior to starting care with them. Also feel free to ask questions if anything is confusing. A large part of starting psychiatric care is learning how to express what you’ve been experiencing, and your psychiatrist can help you learn that skill.
-Leilani M. Sharpe, M.D., Ph.D.
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