Best Psychiatrist Near Me in Idaho Falls, ID

Psychiatry is a branch of health care that focuses on emotional and mental health, as well as behavioral disorders. These mental health conditions can range from anxiety disorders such as phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), eating disorders, addiction and substance abuse, depression, autism spectrum disorder, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and bipolar disorders among many others.

Psychiatrists are mental health professionals that are trained to diagnose and treat these disorders, as well as offer means of prevention. Using psychotherapy (talk therapy), psychiatrists may help those relieve emotional distress and mental health issues of their patients. Psychiatrists can treat a wide range of things that include anxiety, depression, eating disorders, problems centered around a relationship. Psychologists can also help you with a treatment plan to better handle stress, or set and achieve major goals as well as prescribe medication such as antidepressants when necessary.

There are a number of signs that may lead you to seek treatment from a psychiatrist. These include:

• Anxiety

• Hurting yourself and/or suicidal thoughts

• Long and lasting depression

• Delusions or hallucinations

• Uncontrollable substance abuse and addiction

• Personality disorders such as paranoia, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, narcissism, and OCD. Psychology Today notes that these personality disorders are broken up into 10 types of disorders.

• Severe learning disabilities. When learning disabilities affect a wide range of academic subjects, you may require intense and specialized training and/or medication to overcome these difficulties.

Though both a psychiatrist and psychologist provide mental health services and promote mental health wellness, there are some differences to keep in mind when selecting a mental health care provider.

A psychologist is not a medical doctor, but a psychiatrist is. This means that a board-certified psychiatrist (certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology) has completed medical school along with a residency with a focus in psychiatry, and has the ability not only to diagnose and treat mental illness but to assist in any medication management that comes along with the treatment plan.

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) notes that "psychologists in some states can prescribe psychiatric medications with additional training, although this is not the case in most states," so you may keep that in mind when choosing a mental health care provider. Psychologists are highly trained mental health professionals that can help and assist a broad variety of mental health conditions that don't necessarily require medication or other medical treatments such as learning disabilities, phobias, or relationship issues.

While all psychiatrists can provide medical advice to better your mental well-being there are different fields of psychiatry that focus on particular areas and age groups. These include:

• Psychotherapy: Also known as talk therapy, psychotherapy is a means of speaking to a psychotherapist or counselor to help reduce symptoms linked to disorders such as depression and anxiety

• Child and adolescent psychiatry: This is a specialized form of psychiatry that focuses on disorders related to and occurring during development.

• Geriatric psychiatry: The study of mental, emotional, and behavioral health as it relates to older adults

• Forensic (legal) psychiatry: The assessment and treatment of mental disorders as they relate to and interface with the law.

• Addiction psychiatry: A form of psychiatry that focuses on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders related to addiction.

• Psychopharmacology: The study of treating mental health disorders with the use of medication.