Interviews - psychiatrists versus psychologists

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Hello:

In my experience thus far, I have only ever been asked interview questions by psychiatrists and they have never used any other evaluation tools. I have seen psychologists on a couple of different occasions for different reasons, and they do use evaluation tools outside of standard interview questions. (I am talking strictly about verbal, written, and visual type evaluations - not medical tests such as MRI).

Do psychiatrists ever use diagnostic tools, such as questionnaires?

I will see a psychologist in just over a week and I already see the difference - in his preparatory questions, in the information and reassurance he provides, and in the time he has already invested along with his future commitment.

Where I am from, psychiatrists carry a big caseload and that fact certainly has to limit their investment in patients, but I am just curious about whether they typically rely solely on interviews - particularly with adults.

I just find the interviews so difficult. The first time in, a student doctor interviewed me. I hadn't expected it and did not know that I could refuse and instead just have the doctor I came to see do the interview. I was really upset but didn't know that I could speak up at the time. I answered questions that the student read from a list while the doctor watched me. It was unnerving and when it came time for the doctor to speak, I could not take in anything he was saying. I tried to tell him but he kept talking over me. He is a really nice guy, honestly. It was just not a good experience. It unfortunately set the course for subsequent appointments. The first appointment is granted longer time in our system, so if you blow that one, it is a bad blow. It didn't help that I did not know the sorts of things that I needed to tell him or to ask. I told him I am so weird, but I got overwhelmed trying to explain how so. I did think he would be interested in my developmental history and school experience, but he wasn't. At least I am more prepared now.

I also have trouble with questions such as: Do you get depressed? Well, yes I do. And then to be asked 'when I get depressed' and 'for how long' gets very confusing. I was given a mood chart and filled it out diligently. It was pretty useless, it turned out. I filled in too much information. I find many of the interview questions ambiguous and in need of context. If I don't have an answer, it seems one is filled in on my behalf. If I disagree, I get a nice explanation to teach me why I am wrong. If I try to explain, or get to the point where I can start to explain, we are time constrained and the appointment is over. If I can't get my point across I clam up. Worse, I cry. I was told right away if I write something for him, he won't read it. I tried to give him some writing and he put his foot down fast. I could have my own short notes to remind myself (moderately useful), but he didn't want my writing. This is unlike the psychologist who has asked me to write anything and everything I want to tell him. I was skeptical and asked him to have a quick look to see if I wrote too much. He said it was excellent information. This really will be a different experience.

Does anyone else have trouble with standard interview questions?

Thanks for reading, LM

I also find a big difference between psychiatrists and psychologists but its like comparing apples and oranges. Psychiatrists are Full-Blown medical doctors that spent 13 years after college studying to become a psychiatrist. As such they tend not to use questionnaires so much as even a psychiatrist on day one knows these things off by heart.

They also have a lot going on in their head while you are explaining your self to them as their trying to break down and analyze your statements. You should try listing to someone while analyzing what their saying and writing down notes at the same time, it really is a skill in its own right and would probably come across as uninterested too.

There are also very few psychiatrists compared to psychologists (everyone seems to be a psychologist these days, a quarter of the people I went to school with are now psychologists ) so their really in demand and have to keep appointment length to a minimum.

The difference is like a paramedic compared to an ER doctor.

I don't like being interviewed by doctors either. I have noticed they seem to put words in my mouth for me and talk as if they know what I'm thinking. I would rather just fill out the survey but I dont like most those either. They often ask vague unclear questions. It can be very frusterating going to the brain doctor.

Thank you both for reading through all of that and replying to my post.

Actually, the kindly psychiatrist didn't take notes - he has quite a 'stare'. His eyes get really big and he appears intense. He is a quiet type, which is okay, but I like information. In some sense, I felt we were a bit alike - which is kind of funny. I think, actually, he may have been protecting me in some sense. He knows I already feel labelled and different, and he did try to assure me that we 'are all different'. It is just so very important to me to know 'why'. I need closure, I need context. If it changes nothing else, I just need context.

I'm just trying to put things in order right now. I keep looking back. I am relieved as to where I am right now in one sense, and in another I am re-contextualizing my entire life. It is actually making sense to me now, after so many years of questioning. Still, other questions arise in the process such as the experiences I have had in trying to get answers to my unending feeling that there is : something else. I hope to guide my youngest son, and maybe even my brother (hopefully) to get an assessment. This is even more important to me as I learn why, and how, and what went wrong and right in my experiences and from other people as on this forum. I feel like I am walking my family out of a refugee camp. Does that make sense?

Thank you for 'listening' to me through my long writing. Thank you for your kind replies, insight, and experiences. It is so nice to have people listen. LM