New Orleans Psychiatry—Work with a Psychiatrist in New Orleans, LA

A year ago today, an intruder broke into Grace’s house. They threw a brick through the glass door on the back side of her house and entered with ease. They made their way through every room, taking all of her valuable objects: her TV, her jewelry box, an envelope of emergency cash.

Fortunately, Grace wasn’t home. But the event traumatizes her to this day. She can remember every single detail, from the exact pattern of broken glass splattered outside to every exact drawer and cabinet that was left ajar. 

Grace hasn’t felt safe in her house since. She struggles to sleep at night, jumping at every little noise she hears. She has nightmares about another break-in and is constantly on edge.

Finally, Grace’s dad convinces her to talk to someone. He’s done his best to comfort her but he can tell that the traumatic experience has had lasting effects that need to be addressed. Grace schedules an appointment with a psychiatrist to talk about what she’s been through.

Her psychiatrist diagnoses her with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This disorder can result from a range of traumatizing events and comes with harmful symptoms like nightmares and hypervigilance. Fortunately, therapy and medication can help Grace heal from this experience and manage her symptoms in the meantime.

Psychiatrists specialize in helping people like Grace. PTSD is one of many mental health disorders they can diagnose and treat. If you are struggling with symptoms of a mental health disorder or you’re struggling with another mental/emotional disturbance (like stress or the loss of a loved one), a psychiatrist can help.

If you’re looking for a psychiatrist in New Orleans, LA, call Thriveworks. We can set you up with an online psychiatrist right now. These professionals conduct their appointments online and can help you as soon as today or tomorrow.

What Is the Difference Between Psychiatrists and Psychologists?

To put it simply, psychiatrists are medical doctors who are experts in mental health. They specialize in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental illness, just like psychologists, but the difference is that psychiatrists have medical degrees. This allows them to prescribe medication and provide their clients with medication management.

Medication can prove to be an important treatment method. There are specific drugs that treat mental illnesses, including anti-anxiety, mood stabilizing, antipsychotic medications, and antidepressants. These medications do not cure the illness that they treat but instead improve one’s symptoms. For this reason, therapy is often used to treat mental disorders as well.

If your psychiatrist prescribes you with a medication, they will make sure that you understand exactly how you should take it. This includes how much you should take, how often, with or without food, and so on. They will also clearly explain the potential side effects of your medication, which might include dizziness, nausea, or weight gain.

If your medication isn’t a good fit, that’s okay. Your psychiatrist will monitor your progress and can change your prescription as needed, whether that means altering the dosage or finding a new medication entirely.

Schedule an Appointment with an Online Psychiatrist in New Orleans, LA

Thriveworks Counseling has been helping people live happy, successful lives for 12+ years. We connect these individuals with skilled and caring professionals, who have the expertise to help with the given problem. Common problems include:

• Depressed thoughts and feelings
• Anxiety disorders
• PTSD
• Grief and loss
• Relationship issues
• Stress
• Lack of fulfillment 

Our providers are able to help with a vast array of mental health problems. And our psychiatrists are uniquely equipped to offer a diagnosis in the case of a mental illness as well as treatment in the form of therapy and/or medication.

If you would like to schedule an appointment with a psychiatrist in New Orleans, LA, call (225) 716-9319. Our scheduling team can set you up with someone right away, and you might even have your first session within 24-48 hours.