Perhaps one of the most intimidating experiences is when it comes time to talk to a psychiatrist about your symptoms. Psychiatrists are, by their nature, looking for pharmacological cures to your problems. Things that may seem significant to you will be ignored by the doctor. It does not mean that he or she is trying to minimalize your symptoms, but that they are looking for more general trends. What's important is to remember that your therapist and your psychiatrist serve different purposes. A therapist is the one who wants to talk about your day to day issues, who wants to check on your mood from day to day. This is where the smaller issues will be discussed. A psychiatrist is going to want to talk about the overall picture.

It is important to make sure that the psychiatrist gets the overall picture. It's possible that your situation that day might color your perception of your symptoms. One method is to discuss with your therapist everything that your psychiatrist should be told. Another, related idea is to make a list of symptoms. It would allow you to keep yourself on track, to make sure that what you need to convey is told. In order for the psychiatrist to best treat you, he or she needs to see exactly what is going on, with as unbiased a view as possible.

Your psychiatrist is another person that you need to trust. Although they might seem cold at times, or disinterested, trust that they are trying to help you. If you don't trust your doctors, you won't be able to get better.