Psychiatry and Medication Management in Massachusetts
Psychiatrists and Medication Managers in Amherst, Franklin, West Springfield, and Wilbraham MA
While mental health conditions are highly treatable, many people struggling with their mental health go a long time between developing symptoms and receiving the appropriate treatment and support they deserve.
When talk therapy and counseling aren’t enough to help in the recovery from symptoms of underlying mental health conditions, it might be time to seek professional psychiatric treatment.
Our team of Psychiatrists and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners at HBH are here to talk to you about psychopharmacology options and help you carefully manage your medications. Our providers are dedicated to getting to know each client and providing comprehensive medical assessments.
If you need to start or change your psychiatric medications, book an appointment today with one of our providers in our Amherst, Franklin, Wilbraham, and West Springfield offices. We also offer online psychiatric treatment for patients living in Massachusetts.
What is Psychiatry?
Psychiatry is a branch of medicine that focuses on diagnosing, preventing, and treating mental, emotional, and behavioral conditions.
Psychiatrists are trained medical doctors (M.D. or M.O.) who specialize in mental health and medicine, which means they can provide full evaluations, prescribe medications and other medical treatments, and provide on-going care which can include therapy.
What is the difference in treatment between a Psychiatrist or a Psychologist?
Many people confuse the terms psychiatrist and psychologist.
Both professionals understand how the brain operates, and can offer psychological treatment (talk therapy) for patients struggling with mental health.
Psychologist:
If you’re going through a difficult time, and want to work on understanding your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, a psychologist may be a good place to start.
A trained psychologist uses different types of talk therapy and/or behavioral therapy, like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), or Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to address and treat your mental health symptoms.
If a psychologist believes that you might benefit from medication for a mental health condition, they’ll refer you to a Psychiatrist or Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNP) to manage that form of treatment.
Psychiatrist:
A psychiatrist might be a better choice if you’re experiencing more complex mental health concerns that talk therapy and counseling aren’t enough to help alleviate.
Psychiatrists can order and perform a full range of medical laboratory and physiological tests which, combined with discussions with patients, can lend a picture of the patient’s mental and physical state.
What is a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)?
Similar to a psychiatrist, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNP) are highly trained mental health care professionals who assess, diagnose, and treat the mental health needs of individuals, families, and communities.
Like psychiatrists, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners conduct physiotherapy and can prescribe medications in the treatment of mental health conditions.
What our Psychiatrists and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner treat:
Our Psychiatrists in Massachusetts treat the following mental health conditions:
- Mood Disorders such as anxiety or depression
- Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD) in children and adults
- Bipolar Disorder
- Sleep Disorders
- Thought Disorders
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Psychotic Disorders such as Schizophrenia, Delusion Disorder, and Substance-Induced Psychotic Disorder
- Pain Management
Psychiatric Treatment might look like:
- Medication
- General medical care (checking your physical health and the effects of medication)
- Psychological treatments
- Brain stimulation therapies such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
Our psychiatry team is experienced and treats a wide array of mental health issues. An informed decision for your treatment will always be made; the more information you can give them about your mental health, and what you are going through, the better chance they will have of treating you and helping you feel your best again soon.
What is Medication Management?
Medication management is a process through which a psychiatrist or psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner provides medicinal prescriptions and recommendations to a patient.
The process, conducted overtime, begins with an initial evaluation and assessment. Your provider will continue to monitor your mental and physical health changes, and make further decisions to either increase or decrease the medication dosage, change the medication, or stop treatment altogether.
Our Psychiatrists and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners at HBH are highly trained and experienced professionals which allows them to make the correct assessments and judgements during your treatment. As with all of our providers at HBH, we will always put your needs first and work with you to make the best decisions for your health and safety.
Our psychiatry team at HBH
Our team of trained psychiatrists in Massachusetts are both compassionate and highly specialized within the field so they will know the best way to treat any condition or co-occurring disorder you might be battling.
Whether your provider decides that you will need medication management or some form of therapy and counseling, you will be safely and supportively guided every step of the way.
Schedule an appointment with a psychiatrist in Massachusetts today
Our Psychiatrists and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners at HBH are ready to work with you, and provide comprehensive treatment that meets your mental health wants and needs.
Contact us today at (413) 343-4357 to schedule an appointment with one of our providers in our West Springfield, Amherst, Franklin, or Wilbraham offices. Our providers will also work with you online throughout the state of Massachusetts.