What is Psychiatry?
Psychiatry is a field of medicine in which providers use medication to treat mental and behavioral health disorders when needed. Psychiatric care providers or Atlanta Psychiatric Specialists are licensed medical professionals. Patients either see a medical doctor, an advanced nurse practitioner, or a physician assistant.
Psychiatry vs. Therapy
Wondering whether to see a psychiatrist or a therapist?
Both are vital for mental health, but they offer different kinds of support.
Psychiatry
Psychiatrists use a medical lens to diagnose and treat mental illnesses, often prescribing medication.
Therapy
Therapists on the other hand, use talk therapy to help with emotional challenges and personal development.
Will My Psychiatrist Push Medication on Me?
At Beal Wellness, we empower patients to make their own decisions about their health. Our providers will not shame you into taking medication that you don’t want to take. Instead, they inform you about all of your care options, including benefits and risks. Then you make the decision. We manage medications safely and conservatively, only using them if we have to and at minimal doses. We encourage psychotherapy and lifestyle changes to help our patients get better. We have counselors at our practice that can assist you with the tools you need to help yourself get better.
What Type of Appointment Do I Need?
Initial
This visit is where all established patients check in and chart their progress on an annual basis. You will revisit the "Set" part of our proven process each year at this visit. This visit lasts about an hour and involves a review of your yearly goals, possible lab work, and fine-tuning your treatment plan. Every active patient will have this visit once every 12 months.
Follow-Up
This visit type allows for providers to alter your treatment plan or monitor your progress more closely. This visit occurs during the "Go!" part of our proven process and it lasts about 30 minutes. Your provider may recommend this visit type based on their professional judgment. You may need this appointment type if you've started new medications and we need to make sure you are tolerating them well, or if you believe your medications need to be adjusted. Another common reason for needing a follow-up is if you have new issues that are impacting your well-being and need to address the issues with your provider.
Annual
This visit is where all established patients check in and chart their progress on an annual basis. You will revisit the "Set" part of our proven process each year at this visit. This visit lasts about an hour and involves a review of your yearly goals, possible lab work, and fine-tuning your treatment plan. Every active patient will have this visit once every 12 months.
Refill
This visit type is our most common. This visit occurs during the "Go!" part of our proven process and lasts about 10 minutes. At this visit, you will meet with a provider to discuss your well-being and get a refill of your medications. We use this visit type to monitor your health and make sure that your treatment plan is working. Because this visit is brief, if any new problems are discussed during this visit, the provider will recommend that you schedule a follow-up visit to address the new problems.
We offer several psychiatric services and appointment types, but the four most common types of visits are:
