Generalist vs Specialist: Who Should Manage Your Mental Health Medication?

When you bring up a mental health concern with your Primary Care Provider, they will likely ask you some questions to assess for depressed mood, anxiety, and suicidality. Based on your answers, you might leave with a diagnosis and prescription for an antidepressant. (Despite their name, antidepressants can be useful for both depressed mood and anxiety.)

It is helpful that PCPs make psych meds more accessible in that way. For many people, that’s the only way they will ever seek treatment for mental health. And, if you have already determined the medication(s) that work for you, PCPs are an easy way to stay consistent in getting your prescriptions.

In the beginning, though, I strongly recommend that you begin with a specialist, instead of a general practitioner. If you can see a psychiatrist or a psychiatric nurse practitioner, you’ll have a better chance of getting an accurate diagnosis and eventually finding the right medication(s). Mental health is tricky. There isn’t a blood test that can determine your correct diagnosis. Some diagnoses might be straightforward, while others require more detective work – and a specialist will be better equipped to do that.

Even with an accurate diagnosis, the meds are still a bit of a guessing game. People with the same diagnosis can respond very differently to the same medication. There’s a lot of trial and error to determine the right medication, then the right dosage, and possibly a combination of medications.

Keep in mind that meds are not the only answer, and they are not always the best answer. That being said, some of our brains seem to need these medications, and when we figure out what works for us, it is life-changing. Life-saving.