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Many people decide to see a psychiatrist after therapy alone has not been enough, after a primary care doctor suggests it or after symptoms become hard to manage day to day. Then comes the hard part: actually finding one. In Los Angeles, waitlists can be long, and listings rarely tell you what you need to know. Here is a practical guide.
First, know what a psychiatrist does
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes in mental health. Psychiatrists diagnose conditions, consider how physical health and other medications affect your mental health, and prescribe and manage psychiatric medication. A typical relationship starts with a thorough evaluation, followed by regular follow-up visits to see how treatment is working and adjust as needed.
If you are not sure whether you need a psychiatrist or a therapist, read Psychiatry vs. Therapy: Which Do You Need?
Match the psychiatrist to your needs
Psychiatrists often focus on particular areas. Look for experience with what you are dealing with:
- General adult psychiatry for anxiety, depression, mood disorders and related conditions
- Addiction psychiatry if substance use is part of the picture, including medication-assisted treatment and detox support
- Child and adolescent psychiatry for patients under 18
- ADHD evaluation and treatment, ideally informed by thorough testing
Where to look
- Your primary care doctor can often recommend psychiatrists they trust.
- Your therapist likely knows psychiatrists they already coordinate with.
- Your insurance directory lists in-network providers, though availability changes often, so call to confirm.
- Practices that combine services can be the fastest route, because psychiatry, therapy and testing are on one team and already coordinated.
Questions to ask before booking
- Do you have experience treating what I am dealing with?
- How long is the first evaluation, and how often are follow-up visits?
- Do you provide therapy, or do you work with therapists I can see?
- How do you handle questions or side effects between appointments?
- What are your fees, and do you work with insurance?
- How soon can I be seen?
Signs of a good fit
A good psychiatrist listens carefully, explains their reasoning, discusses the benefits and risks of any medication and involves you in decisions. You should feel comfortable raising concerns, including if you do not want medication or want to try a different approach. Medication decisions are a partnership.
Why coordinated care helps
Medication works best as part of a larger plan. When your psychiatrist and therapist talk to each other, your psychiatrist can adjust treatment with a full picture of how you are doing week to week, and your therapist can support changes as they happen. That coordination is hard to arrange between separate offices.
Psychiatry at Blackburn
Blackburn Clinical Services offers psychiatric evaluations and medication management for anxiety, depression, mood disorders, addiction and co-occurring conditions, coordinated with our therapists and testing team. We serve Venice, Mar Vista, Santa Monica, Culver City and the rest of the Westside. Meet our psychiatrists.
Talk with our team
Blackburn Clinical Services is at 12326 Venice Blvd in Los Angeles, serving Venice, Mar Vista, Santa Monica, Culver City and West Los Angeles. Call (888) 870 7405, email info@blackburnclinical.com or contact us to schedule an assessment.
Related care at Blackburn Clinical Services
- Psychiatric medication management in Los Angeles: evaluation and ongoing medication care, coordinated with therapy
- Addiction psychiatry in Los Angeles: psychiatric care for addiction and co-occurring conditions
- Dual diagnosis treatment: substance use and mental health treated together
- Conditions we treat: anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, OCD, trauma and more