prioritize needs

gender, specialty, diagnosis, talk, insurance, cost

Mental health can be scary.  I know that I want it to fade into the background and go away.  Reading this, I know that it is easy for everyone else to think that it is priority 1 for me to take care of my mental health.  I even know this.  It does not make it so to know it is so.  Take your concerns to specialized professionals.  I'll help break it down into manageable bits for the traumatized mind.

First off, I gather what I want and need for this person to do.  Sometimes I find it needs to actually be two people.  Psychiatrists (prescription pad) cost a lot.  Many of them do not do talk therapy.  They are good for diagnosis as well as tweaking medications.  Doctors can handle a lot of meds.

I would not use a General Practitioner for diagnosis of a mental health issue, nor for initial prescription.  It is easier, and it is available.  However, a properly trained psychiatrist would not have prescribed me what I was on prior to psychosis.  Also, I would have been watched much more closely.