Finding the Right Psychiatrist: A Guide for Discerning Consumers - Hardcover

Taylor M.D., Dr. Robert L.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0813566258 ISBN 13: 9780813566252

Publisher: Rutgers University Press, 2014

Synopsis

Choosing a psychiatrist is complicated. If a person doesn’t know what to look for and the questions to ask, finding the right psychiatrist can be daunting.The goal is to find one who, while remaining a competent physician, is as comfortable and capable working with problems of the mind as he or she is prescribing psychiatric medications.   

Combining over forty years of experience as a practicing psychiatrist with an insider’s perspective of current psychiatric practice, Dr. Robert Taylor provides invaluable guidance to persons considering psychiatric treatment or contemplating a change of doctor in an effort to find better treatment.  Cautioning readers against settling for a psychiatrist who views psychodrugs as the treatment, Dr. Taylor provides specific suggestions for avoiding the growing number of psychiatrists who write scripts automatically.

In recent decades, psychiatric care has been overly reliant on psychodrugs. Patient diagnoses are being seriously questioned.  Finding the Right Psychiatrist encourages people to seek care from a complete psychiatrist—one able and willing to pursue matters of mind and brain/body, rather than settling on psychodrugs as the main treatment.

Throughout the book, readers learn about the proper uses and limits of psychiatric diagnosis. Dr. Taylor carefully outlines an individualized approach to psychiatric care guided more by a patient’s particular problems and situation than by diagnoses that often mislead more than help. He provides a realistic appraisal of psychiatric medications: what they can and cannot do as well, a discussion of mind work tools, traits of effective psychiatrists, suggestions for how to deal with common insurance company obstacles, and an explanation of the confusing politics of psychiatry.

An indispensable resource for anyone seeking psychiatric help or tasked with advising someone of what to look for in a doctor, Finding the Right Psychiatrist gives hope and guidance to those searching for complete and personalized care.

View a three minute video of Dr. Robert L. Taylor speaking about Finding the Right Psychiatrist.

About this title

About the Author:

ROBERT L. TAYLOR, MD has practiced clinical psychiatry throughout the United States and in New Zealand. In addition to private practice, he has designed and managed mental health programs, served as a training specialist at the National Institute of Mental Health, and testified before Congress on national health insurance. He is the author of Mind or Body, Health Fact, Health Fiction, and Psychological Masquerade, now in its thirdedition.

Review:

“Dr. Taylor’s book bursts at the seams with insights, study results, and clearheaded explanations. If you are thinking of seeing a psychiatrist, there is no better guide on the market.” (Daniel Carlat assoc. clinical professor of psychiatry, Tufts School of Medicine)

"Taylor delineates what's wrong with mental health care today, and guides the reader to that rare psychiatrist who embodies what psychiatric care is—or should be—all about."  (Steve Balt, M.D., M.S. Editor-in-Chief, The Carlat Psychiatry Report)

"An instructive, easy-to-read, insider's view of what to look for in a good psychiatrist and how to avoid an overreliance on diagnoses and psychodrugs that loses your mind." (Mark Ragins, M.D. Psychiatrist, Mental Health America of Los Angeles - Village)

“Understanding psychiatric disorders is extremely complex. Accessing appropriate and effective treatment is complicated. Dr. Taylor's book educates individuals living with psychiatric disorders how to search for qualified, effective psychiatric care.” (Gary L. Mihelish, D.M.D. NAMI, National Board of Directors)

“Provides plethora of insights in a teaching modality, helping understand strengths and weaknesses of American psychiatry. A much needed resource to educate the public about misdiagnosis and overuse of drugs.” (Suzon Kemp Mental Health Association of Texas Board Member (ret.))

"Dr. Taylor’s insightful analysis of how modern mental health care has become a compartmentalized splintered system is a knowledgeable resource for patients and professionals in the challenging times ahead." (Patrick L. Wayne Consumer Advocate, Community Outreach Specialist, State of Montana)

"I can recommend it with enthusiasm. It reads very well as a user-friendly, comfortable, wise friend talking to you. This is one of its greatest strengths. Also, there are many strong and useful sections, especially ADHD, depression, alternate drugs, understanding personality, useful techniques in psychotherapy, windows into the mind. Practical, reader-friendly features such as a 'questions and answers,' section, and a guide to helpful websites, are very helpful. The author is very credible based on his broad experience." (Fuller Torrey, M.D. The Stanley Medical Research Institute)

“Taylor concluded that someone with a troubled mental life has a slim chance of finding a competent psychiatrist. He is lucid and fearless in guiding prospective patients.” (Robert Whitaker author of Anatomy of an Epidemic)

“Taylor is lucid and fearless [in] describing the current state of psychiatry and what he sees as its coming diminished status as a medical specialty. Finding the Right Psychiatrist [...] merits the serious attention of psychiatrists who wish to learn how [...] they might practice authentically in spite of this limiting condition.”  (René J. Muller, Ph.D. author of Doing Psychiatry Wrong and Psych ER)

About this edition

• Publisher: Rutgers University Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0813566258
• ISBN 13: 9780813566252
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 176