IronMaidenRockess said:
The last time I went to the doctors about my shyness ( quite a few yrs back) I was reffered to counsellors, but they didnt help at all (I was there about 6 months), perhaps because they didnt know about social phobia etc.
But Im going back to the doctors and think they would refer me to a psychiatrist. What are they like? Are they nicer than counsellors? Are they easier to talk to? Do they ask as many difficult questions as counsellors do?
thanks
Honestly, no. Depending on many factors, you will probably find your experience with a psychiatrist much the same as with a counsellor, except the psychiatrist can prescribe medication.
If you didn't like one counselor you saw, or two, that's one thing, but it sounds like you didn't like quite a few counselors, in which case I doubt you will like a psychiatrist either.
It is definitely possible that a psychiatrist will know more about social phobia than your counselors, but don't expect the doc to be your friend, to be nice, or to avoid difficult questions that force you to do some introspection.
To get benefit from visiting a counselor or psychiatrist, you have to want to work with them, and honestly try hard to work with them, to help yourself improve in the ways you want to. Going in to see a therapist is not going to always feel easy and comfortable - sometimes it can be very stressful to confront your fears or have them scrutinized - but if the doc does his job and you do yours, you should end up feeling better. Does that make sense?
I do recommend, based on your experience with your counselors, that you identify the types of treatment you responded to the best (behavioral, cognitive, psychotherapy, etc) and find a psychiatrist who specializes in that type of therapy.