Doctor advice?

[JLK]

Hello all,

I've been seeing the same doctor for many years, I go as infrequently as possible. I never really feel like she listens, she's constantly trying to get me off meds (and once made me go cold turkey for 2 weeks until she could see me), and has told me lots of random, scary things (like, I could go blind due to migraines). I want to find a new doctor, but it's very overwhelming. Should I look for a psychiatrist or another family doctor? I've tried looking online, but how can I know about a doctor just based on their name and photo? Any advice?

[Prayer for Anxiety]

Advice from a doctor... if you don't feel comfortable, start looking for a new caregiver now. Ask friends for referrals. Look for online physician rating sites with reviews.
It is very hard to find someone who listens, that's for sure. The specialty itself doesn't matter, but more the person. If you don't feel kindness or compassion, look elsewhere.
You don't want someone who just writes you prescriptions; you want someone who works with you.

[Chatative]

If you have longstanding anxiety problems... I would recommend seeing a psychiatrist. They will be able to offer much more help than just writing a prescription.

The best piece of advice to be found on this forum is that medication is not a cure by itself... you should always do some therapy/CBT alongside it to get to the route of the problem.

I can't really offer much advice on how to find someone... I live in the UK & we just get referred on the NHS.

[Dahila]

Psychiatrists are equipped to treat our diseases, gp are not, and I find the GP kind of limited. My psdoc is fantastic and I do nto have to use a lot of words to describe what is going on. She knows, we kind of the same, we I mean folks with anxiety or depression;)
They know much more about meds for anxiety than GP:) Good luck in finding good one. I usually use the websites and people reviews. YOu probably are in US or Canada and for the psychiatrist you do not need referral...

[JLK]

I am in the US, I spent too much time today looking up doctors that fit in my health care coverage and called more than I can count. Many were too far away or not taking new patients. I got so frustrated, I think I'm just going to stick with my old doctor. *sigh* Maybe I'll try again tomorrow or something.

Thanks anyway for the advice all!