Understanding the Role of Your Primary Care Physician in Your Care

You have a psychiatrist to manage your mental health, so what role does your regular doctor, your Primary Care Physician (PCP), play in the process? It can sometimes feel like you are dealing with two separate worlds of healthcare. But in reality, your PCP is a vital and indispensable member of your overall treatment team. Good mental healthcare is integrated healthcare, which means your psychiatrist and your PCP should be working together to manage your well-being.

At Televero Health, we see your PCP as a key partner. The communication and collaboration between your mental and physical health providers are essential for ensuring that you are getting the safest, most comprehensive, and most effective care possible.

Ruling Out Physical Causes

As we’ve discussed before, one of the most important first steps in any psychiatric evaluation is to make sure your symptoms aren’t being caused or worsened by an underlying physical health problem. Your PCP is the expert who can help with this crucial process. Your psychiatrist may refer you to your PCP to:

• Perform a physical exam: A thorough check-up can provide a baseline for your overall health.
• Order bloodwork: This is very common. Your PCP can run tests to check for things like thyroid problems, vitamin deficiencies (like B12 or D), or anemia. Any of these can cause symptoms that look like depression or anxiety. Ruling them out ensures that your psychiatric treatment is targeting the right problem.
• Evaluate other medical conditions: If you have other known medical conditions, like diabetes or heart disease, your PCP can help your psychiatrist understand how these conditions and their treatments might be interacting with your mental health.

Managing Your Overall Health

Your mental and physical health are deeply connected. Your PCP is the manager of your overall physical well-being, and this has a direct impact on your psychiatric care. They are responsible for:

• Monitoring for side effects: Some psychiatric medications can have an impact on your physical health. For example, some can affect your weight, blood pressure, or blood sugar levels. Your PCP will monitor these important health metrics to make sure your treatment is not causing any physical problems.
• Managing chronic conditions: If you have a condition like high blood pressure, your PCP will manage the treatment for it. This is important because your psychiatrist needs to know about all the medications you are taking to avoid any negative drug interactions.
• Promoting a healthy lifestyle: Your PCP is a great resource for advice on nutrition, exercise, and other lifestyle factors that are crucial for both your physical and mental health.

The Importance of Communication

For this partnership to work, communication is key. It is very important that you allow your psychiatrist and your PCP to communicate with each other. This usually involves you signing a “release of information” form for each doctor, which gives them permission to share your health information. This allows them to:

• Share test results: Your PCP can send the results of your bloodwork directly to your psychiatrist.
• Coordinate on medications: They can ensure that the medications they are each prescribing are safe to take together.
• Get a complete picture of your health: When both doctors have all the information, they can make better decisions about your care.

Don’t assume that your doctors are automatically talking to each other. It’s a good idea to be an active part of this communication loop. Make sure both of your doctors know who the other one is. When you see your PCP, tell them about the treatments you are receiving from your psychiatrist. When you see your psychiatrist, tell them about any new health problems or medications that your PCP has prescribed.

Your PCP is more than just a “regular doctor.” They are an essential specialist on your mental health team, providing the physical health foundation upon which your psychiatric recovery is built.

Key Takeaways

• Your Primary Care Physician (PCP) is a vital member of your mental health treatment team.
• A PCP’s role includes helping to rule out any underlying physical causes for your psychiatric symptoms by performing exams and ordering bloodwork.
• They monitor your overall physical health and watch for any potential side effects from psychiatric medications.
• It is crucial to give both your psychiatrist and your PCP permission to communicate with each other to ensure your care is safe and coordinated.

Ready to take the first step? We can help. Get started with Televero Health today.