The best psychiatrist manages medications with a few things in mind. The most common cause of medication mistakes is an incorrect diagnosis. More than any other medical specialty, psychiatry relies on language. You can’t assume that what you mean when you use a word to describe your experience is the same meaning the psychiatrist has for the same word. All too often, a poorly trained clinician or a hurried doctor will jump to conclusions about what you mean. They may have one thing in mind, for instance, when you say you have "mood swings" or “anxiety” but you might have completely different things in mind. There are many other words and phrases like this that are misunderstood between patient and doctor. The doctor must be sure to take the time to understand what you mean and that you are talking about the same thing when you both use a word or phrase. Misunderstandings like this are very common and a major reason people are misdiagnosed. The wrong diagnosis then leads to the wrong treatment. The wrong treatment leads to poor results in your care. Inexperienced or poorly trained clinicians often make this mistake. You must be sure your doctor understands your symptoms the way you experience them. Be sure you both mean the same thing when using a psychiatric term.
