3 signs of a trustworthy patient-psychiatrist relationship 

A good psychiatrist will not give you solutions for your problems.

First, there is this stigma attached to mental health, second, there is this doubt in every patient s mind if they can blindly trust their doctor. These two factors make the patient-doctor relationship quite tricky. Of course, trusting someone, even a doctor, when you are at the peak of emotional turmoil doesn t happen easily. That is why it takes time to develop a doctor-patient relationship. Here Dr Sanghanayak Meshram, psychiatrist and sexologist, Mumbai tells us the three things to look out for during interactions with a therapist or psychiatrist that ensures there is enough room left to develop trust in the doctor-patient relationship:

1. A good therapist or psychiatrist will never impose his or her ideas on the patient

Remember, in India, people don t visit a psychiatrist or a therapist just at the drop of a hat. They sure have toyed with certain ideas to solve their problems on their own or spoken to numerous people, especially friends and relatives for a solution. A psychiatrist or a therapist is usually the last resort. So, when a patient walks into the clinic, there is already a belief system of his own to which he complies. The patient usually has some pre-conceived ideas about the problems he is facing and is often looking for a guide for validation. This is a delicate line of interaction.

Mostly, here if the psychiatrist starts to impose his ideas and beliefs in the patient the entire equation between the two can go wrong. What the patient is looking for is not advice but help to connect with his inner-self. But if the therapist is imposing his ideas during the interactions, the expectations of the patient from the therapist is severely crushed. This could make the patient drop after the first session. A good therapist will never give one a solution, but help to get solution on their own. Here are seven things everyone should know about therapy.

2. The therapist or psychiatrist is in no rush to finish the session

There is a dictum in psychotherapy, Let the patient speak. But there are times when a patient might not be able to talk about his inherent problem with ease right at the start. But an experienced therapist can gauge the underlying problems even from the lame banter, like, whether the suppressed emotion is due to sexual abuse or a toxic relationship. If a therapist tries to touch those raw emotions directly, to get the most of the conversation during the first session, it can backfire. The patient might think the therapist have an ulterior motive or is being judgemental. Instead, the therapist should give a patient the freedom to talk and develop a comfort zone so he can finally trust with the most secret troubles of his life. Here are four things to consider before consulting your therapist for depression.

3. He/she will never dominate the interaction

There could be times when after giving the patient the leeway to talk and unload, the interaction might get repetitive and unidirectional. A good therapist will try to route it back to the right direction without dominating the conversation. As it is important for the patient to talk, it is also important for the practitioner to understand where the problem lies. For instance, if a woman talks too much about the love lost between her and her husband without touching any definitive high or low in the relationship a question from the therapist like, When was the last time you were happy with him? can help the conversation to steer in the right direction.

So, if you are visiting a psychiatrist and wondering if you would be able to entrust him completely, definitely look for these traits.

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