Questions to Your Physician or Psychotherapist

According to ongoing research about the needs of patients with emotional problems, misinformation or shame to speak about the problem with the doctor or psychotherapist are major limitations to treatment success. However, transparency, good information and participation in the course of the therapy is the most important factor for a lasting positive result. Maybe the following list of the most relevant questions might help you to get good information about your personal psychological problems, diagnosis and treatment options. We try to give a rough answer to most of these question in Web4health, but we cannot (and do not want to!) replace the personal contact with your therapist. This list, however, might help you make a list of personal questions you might want to ask:

• Is there a name (clinical diagnosis) for my problem?
• What are typical symptoms (somatic and psychological)?
• What are the causes of the problem or the disorder?
• What is the typical experience of other patients with this kind of problem or disorder?
• What could I do myself to achieve a solution?
• What kind of further technical diagnosis is necessary to exclude organic disorders?
• What is the aim of these diagnoses? Are there any possible risks?
• What kind of treatment options (drugs, psycho-social help, different psychotherapy-methods, biological treatment options) exist for my problem?
• What kind of advantage can be achieved with the treatment (and how long does it take)?
• What is the purpose of the suggested clinical diagnostic process?
• What kind of different treatment options are available?
• What will be realistic advantages of a positive therapy outcome?
• Can the treatment offer me a reduction of my complaints?
• How long will it take to achieve first positive results?
• What might be the influence on my feelings or personality?
• Are there any negative consequences for my sexuality?
• Are there risks or possible side effects of the treatment?
• Do you think my problems will reoccur? Is it a chronic disorder?
• What kind of information is relevant for people, who care for me?
• Is there anything I could do myself to accelerate my rehabilitation?
• How do I get additional information?
• Are there self-help groups for my problem?

As Featured on ArticleCity.com