Involving a Primary Care Physician
Primary care physicians are clinicians that are trained in general medicine, pediatrics, gynecology, or family practice. A PCP, as they are also known, establishes the first point of entry for a patient who is not feeling well and is not exactly sure why. The primary care provider can treat a wide range of health concerns and typically is well educated in a broad number of areas. Some will even be comfortable managing a child's psychiatric medications, particularly if your child has taken them and shown stability over time. You can think about the primary care provider as the doctor who has to know enough about every area of medicine to make the proper referrals to the appropriate specialists.
Alert!
Because of recent concerns with suicidal thinking and behavior in children taking antidepressant/antianxiety medication, it is recommended that your child receive regular follow-up, especially when starting or stopping a medication. Your PCP, NP, or GP may offer this option, though you may have to ask for it.
PCPs are considered the primary gatekeeper in health plans, authorizing referrals to specialists for more complex and time-intensive diagnostic procedures. After taking on a patient, they often will manage the long-term care of that person if the patient has a basic medical condition that is nonsurgical in nature.
Can My Regular Doctor Prescribe Antianxiety Medication?
If your child's anxiety is severe, and it has been decided that medication is the best route along with therapy, you might be wondering if your family doctor can write the prescription.
Many general practitioners are comfortable and competent prescribing medications for basic or uncomplicated anxiety and depression. Some are not, as they may feel that it is out of the scope of their practice. If your child has overlapping conditions such as ADHD and anxiety, or a more complex condition such as OCD, it is invaluable to have the input of a psychiatrist. Because your child's pediatrician typically can see your child immediately, start with her. The wait to see a psychiatrist, particularly one who sees children, can be anywhere from four to twelve weeks. If your child's pediatrician is comfortable prescribing for anxiety, she can get you help as soon as possible. In the meantime, schedule an appointment with the psychiatrist, and by the time you have your first appointment, you will have weeks of data to share about your child's mood and behavior, and how the medication is working. The psychiatrist is in the best position at that point to evaluate what to do next.
Fact
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Physicians (January 2006), there is an ever-growing shortage of primary care physicians. They found “the number of medical students entering family practice training dropped by 50 percent between 1997 and 2005.” Moreover, “in 1998, half of internal medicine residents chose primary care, but by 2006, over 80 percent became specialists or hospitalists.”
