Why does my dad need to see psychiatrist is it to diagnose what’s wrong

[rhibeth1]

Hi sorry to bother you lovely people just been chatting with dads friend saying dad has a letter to tell him they sending him a psychiatrist appointment in due course as it’s a follow up from the memory clinic appointment we had september 16th is that normal ?So the psychiatrist will give the diagnosis and go from there I take it any advice would be great thank you.

 

[silkiest]

Hi @rhibeth1 , and welcome. You will find lots of friendly help here and you can also find out lots of useful information from the search feature at the top of the page.
If your dad is in the very early stages of dementia it is a good idea to arrange Power of Attorney for health and finance straight away and register them at the same time. These will save a lot of problems as time goes on and if you leave it until you need them your dad may no longer be capable of giving his consent. you can do it on the government website - all others will charge you a fee for doing it as well as the government fee - https://www.gov.uk/power-of-attorney
When MIL was diagnosed several years ago she saw the specialist nurse for her initial assessments, then had ecg etc and saw the psychologist for her diagnosis and treatment. Just before the first lockdown mum was both assessed and diagnosed and prescriptions organised by the nurse.
If your dad hasn't had his blood tests and ecg yet they may be organising them first. The ecg isn't part of the screening for dementia - it is because some alzheimers medication cannot be given if the person has any heart problems.

 

[rhibeth1]

Hi I’m in the middle of the poa he has had all his tests back in June and has quarterly blood tests via gp so I think it’s all up to date I’m just curious why the psychiatrist is needed as dad was concerned about it thinks he’s being sent to a mental hospital which I tried to explain that it isn’t the case

 

[Izzy]

It was a long time ago now but my husband was given his diagnosis by a consultant psychiatrist. After that he attended the memory clinic on a three monthly basis and saw another consultant psychiatrist who reviewed his situation.

 

[rhibeth1]

Thank you as once I get diagnosis I can move forward and plan things even though he’s reluctant to have help around the home he said he will have a trial basis and go from there

 

[northumbrian_k]

I would think that this is in order to confirm the diagnosis and any medication or follow-up. My wife was first seen by a nurse at the memory clinic. The nurse then set up next steps after consulting a doctor. These included a CT scan, after which she was called back to discuss her diagnosis and further treatment and medication. That meeting was with a doctor, not a Consultant but part of the team specialising in Psychiatry. After that she was discharged from the memory clinic. There was never any suggestion that seeing a psychiatrist had anything to do with admission to hospital.

 

[MartinWL]

The problem would be if you did NOT get offered an appointment. actually your dad is lucky to be getting care from an expert. Many have to make do with their GP. The psychiatrist can prescribe medication that might help and it is most unlikely that he will call men in white coats to take your dad to a hospital. He probably won't also make any references to a padded cell or a straightjacket, so try to reassure your dad that this is nothing to worry about.

 

[rhibeth1]

Thank you so much everyone to know u guys are here for advice when it feels like I’m on my own sometimes

 

[imthedaughter]

I always felt it was odd that dementia is classed as a mental health thing but it is hence the psychiatrist. I think I've just about got my head around what appears to by a physical brain disease (brain shrinkage, clots on the brain etc) being a mental illness by thinking about all brain-related things being dealt with by psychiatrists.

 

[marionq]

My husband’s psychiatrist was a great support over the years. I opted to take him every six months and she really got to know us both. I was able to ask her opinion on a lot of things. She could see quite clearly how his Alzheimer’s was progressing. She had several CPNs working for her and they helped me get John a place in daycare once that became necessary.

 

[Bobthebuilder]

I feel you and am also in the early stages of getting my head around the pathway of care. My Dad has just been diagnosed with Early Onset and i was totally perplexed how a neurological condition can be diagnosed by a psychiatrist. My limited understanding is that a psychiatrist diagnoses because of the impact of the disease rather than the actual physiology.

 

[northumbrian_k]

Doctors who specialise in Geriatric Medicine, Neurology and Psychiatry can all have an input to the care pathway for any type of Dementia. It often seems to be the Psychiatrists who are involved in diagnosis and also in assessing capacity. That is in England at least, but I would guess this is also true in the rest of the UK. Dementia sits within the Mental and behavioural disorders chapter of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10, the coding system used for diagnosis). As with many other diseases and conditions it does of course have a broader spread across specialties.