Is it normal for a therapist to discourage seeking a psychiatrist?

I just can never leave a short comment my apologies lol

I dont think that's normal, unless you already had it prescribed through a psychiatrist your general practitioner should not be prescribing you mental health medication and neither should a General therapist or counselor. They might have personal preferences that medication isn't the best but they shouldn't be putting that on you. Medications are mint to assist you, while it's true a lot of people with mental health disorders wind-up on medication for life that's not what the system is supposed to be. They're supposed to assist you to make the lifestyle changes you need and then you're supposed to wean yourself off of them when you don't need them as much (notes this is for some and not all mental health illnesses). Like how truthfully diet and exercise are the two biggest changes you can make to affect and alleviate depression, it is proven.

Um no... They should be encouraging or sending you a referral to one, if anything...

For the record, a former psychiatrist wouldn't see me unless I worked with a therapist who specialized in DBT. I would heed the advice from an MD.

Wait, what? I've never heard of this before. Psychiatrists are medical doctors that specialize in mental health treatment. You need to see another therapist.

that is super weird, get a new therapist

I had a similar issue thats called neglect look for someone who likes to help people like us

I think it’s definitely important to see a psychiatrist. My GP misdiagnosed me and put me on medication that set my progress back by weeks. If you want to get a prescription from a psychiatrist and then continue with a GP afterwards to save money once you’re already set in a medication regiment that’s fine, but please please PLEASE go to a psychiatrist first

i think it depends. sometimes people prefer to try therapy by itself first before adding medication. if you think you’d benefit more with both, then either try to tell your therapist that or try to find a new therapist.

I would be wary of a therapist that discouraged me from seeing a psychiatrist. Therapists and psychiatrists do different things and can both be important to someone’s care. If you want to see a psychiatrist, you should absolutely do so, don’t let anyone hold you back from getting the care you deserve.

from personal experience, definitely not!! my gp tried her best but at the end of the day suggested heavily i go to a psychiatrist since that's what they do for a living.

No! Psychiatrists specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses. And even if yours are manageable without medication, it’s still good to see a specialist to make sure your treatment plan is right for you!