Physical or Mental?
Why You Need a Psychiatric Expert to Help Rule Out Medical Conditions
by Dr. Erik Vanderlip
Here's something that might surprise you: that anxiety you're experiencing? It might not be anxiety at all. Emotions, stress, and sometimes the way a person’s body feels, are all related - and sometimes physical disorders can lead to anxiety and mental distress.
Let me paint you a picture of Sarah. She came to Care Nimble for her severe anxiety. Her heart rate was always fast, and she'd get dizzy spells. She was also constantly tired and hungry all the time. Three different doctors had told her it was "just anxiety." Turns out, after a thorough psychiatric evaluation, Sarah had an overactive thyroid. Once treated, her "anxiety" symptoms disappeared.
“Racing heart? Could be anxiety... or a thyroid condition. Fatigue? Might be depression... or anemia. Dizziness? Anxiety again... or possibly an inner ear problem.”
Though this isn’t necessarily common, it can happen. And it’s important to be thorough to make sure any physical health issues aren’t masquerading as mental health problems. There can be a lot of overlap in mental and physical symptoms. Racing heart? Could be anxiety... or a thyroid condition. Fatigue? Might be depression... or anemia. Dizziness? Anxiety again... or possibly an inner ear problem. At Care Nimble, this is exactly why we always check for symptoms that might mean a medical condition is at play.
Why See a Psychiatric Expert?
Here's the thing: good psychiatric clinicians are trained to be medical detectives - they also have the experience to know what classic mental disorders look like since they deal with them all the time. At Care Nimble, we don't just ask about your feelings and emotional symptoms - our online protocol ensures we’re thorough every time, and have a better chance of picking up something unusual or different. We look at the whole picture. And we have the clinical perspective to identify when something might be more than "just" mental health.
Think of it this way: if you went to a mechanic because your car was making weird noises, you'd want them to check the entire engine, not just assume it's one specific part, right? And you’d also want your mechanic to understand when something is different about your car that requires extra attention. The same principle applies here.
What You Can Expect
Every Care Nimble evaluation includes:
A thorough medical history
Questions about when and how your symptoms started
A detailed look at your physical symptoms
Discussion about getting appropriate medical tests, if needed
Collaboration with other medical professionals when necessary
The Bottom Line
If you're experiencing symptoms that could be anxiety or depression, absolutely seek help - but consider the importance of a psychiatric evaluation. Why? Because a good psychiatric process, like ours at Care Nimble, is designed to think broadly and comprehensively. It's not about dismissing mental health concerns; it's about making sure we're treating the right thing.
Your mental health matters – and so does making sure we're not missing something physical that's masquerading as a mental health issue. Your health is worth getting checked out properly. At Care Nimble, we're committed to doing exactly that.