Why do we need to have blood tests when seeing a psychiatrist?

All psychiatrists are qualified medical doctors with expertise in assessing, diagnosing, and treating mental health problems and illnesses. As medical professionals, they must first exclude any physical ailments, which may be the underlying cause of mental health deterioration. For example, underactive thyroid may present as general slowness or depressed mood, and low blood sugar can manifest as dizzy spells, anxiety or panic attack.
So during health evaluation, a specialist may examine apparent signs of a medical condition and investigate further with blood and other tests like ECG, CT brain etc., to rule out or confirm the suspected disease.

Don forget that psychiatrists are licensed to prescribe medication, which means they have to ensure that their patients are in good health while initiating medication or consider lower starting doses and carefully increasing in quantity where pre-existing ailments exist. For example, drugs like Lithium or other mood stabilizers may require three to six monthly blood level monitoring. In contrast, antipsychotics may require an annual check of liver, kidney and cholesterol status.

Any initial and subsequent blood tests or investigations are for your safety and health monitoring.

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© Dr Roshan Jain 2016