Padam Bhatia, MD

Board Certified Psychiatrist

Dr. Padam Bhatia is a board certified Psychiatrist who runs Elevate Psychiatry, based in Miami, Florida. He specializes in treating patients with a combination of traditional medicine and evidence-based holistic therapies. He also specializes in electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), compassionate use, and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Dr. Bhatia is a diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association (FAPA). He received an MD from Sidney Kimmel Medical College and has served as the chief resident in adult psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital in New York.

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What should I look for when choosing a therapist?

Make sure you find someone that you can easily hold a conversation with since you'll be able to open up to them more.

The biggest factor is whether you have rapport with your therapist. There have been plenty of studies that have looked at the relationship between the patient and the clinician, and whether it's a therapist or not, almost all of those studies have pointed to the fact that if you have a good rapport and you're able to be honest in your answers to any of the clinician's questions, you're actually going to have a better outcome.

Pay attention to how you feel when you talk with the therapist. If it doesn't feel like a good fit for you, don't make an appointment with that person even if you can't give a logical explanation about why you don't feel good about that person. Trust your feelings.

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If I have a phobia, how can I determine if psychotherapy is right for me?

Psychotherapy is essentially the treatment of choice for phobias. Medication may decrease your anxiety in some cases, but to really regain functionality in your life, you need to change the way you think about the phobia. Keep in mind that your therapist may also ask you very personal questions about yourself, including whether you have any history of trauma or abuse, as well as questions about your sex life, and your medical history.

What should I do during a pyschiatric emergency?

In an emergency, a psychiatric risk assessment is crucial to understanding what level of care that patient needs. If you're a lay person and you're with someone who's in a lot of distress, start with validation. Make sure that person understands that what they're feeling is okay. Then, proceed on to see if they're willing to accept help. Going to the nearest emergency room sounds like a very big step to take, but if you've been validating them, it may be easier.

What should I expect when preparing to get a psychiatric evaluation?

During the initial evaluation, you'll be asked lots of different questions, and some of them are going to be personal. For instance, they'll likely ask about your abuse or trauma history, your medical history, and they may even touch on your sex life or sexually transmitted diseases.

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