Psychiatry

One in four adults is diagnosed with a mental health disorder, and many struggle with more than one condition at the same time. If your symptoms affect your life, it’s time to turn to psychiatry. As a board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, Bobbi Bridges, AGACNP-BC, PMHNP-BC, at Puentes Medical Consultants has extensive experience helping adults recover from mental, behavioral, and emotional challenges. Bobbi provides all psychiatry treatments through telemedicine. To schedule an appointment, connect online or call the office in San Antonio, Texas, or St. Petersburg, Florida, today.

What is psychiatry?

Psychiatry specializes in diagnosing and treating mental, behavioral, and emotional disorders. As a board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP-BC), Bobbi has received advanced training in psychiatry and is fully qualified to treat all mental health disorders. 

Her comprehensive care includes performing psychiatric evaluations, providing therapy, and prescribing medications.

What conditions do psychiatry specialists treat?

Bobbi has years of experience helping people with mental health disorders such as:

• Stress
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Sleep disorders
• Bipolar disorder
• Schizophrenia
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs)

Mental health-related IDDs include attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorders.

What symptoms indicate I may need a psychiatry specialist? 

Mental health disorders cause a vast array of symptoms. As a group, some of the most common signs and symptoms include:

• Ongoing anxiety and stress
• Difficulty maintaining relationships
• Struggling to make and keep friends
• Avoiding people and activities
• Feeling hopeless or worthless
• Delusions or hallucinations
• Mood swings
• Unwanted thoughts
• Having flashbacks to a traumatic event
• Not keeping up with responsibilities
• Declining performance
• Losing your job
• Excessively using alcohol or drugs
• Thinking about suicide 

Psychiatric conditions can be hard to identify because the symptoms of one mental health disorder often overlap with another. That’s why Bobbi takes time to talk with you, learn about your symptoms, and assess your condition.

What treatments do psychiatry specialists provide?

Psychiatric conditions rely on two primary treatments, medication and therapy: 

Medication management

In addition to prescribing medications when needed, Bobbi schedules regular follow-up appointments to carefully monitor your progress, check for side effects, and adjust your medication or dose as needed.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy (talk therapy) includes many therapeutic approaches, from cognitive behavioral and dialectical behavior therapies to emotion-focused, mindfulness interventions and psychoanalytic psychiatry.

Therapy improves your life and well-being by:

• Teaching coping skills
• Providing information
• Managing anger
• Working through trauma
• Improving communication
• Building self-esteem and assertiveness
• Identifying and changing distorted thoughts and behaviors

Therapy can also help you navigate life transitions and challenges, such as managing a divorce. 

Where is psychiatric care provided?

Bobbi offers all psychiatric treatments through telemedicine but may travel to local day programs to evaluate in person if need be.

If you need help with a psychiatric condition, call Puentes Medical Consultants or book online today.