Do patients in mental hospitals see a psychologist as well as a psychiatrist?
In the UK they would see a psychiatrist (a doctor with additional qualifications in psychiatry), but not necessarily a psychologist (who among other things provides psychological therapy). There is often a waiting list to see a psychologist, even if you are an inpatient. Other professionals may be trained to implement psychological therapy (eg CBT) – so this could be carried out by a nurse (not necessarily a registered nurse) or an Occupational Therapist. Re medication: someone extremely distressed, agitated and/or a danger to themselves or others may be given medication early in the admission if only to manage the acute symptoms. However people who present with low mood, anxiety or no previous mental illness will not necessarily be prescribed medication until they have been assessed which may take days or weeks. Someone can sit in a room and answer questions from a psychiatrist, but the psychiatrist will need information from the nurses about how the person has presented over a range
