Question: Have you ever had pacientes that actually needed a psychiatrist?

Emily Mattacola answered on 14 Nov 2019:

Yes, definitely! When we’re working with people it’s really important that those people understand what we are and aren’t qualified to do. If someone has a mental health condition that they need help with, then I am not qualified to provide that help (they need a clinical psychologist or a psychiatrist, usually), so I have to make really clear up front that that’s not me. I also have a duty of care to my participants, so that means that whilst everything they tell me is usually confidential, there are limits to this. For example, I had a participant in a study earlier this year where they told me some things that really made me worry for their mental health. Now, as I’m not qualified to deal with that myself, I broke their confidentiality to tell their doctor about my concerns. The doctor followed up with them, and they got a referral for further psychological support. That’s ok to do, as (1) I told them up front that this is something I’d need to do, and (2) it meant that they got the help that they needed.