The main difference is that psychiatrist's are all doctors who are able to prescribe medication, and often this is their focus of treatment. That's not to say that psychiatrists are unable to provide you with other coping strategies, but one would be more likely to get those strategies from a therapist and then seek out psychiatry if they are unable to, don't want to, or if behavioral/cognitive/emotional strategies and/or therapy has not been helpful or feels like it isn't enough.

That depends on what's going on, and how much support you feel like you need. The SDCC is able to provide students with bi-weekly counseling, various counseling groups, and psychiatry (limited availability) all of which are included in tuition. For some students, the level of support offered by the SDCC is enough. Other students are in a place where more support is needed. Ultimately only you know what you need, but the SDCC is always here to talk about the level of support needed, and make off-campus referrals if needed. 

A psychological evaluation is used to clarify a specific diagnosis and help guide treatment. It is an overall assessment that can include cognitive, behavioral, emotional, personality measures, self-report measures, interviews with collaterals, and/or some combination of all that. Following completion of the assessment, a psychologist will analyze the data and write a report.

Neuropsychological is part of an overall assessment and uses tests, puzzles, and other activities to evaluate different cognitive areas of the brain (e.g. attention, memory, language, executive functioning, motor skills, etc..). This evaluation examines the underlying neurocognitive processes and their relation to the individual's behaviors and the results can help explain where and why difficulties may be occurring. 

Full neuropsychological testing can be expensive and time consuming (2-8 hours over numerous sessions), but is also the only way to get official paperwork to support certain diagnoses such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Both forms of testing are more than likely covered by health insurance, but finding agencies that accept certain insurances can be tricky, and the waitlists can be anywhere between 3-10+ months.

First, please read FAQ above that gives some information about the testing process.

Second, ask yourself why you want the diagnosis. If it is for academic accommodations and/or piece of mind and/or an explanation of how you are feeling, than an official diagnosis can be provided by completing neuropsychological testing, which can be completed by following the steps outlined below. 

If you would like a diagnosis to start to manage symptoms, then getting neuropsychological testing doesn't necessarily have to be your priority at this time. Many providers (psychiatrists and therapists) are able to provide various coping skills (medication, behavioral, emotional, cognitive etc..) without a formal diagnosis. So, for some students, beginning treatment while also looking into getting tested can be beneficial, as it does not further delay getting support. 

If you are a part of the first camp, and want to go forward with neuropsychological testing, please see the resources and agencies listed below. The best first step for this process is to call your insurance and inquire about coverage for testing, and request a list of in-network providers. 

Come on down!! The SDCC has a full time clinical case manager who is happy to meet with any student who wants support getting connected off-campus. They work with various providers in the area who specialize in a variety of areas and they can find a provider for any insurance carrier.