Die Wiener Praxis
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office@diewienerpraxis.at | +43 1 3460968 Stadiongasse 6-8/ Top 10, 1010 Vienna
Die Wiener Praxis
Room for psychotherapy, psychiatry, psychology, language and developmental support
Discover our practice!
Contact Us!
office@diewienerpraxis.at | +43 1 3460968 Stadiongasse 6-8/ Top 10, 1010 Vienna
Psychiatry is a medical specialty that deals with mental illnesses. Psychiatrists are physicians who, after completing medical school, have undergone specialist training in psychiatry. They can make diagnoses, prescribe medications, rule out physical causes of mental health issues, and carry out medical treatments.
Psychiatric treatment combines this medical diagnostics with a personal view of your current life situation. The focus is not only on a diagnosis, but also on the question of which symptoms are present, how severe the distress is, and which biological, psychological, and social factors are involved. Medication can be part of the treatment—but does not have to be. Decisions are made jointly, explained clearly, and reviewed regularly.
During the initial consultation, symptoms, progression, and current stressors are carefully assessed. Sleep, mood, concentration, physical health, previous treatments, as well as psychological and social factors are also taken into account.
Psychiatric treatment can stabilize, alleviate symptoms, manage crises, and improve sleep, mood, anxiety, inner tension, or concentration. The goal is to regain a greater range of action and quality of life.
What support makes sense is discussed transparently – such as medical supervision, medication, psychotherapy, clinical-psychological treatment, or further diagnostic steps. Multiple approaches often complement each other effectively.
Psychiatric support can be useful when symptoms persist, daily life becomes increasingly difficult, or you notice that your sleep, concentration, mood, relationships, or self-regulation are significantly impaired. It does not automatically mean that a severe mental illness is present.
For persistent feelings of sadness, inner emptiness, exhaustion, lack of drive, withdrawal, or the feeling of hardly being able to cope with everyday life anymore. Even people who continue to function on the outside can be suffering from severe internal distress.
When fears, physical alarm reactions, panic attacks, rumination, or obsessive thoughts restrict everyday life and quality of life. The nervous system is often in a state of permanently elevated alert.
For prolonged sleep problems, severe tension, sensory overload, or a permanently overactivated nervous system. Heart palpitations, dizziness, exhaustion, or other physical symptoms can also be related to psychological stress.
In cases of pronounced difficulties with attention, stimulus filtering, impulse control, motivation, self-organization, or emotional regulation. Many adults additionally experience a chaos of thoughts, inner restlessness, and exhaustion from permanent compensation.
In cases of severe mood swings, significant changes in perception, loss of reality, or acute crises. Rapid psychiatric evaluation can help stabilize the situation and initiate appropriate next steps.
When emotions seem barely controllable, relationships are severely strained, or acute overwhelm has set in. Professional support is not a sign of weakness, but a way to take one's own mental system seriously.
No one needs to know exactly what is wrong or what treatment is needed during the very first appointment. The initial consultation is primarily about understanding the current situation. Often, it is enough to describe the realization: „Things cannot continue the way they have been.“ Making sense of it together is part of the process.
You describe what is currently weighing on you. Together, symptoms, onset and course, potential triggers, sleep, mood, concentration, previous treatments, life situation, and physical factors are discussed.
The doctor medically classifies the symptoms and clarifies whether further examinations, findings, laboratory values, or supplementary psychological diagnostics are useful. In the process, potential physical causes are taken into account.
You will receive a clear recommendation. Goals, potential medications, psychotherapy, clinical-psychological support, and next steps will be determined together. No one is pressured into a specific treatment during the first appointment.
Our experts support you in classifying symptoms and finding appropriate next steps.
Many people are afraid of psychotropic medication or are unsure whether medications are truly necessary, whether they are addictive, or whether they change one's personality. Good psychiatric treatment takes these concerns seriously and explains the benefits, limitations, and potential side effects in an understandable way.
Medications can be particularly useful when symptoms have become very severe and the nervous system can hardly regulate itself anymore – such as in severe depression, massive anxiety disorders, panic attacks, severe sleep disorders, ADHD, psychoses, or bipolar disorders. Sometimes they are what first creates enough stability for daily life or psychotherapy.
Antidepressants are not only used for depression, but depending on the medication, also for anxiety disorders, panic, obsessive-compulsive disorders, trauma-related disorders, or chronic inner tension. They do not work immediately; the effect usually develops over several weeks.
Antidepressants do not make you „artificially happy“ and generally are not addictive. They influence regulatory processes in the brain and can help make sleep, drive, racing thoughts, or anxiety more manageable again. Nevertheless, they should not be discontinued abruptly; selection, dosage, and changes should be accompanied by a physician.
Depending on the situation, different medications can be used. Some have a long-term regulating effect, while others provide short-term relief from anxiety, have a calming effect, or promote sleep. Fast-acting preparations can provide significant relief in acute crises.
Some sedatives or sleeping pills, especially benzodiazepines, can become addictive with prolonged use. Therefore, they are usually used only short-term, in a targeted manner, and under medical supervision.
ADHD medication is not meant to „sedate“ people. It can help improve attention, stimulus filtering, impulse control, motivation, emotional regulation, and internal organization. For the first time, many affected individuals experience greater inner peace and less mental chaos as a result.
Whether stimulant or non-stimulant medications are considered depends on the diagnosis, symptoms, co-existing conditions, and tolerability. The dosage is adjusted individually and reviewed regularly.
Mood-stabilizing medications are used primarily for bipolar disorders, severe mood swings, or emotional instability. They can help cushion extreme emotional highs and lows.
Antipsychotic medications are used, among other things, for psychosis, severe changes in perception, massive inner restlessness, or crisis situations. Depending on the preparation, they can stabilize perception, reduce sensory overload, or promote sleep. Effects and potential side effects are regularly monitored by a physician.
Sleep problems can have very different causes. Accordingly, various approaches are possible – ranging from the treatment of an underlying condition, calming antidepressants, or melatonin supplements to temporary medication support.
The goal is not only short-term sedation, but to sustainably stabilize sleep regulation. Which treatment is appropriate depends on the cause, duration, and comorbid conditions.
Psychiatric medications should not be started, changed, or abruptly discontinued on one's own. Decisions regarding their use should always be discussed with a physician and are tailored individually to symptoms, efficacy, and tolerability.
Psychiatry, psychotherapy, and clinical psychology focus on different areas and can complement each other effectively. Psychiatry contributes medical diagnostics and physical evaluation. Psychotherapy works primarily through relationships, conversations, and psychotherapeutic methods. Clinical psychology combines psychological diagnostics with scientifically grounded treatment. Which combination is appropriate depends on your symptoms and goals.
Medical focus
Psychiatrists are doctors.
Therapeutic focus
Psychotherapy primarily works through relationships, conversations, and psychotherapeutic methods.
Psychological focus
Clinical psychologists are experts in psychological assessment and treatment.
Many people are afraid of being pigeonholed by a diagnosis. In fact, it is primarily an attempt to better understand and classify symptoms and to find appropriate support.
Diagnoses create a common language between professionals, facilitate treatment planning, and help to take burdens seriously. A diagnosis describes symptoms and patterns – not a person's worth or personality.
Psychiatric diagnoses are based on interviews, observation, symptoms, and their progression. Depending on the specific case, psychological testing, physical examinations, or laboratory findings may be added.
Usually, there is no single blood test or brain scan that definitively proves a mental illness. Therefore, symptom groups, behavioral patterns, emotional dynamics, and stress trajectories are carefully examined together.
Depression does not simply mean being sad. Many people experience inner emptiness, exhaustion, a lack of drive, concentration or sleep problems; some continue to function on the outside while still carrying a massive burden internally.
Anxiety disorders are often characterized by tension, rumination, physical alarm reactions, panic, or avoidance. Stress-related exhaustion can also overlap with depression and anxiety.
ADHD affects not only concentration, but often also stimulus filtering, impulse regulation, motivation, self-organization, and the management of emotions. Traumatic experiences can permanently alter the nervous system and manifest, for example, through states of alarm, sleep disorders, hyperarousal, or emotional numbness.
In obsessive-compulsive disorders, those affected usually know themselves that thoughts or rituals seem exaggerated, but they cannot simply stop the inner alarm reaction.
In bipolar disorders, depressive phases alternate with phases of severe activation. Psychoses affect perceptual processing and can be accompanied by changes in reality, feelings of persecution, thought disorders, or severe insecurity.
Personality disorders are less about individual symptoms than about deeply rooted patterns in relationships, self-esteem, emotion regulation, attachment, and identity. Here too, the diagnosis does not describe the whole person and is intended to help find appropriate support.
Many questions about psychiatry and medication arise from worry or uncertainty. Here you will find understandable answers to topics that frequently come up before a psychiatric appointment.
No. Nobody is forced into taking medication. An initial consultation serves primarily for assessment, orientation, relief, and joint treatment planning. Whether medication makes sense is discussed individually and transparently.
The goal is not to change your personality or „sedate“ you. Properly adjusted medication should help you sleep again, experience less anxiety, think more clearly, and gain more room to maneuver. Many people describe it more like: „I feel more like myself again.“
Antidepressants generally do not lead to dependence in the sense of an addiction. They work differently than some sedatives, sleeping pills, or anti-anxiety medications. Nevertheless, it is important not to stop taking them abruptly, but rather to always have changes monitored by a doctor.
No. Some medications are used only temporarily, in times of crisis, or as support during therapy. Other people benefit from them long-term. Duration and dosage depend on the illness, the course, effects, side effects, and personal stability.
Yes – and frequently, precisely this combination is particularly helpful. Medication can reduce symptoms, improve sleep and regulation, and enable stability. At the same time, psychotherapy helps to understand causes, change relationship patterns, and initiate long-term developments.
Current complaints, onset and course, potential triggers, sleep, mood, concentration, physical health, previous treatments, and your personal life situation will be discussed. You do not need to be able to explain your complaints „perfectly.“.
Help can be useful if symptoms persist, everyday life becomes increasingly difficult, sleep, concentration, or mood are severely impaired, relationships suffer, or anxiety and exhaustion increase. The earlier support is provided, the easier many symptoms are to treat.
If you see yourself or others in acute danger, lose control over your behavior, or experience severe changes in reality, you need immediate professional help through an emergency service or a psychiatric emergency department.
Psychiatry is a medical specialty that deals with mental disorders. Psychiatrists are doctors who have completed specialist training in psychiatry after medical school.
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