Psychiatrists in Montreal, Canada

Hey, I’m really sorry you’re suffering. I’m not able to give the best answer here, but just in case you’re in a crisis situation that can’t wait, you can call 1.866.277.3553. If you aren’t at that point you could call 811 or your local CLSC. The CLSC should be able to give you a list of psychiatrists in your area. I find the health care system in Quebec hard to navigate, but the doctors here are some of the best. I hope you’re feeling better soon.

You can always walk-in to the douglas hospital emergency centre, 24-7: http://www.douglas.qc.ca/page/emergency I hope you feel better.

There are two ways to see a psychiatrist. If it is an urgent situation, like this seems to be, you just go through emergency in a hospital. However, that **will not** get you a psychiatrist on a permanent basis that follows your cases. To get a psychiatrist assigned to you, you need a referral from your family doctor. Then with that referral in hand you will be able to call around and get into a clinic somewhere.

Unfortunately the process here is a lot longer than it should be. You can't see a psychiatrist without a doctors referral, and the wait time can be months. The fastest way this could be done is by getting an online appointment with a doctor (through something like https://excellemd.com/en/) and they will send your form to the CLSC, which will in turn get in contact with a public psychiatrist. Alternatively you could get in touch with a therapist which are much more readily available, but I have no info or suggestions on that end.

When I did see one before, I had looked at the psychiatrists order webpage.

I’m so sorry you’re going through this! I would contact Blake Psychology and get an intake appointment as soon as you can. Hopefully they can help you to get in. [Blake Psychology](https://www.blakepsychology.com)

Do you want a psychiatrist or a psychologist? Are you aware of the difference?

From CTV News: [https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/where-to-get-help-if-contemplating-suicide-1.1956115](https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/where-to-get-help-if-contemplating-suicide-1.1956115) ​ Please call someone today. It will get better. I promise, I've been there. You are worthy of love and happiness, don't ever forget!

You need a referral from a doctor and you'll be placed on a waiting list. Buckle up, I've been waiting for a year and a half now. Your chances of seeing anyone any time soon are slim to none, just to let you know. Of you want to be more drastic about it, you can ask for a referral to Douglas or institutes similar to this, but this is in-patient and emergency intensive treatment for a few weeks and they aren't likely to take you in unless there's something severe.

Dr. Bita https://g.co/kgs/kVdXrd This is a private clinic though so you will have to pay out of pocket. Quebec also has a great psychologist website that will help you find a psychologist who specializes in your needs. https://www.ordrepsy.qc.ca/trouver-de-aide

Considering your post this seems like an urgent situation, you can walk in any Montreal hospital emergency if you'd like to see a psychiatrist in an urgent situation. This happened to someone close to me and she saw a psychiatrist right away. From what I hear it is very rare mental health patients are kept at the hospital (even though sometimes they should but that's a debate on its own). Otherwise, your 'family' doctor or a doctor at a walk-in clinic might be able to prescribe mental health medication, but it may vary from each doctor and each personal situation. It could perhaps help while you wait to see a psychiatrist.

Suffering from the same issues, I have started sessions with a therapist from my home country over Skype. I’d understand if you prefer to see someone face to face but with covid, this might not be possible so maybe you can check for more options there. Good luck.

The best one and the doctor I’ve ever dealt with is doctor Debenedictis from L’hopital de santé mentale de montreal

I didnt have a doctor when i was diagnosed with anxiety à few years ago. I went to the emercency of à psychiatric hospital and after seeing the psy, i got à follow up in that hospital for the years that came after. As simple as that. What i suggest you that others dont know is that in psychiatry, your follow up depends on where you live, for example, if you live in Laval, you are probably gonna get à follow up at cité de la santé hospital. If you live in the east part of Montréal, you probably will get assigned to Louis-H lafontaine, etc... They do make some exception tho.... If you call 811, they will tell you which hospital you should go... But you dont have too (tbh) This is how it work usually, but im gonna repeat myself and say that they sometime make exception. So, it's à good idea to try at Douglas since your first langage is english!

Fastest way IMO is to get an appointment with a doctor in a clinic near you through Bonjour Santé. It might be $15 to get one, I can't remember. You talk to the doctor about what's happening and they'll give you a note allowing you to call and get an appointment with a psychiatrist. You'll have to wait for hours and hours if you just go to the hospital. You might be lucky and be seen quick but that never happened in my lifetime. At least with Bonjour Santé, they give you a time. You'll maybe end up waiting 30 mins at the clinic. Then it's a lot of calling around to find the right psychiatrist.

If you want you can DM me and I’ll give you info and advice or just to talk. Been through similar ish stuff before so I know it sucks.

If you need a new friend, hit me up

Another possibility: if you have already been diagnosed and prescribed a medication in your home country, it is possible that a family doctor/regular doctor can give you a prescription to help you while waiting to see a psychiatrist (depending on the medication, and other factor), especially if you are followed by a psychologist. So possibly worth asking when you talk to a doctor. In any case, I would consider booking a psychologist (many have been suggested on the thread) in parallel to seeking a psychiatrist.

Hi! Are you working full time? Does your employer offer health benefits of any kind like health insurance? If so, you most likely have access to an organization like Shepell FGI who can direct you to a therapist. Make sure you check your benefit package or maybe ask HR about what's included. Even if they are not included, you can probably give them a call to ask for a specialist.

If you want a psychiatrist, you either need to have your family doctor ( or a family physician at a walk-in clinic) refer you to a psychiatrist or you need to go to an ED with psychiatric care. Make sure you look this up beforehand, otherwise you're gonna waste your time. Not all hospitals provide the same kinds of care. One hospital that people have pointed out is the Douglas, which is actually primarily a mental health hospital. Another good one would be the Jewish General Hospital as they have a significant community psychiatry service. Good luck.

I don't see The Argyle Centre mentioned here, so I'll tell you about it. Its a non-profit counseling centre that provides talk therapy on a sliding scale. When i went a few years back it took about 2 weeks to find a psychologist, and the sessions were less than $40 each. Its in the west end of downtown, and they can be pretty flexible with evening or day scheduling. Check it out. It was a lifesaver for me. Eventually I got a psychologist through the health system, but for almost a year I did CBT there with someone, and it really helped. https://argyleinstitute.org/ If you need some company for an evening walk or bike ride just to vent or to get some exercise, pm me. I'm a stranger, but I can be a good listener, and I've been through some shit, too. Glad to know you're taking care of yourself at least this much.

What I did was I went to the emergency and got a psychiatrist it’s the fastest way to get one the other way is to wait for one with the clslc which I don’t recommend

Hey besides the psychiatric help, I can help you make friends, hangout and have a weekly meeting where I can help you learn a new skill that might help you with your depression.

My psychologist is wonderful very understanding and has incredible insight and empathy. She healed me, her name is Dr Cheryl Blum. Extremely recommended. You can google her. But this is covered by personal insurance, not the card Soleil.

Karen McGrath

I'm very sorry to hear you're feeling down, and that you might not make it into the new year. It is quite difficult to get psychiatric help in Montreal unfortunately. If you are concerned that you are at immediate risk of harming yourself, the only real option is to visit an emergency room. The best time to do this is very early in the morning so that you can possibly see someone that day. They may want to keep you there for several days in order to assess you. If your situation is somewhat less urgent, you can get a referral to a psychiatrist through the Quebec Medical Appointment Scheduler: [https://www.rvsq.gouv.qc.ca/en/public/Pages/home.aspx](https://www.rvsq.gouv.qc.ca/en/public/Pages/home.aspx). A GP or nurse will call you the next day and will find a psychiatrist who can treat you. Please be open with them about the fact that you may be a risk to yourself. If they understand your case is urgent, they should be able to provide you with someone faster.

Dr Jennifer Payne is really young/cool/funny if that sounds like something youd want. Also never takes too long to see her. Located in westmount

Ordrepsy.qc.ca my friend You'll have every psy in your area with their skills and their infos. I wish you happiness and to recover soon.

I would hit up MindSpace... they have fabulous psychologists who specialize in a mindful approach to mental health and depression.

Try having them prescribe you Cipralex

I don't know about psychiatrists, but a great psychologist in Montreal is Claude Lautman, https://claudelautman.com/

Personally, I have seen 2 therapists in the last 8 years from this place: http://cbtclinic.ca Both were very helpful. Bon courage.

Unfortunately it’s a really long wait after being put on “ the list “ . If you have the means there are a couple private clinics that have psychologists as well as psychiatric doctors but in general a psychiatrist is very hard to come by. I found one and he only did diagnosis so I only ever saw him twice and he would not augment medication. If you are in crisis for sure go to an emergency room. If you need help with medication your best bet is probably a general practitioner

You can try www.montrealtherapy.com, they have a sliding scale too in case money is an issue. Best of luck. I hope you're here with us come the new year :)

If it becomes all too much and you need to see someone NOW, you may go to one of our psych ER. I would suggest the Douglas or the MGH. Bring something to do like your phone with a charger, tablet and books because you might wait a while before you get seen. That being said, the psych team and social worker can help you to arrange the help you need as an outpatient. And if you feel like you could benefit from being hospitalized, it’s the right place to be. Both those institutions will also treat you in English if you prefer. Good luck, don’t give up! You seem to have a great deal of insight and that’s very encouraging! You got this.

Psychiatrists and psychologists may work differently here than where you are from. Here's how it works in Quebec: * Psychiatrists mainly focus on diagnosis and medication. While there are psychiatrists who do talk therapy (I've seen one!) they're very, very rare. Psychiatrists are fully covered under RAMQ, and you can see one either through a referral from your family doctor or CLSC (long wait) or through the emergency room (depending where you are in the city, the Douglas Institute, Montreal General Hospital, and the Jewish General Hospital all have very good psych facilities). The psychiatrist you see will be pretty much random and my experiences have ranged from 'meh, not helpful at all' to 'amazing, life-changing'. * Psychologists (and other psychotherapists) provide talk therapy through various modalities. These are much harder to access through the public system. You can get a referral through the CLSC but it will be a long wait, you don't choose the provider, but it will be fully covered under RAMQ. Your other option is to pay out of pocket to see someone privately. If you have extended medical benefits through work, it may cover a small amount of psychologist visits (usually 5-10). The upside of going private is no wait times and you get a choice of who you see and their treatment modality (I've had success with Psychology Today's listings, you can also just use google or try one of the suggestions in this thread.) Psychologists in Quebec cannot prescribe medications, but they can work with your family doctor to find a medication that works for you. About going to the hospital: **If you are contemplating suicide, go to the emergency room**. This is where you go for acute care. Like another user mentioned, bring your phone and charger, but also bring some books because sometimes they put your electronics with security because they're concerned about your safety. I bring word puzzle books and a pencil, they'll often put the pen with security but pencils are usually okay. If you go to emergency you will see a psychiatrist that day and then you will figure out a plan moving forward. There may be follow up visits or they may connect you with various services. The wait list for these can vary. There is also a possibility that you will need to stay at the hospital for a few days - this is not a bad thing. It means they want to be sure that you're stable and have support in place before going back to your life. If you are hospitalized, they will work with you to make sure your pets are covered and they will give you a generic doctor's note for work (they've even helped me practice what to say if work asks what happened: "I had a private medical emergency, but I'm okay now.") Honestly, in my darkest moments hospitalization has been a good thing as I don't have to think about anything else, and the routine of eating and sleeping regularly helps me get back to "normal" faster.

You can always do some of your own research on ratemds.com There you can see people's experiences and potentially learn doctor's specialties. Hope that helps, if you haven't already done so. ☺

West island counselling center Dr. Michael Cohen We can be reached when you need us by phone & email For over 30 years, the goal of the West Island Counselling Centre has been twofold: to help those going through stressful times deal with their current issues and to assist them to develop strategies to prevent similar situations in the future. Many of the services are covered under private health insurance policies. Feel free to ask whether your own insurance covers our services. All of our therapists are experienced, mature and established individuals, well qualified and certified in their fields. You will be seen in a comfortable, safe and confidential environment and will not have a long wait to see a therapist and in the case of emergency situations you will be seen on the same day. We are here to help you We can be reached when you need us at 514-694-4433 or email.

When looking for a specialist, I always check out Rate your MD. There are also reviews. Check this out and good luck! https://www.ratemds.com/best-doctors/?specialty=psychiatrist&box[min_lat]=45.42630566194099&box[max_lat]=45.46299441455374&box[min_lng]=-73.92322540283203&box[max_lng]=-73.70607376098633

Erin Hall through AccessMed.

Erin Hall!

Not easy to get a specialist, or any doctor these days. Try Dr Probst, but he is at hospital so may have long wait too.

I don't know a psychiatrist but I do know a great psychologist. Dr. Monica Oala in dorval. https://www.google.ca/search?site=&source=hp&ei=AtYkWcWPMaqfjwSW-7H4AQ&q=dr.+oala&oq=dr.+oala&gs_l=mobile-gws-hp.3..0 i22 i30 k1 l3.2548.8997.0.9506.19.14.5.2.2.0.312.3146.0 j6 j4 j4.14.0....0...1.1.64.mobile-gws-hp..0.16.2458.3..0 j41 j46 j0 i131 k1 j0 i46 k1.Pr9HexbQQo0&dlnr=1&sei=DNYkWcHnL4 jIjwTM4KLgDw#dlnr=1&fpstate=lie

You can try contacting http://www.wicwc.org/

Dr.Stephane BenSoussan at PsySante on Blv St Jean

Hello, thanks for the good references. I would be happy to speak to him and let im know what resources are at our clinic and in the community. Have him call me at 514-620-3535. Stephane Bensoussan, Holistic Psychologist

Marika Audet-Lapointe is a psychologist specializing exclusively with cancer. Www.psymedicis.com t: 514-663-7796

Toni Rebic on st catherine st ouest

Also if you are looking for a support group Cedars CanSupport (where I work but on mat leave) offers a post treatment support group (so does west island wellness center) you can cell Jenniffer at the Royal Victoria Hospital at 514-934-1934 x35297 for information! Good luck and that open to anyone no matter where they got treatment.

HéBert PionfaitQuoi

Dr Gosh au Montreal children. Il a toute une équipe qui travaille avec lui. C'est le spécialiste pour les enfants trans à Montréal. Je crois qu'il est pédiatre.

Francoise Susset. http://fr.ismh-isms.com

Effectivement. La clinique fait les deux. Dr Gosh, pédiatre qui fait eval et suivi physique réfère a MUSIC/COSUM pour le coté évaluation et support psychologique puisque la psychiatre qui travaillait avec eux n'y est plus. COSUM était initialement un centre pour adultes mais devant le manque de services pour enfants ailleurs, on s'y consacre de plus en plus

Dr. Lapierre tiny tots decarie. You need a reference and she is covered by the health card

Hello Lindsey Wax Sasson There's a wonderful centre of Psychiatrist and Psychologist for both adults, and children. However! It is downtown. They often do take new patients almost right away, if I'm not mistaken I believe it's covered by the RAMQ. I know of someone who goes to this centre to be treated by a psychiatrist. They have nothing but outstanding things to say on how it's helped them. http://www.medego.ca/team.html