This is the wrong approach imo. Therapy, lifestyle changes, learning to cope with it without meds should always be the first line treatment. More and more, you see the approach of just handing out meds like candy with a small mention that you should also seek therapy AFTER you get the meds. You can go to a general doctor and they'll write you up a prescription for an SSRI with hardly and convincing at all, there is no requirement for therapy so I'm not sure where you're getting that from.
The side effects of meds for anxiety issues are far too downplayed imo. Benzos, ssri's etc. all have very detrimental side effects and are very difficult to get off of.
Preface: I'm speaking as someone who is diagnosed with OCD and generalized anxiety disorder, and I will be speaking about my experiences.
When my mental health took a turn for the worse a few years ago, I was strongly encouraged by my therapist to start taking medication. I was admittedly skeptical upon hearing. I had never taken psychiatric medications before as I held many misconceptions of their side effects, and besides, I figured therapy was supposed to "fix me," so why should I need meds?
When I inquired as to why they wanted me to become medicated, their response was that patients tend to only reach out for help AFTER their mental health becomes severe enough that "learning to cope without meds" is not an option. When a provider is faced with such a case, they are trained to treat it with as much aggression as reasonably possible in order to prevent the patient from becoming even more despondent. This means medication.
From the perspective of the patient, it appears that they're being funneled into taking meds, but from the perspective of the provider they recognize the trajectory the patient is on, and suggest taking drastic actions before things get worse.
As I mentioned before, reputable establishments typically mandate concurrent therapy, particularly when dealing with conditions like depression and anxiety. Your therapist and psychiatrist will often work together and share notes to better treat you. Reputable psychiatrists will often ask if you want to try therapy alone first: The good ones have no lack of patients, so it’s not in their interest to even take you on immediately especially if you’re not committed to getting better through therapeutic means.
Sure: Just as you can unquestionably locate primary care physicians who readily prescribe large quantities of Vicodin, naturally, you can also come across psychiatrists and PCPs who readily prescribe SSRIs without much supervision.
"As I mentioned before, reputable establishments typically mandate concurrent therapy"
But, this is objectively false. Are you trying to say a GD is not "reputable"? Like I said, you can go directly to a GD almost anywhere in this country and they will give you an SSRI with no requirement or mandate to get therapy at all. They will all mention it but there's nothing that requires you to attend therapy.
In the capacity of a psychiatrist? No, a primary care physician is not a trustworthy substitute for a psychiatrist. Mental health disorders should not be addressed by a PCP, even if they have the ability to prescribe you medication for it. You should seek treatment from mental health clinics that almost always have both psychiatrists and therapists on staff or work closely with other clinics that do.
Furthermore, once more: Numerous primary care physicians excessively prescribed opioids like candy. Acquiring a medical license does not automatically equate to being reputable in all fields.
Whether they should or shouldn't be addressed by a GD is irrelevant. They are addressed by a GP in many circumstances. There are not enough psychiatrists around to cover everyone.
Your point is moot. The system is not set up to push therapy, it's set up to push drugs first. You mentioning that "reputable" psychiatrists wouldn't do that is irrelevant. Your ignoring the issue by marking everyone disagree with as not reputable.
The side effects of meds for anxiety issues are far too downplayed imo. Benzos, ssri's etc. all have very detrimental side effects and are very difficult to get off of.