(Mental Health and Our Community Part 2 by Art Caron, licensed social worker and behavioral health therapist at Keystone Behavioral Health, first appeared in an April 2014 edition of the Public Opinion Newspaper.)
In this second of a four part series on mental health and our community, Art Caron, licensed clinical social worker and behavioral health therapist at Keystone Behavioral Health, shares benefits of mental health care and how to overcome barriers to care.
Family doctor first
The first place to start when looking for mental health help is your primary care physician’s office. They can verify insurance and make a proper referral. It’s important for a primary care physician to remain involved in care and treatment. Patients, or a family member, must be their own advocate to secure and maintain treatment on a regular basis.
Seek help
If treatment is not sought or consistent and a mental health condition worsens, this could have an negative effect on their mood and stress level and then also increase mental health issues. Studies have verified that several chronic medical conditions can alter brain chemistry, bringing about an increase in mental health symptoms.
Avoid a crisis
If a patient has reached a crisis point in their mental health illness, it’s important to act fast. The person should go to a crisis center or emergency room to receive immediate mental health evaluation and care. Just like circumstances when a loved one experiences a physical health problem, you want to get them to a place where they can receive the best care.
Brain changes
When you accept that this illness is caused by changes within the brain, often a drop in dopamine and serotonin, you see that mental illness will not improve without proper therapy or medication. Like a physical health problem, left untreated mental illness often becomes worse and interferes with a person’s ability to interact with others and affect daily life.
Getting help
Mental health issues are often progressive and persistent. Without help, the consequences of a person’s symptoms can increase and affect multiple areas of their lives. Early intervention allows the person a positive experience with therapy and increases the likelihood of returning to treatment if stress causes problems to flare up.
