Tips For Seeking Mental Health Services

Lindsay Anderson

Mental Health & Wellness Associate 

You are extremely exhausted; you cannot control your outburst and now your world feels like it is not yours anymore. This could be a sign of something more serious than just being “tired”. You, like 4.4 million Americans could be struggling with a Mental Illness. ​And unlike the common cold getting treatment is not that easy. There are therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists and even counselors who are all Mental Health Care professionals. And they all play many roles in getting adequate treatment.

Psychotherapy is a term used within the Mental Health field that simply means “talk therapy”. Known to be the most effective key treatment option, talk therapy has been around since 1879. And is constantly being integrated with many other forms of therapy. There are key techniques that make it so successful, but it is the open-ended questions that give the consumer a chance to be heard and the professional a chance to observe body language and tone.

Still hesitant about seeking therapy, well here are a few tips to help ease some of your dismay…

Awareness of Your Mental State
When you have a mental illness one behavior/ symptom is the thought that you are perfectly A-Okay. For example, Persistent Depressive Disorder is a type of depression in which symptoms last for a minimum of 2 years. Although many people managing PDD have said that they have been having symptoms of despair for 10+ years, they did not seek treatment due to the thought that they were truly ok. Being aware of a change in behavior may be difficult to do in the beginning on your own. Things like the inability to sleep, irritability or decrease in appetite that continuously happen may not indicate a mental illness. However, uncontrollable crying, delusions, and hallucinations will indicate a different level of severity.

TIP: Start a daily journal, Take Notes or Voice Record patterns, moods, or even enjoyable things that you are not enjoying. This will be awesome for a visit to your mental health care provider. It will provide a consistent behavior pattern

 Understand Your Copay and Insurance Plan
Although having medical insurance is a huge help financially, most companies do not ensure full coverage. Be sure to pull your coverage or call your insurance company to get all the facts before you attend your first session. Also, if there is a specific therapist that you would like to be a part of your treatment team contacting them to ensure that they accept your insurance or if they have a sliding scale can be beneficial. 

TIP: Some testing is not covered by your insurance, research the exact percentage of coverage.
  
Research Mental Health Care Professionals
This step is very crucial and vital to a successful relationship between consumer and professional. You can find out their professional background, disbarment, the primary focus and much more on many websites. Each mental health care professional plays a specific role in managing your illness.
TIP: Find one close to your home, work, or a friend for an easy option for cooling down.
 
You Can Always Change Doctors
Finding a doctor is not easy and sometimes you may not feel comfortable with their approach. If you are not meshing well or feel as though their diagnosis does not seem accurate, feel free to get a second opinion. Once you have a positive connection with a doctor of your choice the better your experience will be.

TIP: You know your body best if you are experiencing unusual side effects or feel over medicated express your concerns to your doctor.
 
Have a Support Team
After all the searching and sessions, you may feel exhausted, so make sure to have a strong support group for those hard times. Some sessions will be intense and trigger some unwanted symptoms or feelings. You may need a friend to just be there for extra comfort.
TIP: You do not have to share your sessions with friends unless you absolutely want too.
 
Try to Be Open, Honest and Consistent
Last, but not least remain transparent. This will be the only way your Mental Health Care professional can adequately treat your illness. The better insight your mental health care team has on your symptoms, behaviors, and experiences, the better they can build a better mental wellness plan. 
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TIP: Let your doctor know how difficult the topic may be before you begin to discuss your feelings. They can ease into the subject and ultimately be there for you.
 
Remember seeking treatment is a delicate process and takes time to find a routine, treatment and mental health professional that fits your specific need. There is no perfect path to managing your mental health, but you deserve respect and to be heard.
 

Lindsay Anderson

Lindsay Anderson is the founder of Consciously Coping, a mental illness advocate, and the creator of #transparencytuesday. As an African American woman who is clinically diagnosed with bipolar disorder, PTSD, and generalized anxiety disorder, sharing her success and struggles within the mental health community is an honest passion.

She is also a non-traditional second-year collegiate scholar, studying Biology and minoring in Applied Mathematics. Her future goal is to become a research scientist in the field of computational neuroscience to understand behavior dynamics. She has been featured on ForHarriet and Neilsen Holdings, LLC. 
IG: @ConsciouslyCoping