How to Seek Mental Health Help

If you or someone you love is struggling with mental health problems, you may not be aware of when should you seek help for mental health. This is because knowing how to seek mental health help can be difficult. Whether you have sought out help or not, acknowledging that you even need help is the first step. Knowing that something is not right with your mental health may come in a form of depression, anxiety, seeing things that are not there, abusing drugs, or having any problems with rational thinking.

The second step is to get help from a psychiatrist or another mental health expert. Getting help and contacting a professional might be tough, but once you do it you will notice that things will start to get better, and the sooner the better. This is because mental health is best treated in its early stages. 

How to Seek Mental Health Help If It is an Emergency

If you or someone you love is having a mental health emergency, such as suicide attempts or a crisis, call 911. If it is not an emergency, you can start with going to a treatment center such as Emerald Isle. First, we can ensure that if you are taking medication, it is not the cause of any of your symptoms. If you end up being fine physically, then we can continue your treatment in the form of inpatient treatment, outpatient treatment, or a mix of both. This will be determined by your individual needs.

Understanding How to Seek Mental Health

When you or someone close to you starts to experience the warning signs of mental illness, being able to understand what the risk factors are, can help you to catch the illness early. 

Typically family and friends are the first ones to notice the early stages, and also the first ones to support you. Similar to other health conditions, you will need to identify the underlying illness, and plan an appropriate course of action on a path towards overall health.

The first step to getting help is reaching out to a licensed mental health expert, such as our experts at Emerald Isle. Next, it would be getting a complete evaluation. Based on the results of your evaluation, a treatment plan will be developed to help you with your specific needs.

Risk Factors of Developing Mental Illness

Genes

Doctors have found that there is a 17-28% genetic pass down rate for mental illnesses that can be found in common genes. These studies have also shown that 81% of the time, schizophrenia is genetically passed down, while  75% of the time, Bipolar disorder is passed through genes.  ADHD has been found to be passed down 75% of the time, and depression 37% of the time.

Head Injuries

In one study, a head injury between the ages of 11-15 was a strong reason for the development of schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorder. 

Brain Changes

Brain changes like building a “tolerance” or reward response to stress, can also bring on mental illnesses. Other reasons may include abnormalities in the prefrontal and frontal cortex, and irregularities in the function of the neurotransmitter glutamate. These are both reasons for substance abuse as well as mental illness.

Environment

If you have been exposed to abuse, neglect, divorce, witnessing domestic violence, or having parents who have substance use issues as a child, you may be:

• 2.6 times more likely to have depression
• 5 times more likely to have serious alcohol problems
• 17 times more likely to have learning or behavioral problems
• 3 times more likely to have serious job problems

Lifestyle

Some substance use can also increase the chances of developing a mental illness, while inversely, mental illness leads to substance abuse. This has shown that one can exacerbate and bring on the other. 

For example, those with a mental illness are 2 times more likely to develop an addiction to nicotine, 3 times more likely to develop alcohol dependence, and 30 times more likely to develop illicit drug dependence. 

On the other hand, those with a substance abuse problem have a 1 in 2 chance of already having had a mental illness. 

Who Treats Mental Illness?

There are many health care professionals who treat mental health issues. At Emerald Isle, we offer a full continuum of care for mental health treatment. This includes but is not limited to:

• Inpatient mental health treatment
• Outpatient mental health treatment
• Medically assisted treatment
• Dual diagnosis treatment

At Emerald Isle we offer the following professionals in our comprehensive treatment programs:

• Primary Care Doctors: Your primary care doctor will be either an MD or DO. They should have knowledge regarding a variety of all conditions and are usually referred to as general practitioners.
• Physician Assistants: Caregivers are not doctors, they are trained to identify symptoms of mental illness which means that they can treat mental disorders under a doctor’s supervision.
• Nurse Practitioners: Known as a registered nurse, these nurses have extra training as well as in treating psychiatric problems.
• Psychiatrists: Psychiatrists are always medical doctors that specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses. Psychiatrists can prescribe drugs when necessary as part of your treatment plan, but they are also trained in psychotherapy which is a form of counseling.
• Psychologists: Although not MDs, they are experts with advanced degrees in psychology. Usually, they will also be trained in counseling, psychotherapy, and psychological testing. If you are looking How to Seek Mental Health Help, this may be your best option. The only downfall is that they cannot prescribe drugs to treat mental illnesses except in certain states.
• Social Workers: These specialists provide counseling services and social service needs. They are trained to recognize mental illness and can do psychotherapy.
• Psychiatric Nurse Specialists: These are registered nurses who specialize in treating mental or psychiatric illnesses.

How to Seek Mental Health Help

Although there is often a stigma related to mental health, it is essential that you pay attention to your mental health. The truth is, your thoughts, attitudes, and emotions affect your energy, and overall health. Good mental health can help you to strengthen your ability to cope with everyday struggles.  The best way to seek mental health is by reaching out to a professional, licensed and reputable mental health facility. You should then ask the right questions, learn what your options are, and do the work outlined by the professionals. This is what will get you results.

Contact Us Today to Get Mental Health Help 

There are many reasons why mental health problems occur, and you deserve to live your life as efficiently as possible. This is why, at Emerald Isle, we offer a variety of options in terms of getting help for mental illness. We offer various doctors and professionals that come together to create a comprehensive treatment program that works. We even offer free insurance verification for treatment to ensure that you get the help you need. Contact us today to learn more.