Seeking Mental Health Care
Why do we seek mental health care from professionals?
Mental Health can be a tricky and not-so-easy, to understand or to explain. When it comes the brain and how it functions we are often ask questions of many realms of study like neuroscience, genealogy, sociology, psychology, physics, and medical biology. People can obtain degrees in all of these areas, as well as social work in order to become medical or mental health professionals. You should always check the credentials of someone before making an appointment or allowing them to discuss vulnerable topics. You want to make sure that this person is qualified to deal with anything you have to talk about.
If you are seeking Emergency Mental Health Care, please go to Suicide Prevention page. Or visit Mental Health America to find immediate access to nearby care. They provide information on inpatient and outpatient services.
Many online websites have taken to the hopes of profiting off of necessary talk therapy, by providing it easier online. Please be advised to go through your medical insurance provider, and if you do not have one attempt to procure low cost medicare. Even just having some form of insurance can save you money on the therapy you need.
Mental Health America (Where to search for Emergency and Long-Term Mental Health Care for Free or Low Cost)
If you are having trouble distinguishing/ understanding your emotions check out our Emotions and Feelings guide!
Talking to your doctor about seeking mental health care:
Typically when we begin our journey seeking any kind of mental health care, we may have to first speak with our doctor about it first. When we want to access any kind of specialized care there is typically a requirement for referral. You may want to consider the questions a doctor may ask you when they assess the need for a referral. It is important to be open and honest in the ways you need to be helped, and you may not know. But if there are any preferences or needs in your care plan, that would be a time to communicate them.
Doctors may offer you medication treatments right away, it is up to you if you feel that route is neccessary for you. You can always request to speak with a psychiatrist that will have more experience in prescribing neurological medications.
Approaching Therapy and finding a therapist for you:
Finding a therapist can be tricky, not all therapists are going to be able to meet your needs. It's important that we see our therapists as people, who are also impacted by regular life changes. We also have to take into account the ways our identities and experiences may impact the level of care we need. You may require someone with a great understanding for LGBTQIA+ issues or social systems faced by communities of color. All of those things are valid and it can take time to find the best person for you.
Please do not engage with faith-based professionals unless that is your preference, as many faith-based therapists can have agendas in mind. It is considered inappropriate to discuss a professional's preference of actions based on religion, unless the patient is seeking such advice.
Finding Healthy ways to Cope:
Finding healthy coping habits can be very difficult to find and maintain. Many people will turn to drugs, big life changes, and increased interest in dangerous activities. While all people approach coping differently, it's important for us to discuss what we are facing with those close to us. Sometimes those who know us best, are the best people to help you find healthy ways to cope with whatever you are facing.
Coping with anxiety can be harder of course, but there are always going to be more personalized ways that you can cope. Going outdoors and interacting with nature is a large way humans have been known to relax and have anti-anxiety experiences. Activities that require physical movement and team work can typically be very supportive to mental stress, but this can be accessibility-based.
If you plan on using or use any drugs please check out our Drug Education page with expansive information on how to safely ingest and preventative measures.
Types of Therapy:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
This includes a wide variety of therapies that typically include attempted changes to behavior and our cognitive understanding of these behaviors. This can be as simple as exposure therapy for phobias, or range to treatments for certain mental health conditions.
Cognition is important us because it is all about how we understand the things we do and learn. Everything we know and associate is part of our cognition. Becoming more aware, openning our minds to more possibilities as we grow, and maturity are all parts of our cognition growing with us in our youth well into our adulthood.
Our behaviors are directly attached to our cognition and our choice making abilities. Sometimes these choices are easy as openning a door, but sometimes they are emotionally involved. Behaviors and Cognition can also have a hard time communicating, so it's our choice to see if Cognitive Behavioral Therapies are a good choice for us.
Psychotherapy (talk therapy)
Talk therapy or Psychotherapy is likely the most popular treatment plan for mental health care or any kind. You DO NOT have to feel any challenges to your mental health to be involved in talk therapy. Talk therapy can help with current pressing issues that we find ourselves in. This allows us decompression and relaxation even if it is only for 45 minutes (the normal time length of an appointment).
Many benefit from the confidentiality of therapy and their ability to be actually honest with one person. As humans living with in a society with a hierarchy of social systems, it can be tough to be honest and vulnerable to even your closest family or friends. Talk therapy allows you to relax from trauma and stress that comes from that source. It's also a great opportunity to discuss the actual concerns you have and why.
Even if you are seeing a talk therapist, you are just as valid if you still need to access more emergency centered care.
Medication for Anxiety or Depression:
Medication can be difficult to understand up front, because the most common drugs for Anxiety or Depression can take a long time to take effect. Understanding that the brain works by balancing chemicals to certain concentrations in order for our mental health to be regulated. When these chemicals are depleted or unregulated by the brain we can experience some intense or absent emotions. When we think about the function of these medications it's important for us to do some more research on the specific medications we have been suggested by a medical professional.
Many neurological medications are going to have an average of 4-6 weeks of full compliance to see results. This can make things complex, and is a large reason why seeing a therapist to guarantee a regulation of mental health during the stabilization of doses, is critical. Many doctors will require several sessions a year to start or stop any neurological medications.
Medication can also be a difficult topic because all neurological medications can affect each person differently, which means some of them don't work for everyone or don't fix the problem they are facing. This can cause people to try more than one perscription before finding a medication and dosage that works for them. If you experience several attempts at different medications you may experience TRD or Treatment Resistant Depression.
The dicotomy of medications for Anxiety and Depression has changed over the years. When we first began our understanding of SSRIs and SNRIs, we called them Tricyclic Anti-Depressants (TCAs). These medications were yet to by purified and had properties of both the SSRI and the SNRI medications. Some of these older medications are still used, but many are used for different treatments that their original use.
Tricyclic Anti-Depressant:
These medications are going to have several properties of both SSRIs and SNRIs, but they do come with increasingly more side effects. Some of these drugs are consider to have Anti-Cholinergic effects, which can block the use of a Acetylcholine (ACH) receptors in certain areas of the body causing side effects. TCA medications are not for everyone, and should only be taken with the supervision of a medical doctor.
SSRI: Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitor:
These medications are the most common to be prescribed and their largest impact is on the serotonin (5-HT) receptors by increasing the amount of time the firing of the synapse lasts. This increases motivation and effects the reward pathways of the brain. They are known to have the least amount of side effects when it comes to neurological medications.
SNRI: Selective Norepinephrine Re-Uptake Inhibitor:
These medications are less common, but are known to have a stronger effect on behavior, and more side effects. (However these side effects are not the same for every person, and are dependent on your experience and geneology.) SNRI's are effective on the norepinephrine or noradrenaline re-uptake, which allows for more
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT SUICIDAL IDEATIONS CAN BE A SIDE EFFECT OF NEUROLOGICAL MEDICATIONS, AND WE ADVISE THAT YOU ONLY USE THEM WITH SUPERVISION OF A MEDICAL DOCTOR.
Alternative Treatments
When we are dealing with anxiety and depression that does not respond well to typical SSRIs or other Neurological Medications, it is time to look at alternative methods. There are several ways in which we can manipulate the chemicals in our brains without using medications, or using medications that are still in their testing phases. Things such as Psilocybin, Marijuana, MDMA, and other Illicit Substances have become more intriguting to researchers.
It's important that we don't see research as a green light to use these substances with out professional oversight. If you are participating in the use of any illicit drugs please check out our Drug Education page for Harm Reduction and Education to keep your use safe.
Knowing what kinds of relationships we have with the people around us can be very important. Our page on Relationships explains some of the ways that we can identify or relationships with others, but also how these relationships may effect us and the people around us. Avoiding Predators can also be something to look into that we prefer that all individuals prepare for.
Suicidal Thoughts:
While Suicidal thoughts can come from any source, we want to put in a note here that notices the ways in which our anger can overcome our mind. Dealing with any mental health issues can cause a lot of distress. Sometimes when we begin to have harmful thoughts, we can think about them too often. It is always a good idea to speak with a mental health care professional if you believe you have trouble regulating your emotions. Take time to discuss any feelings you may have surrounding the issue or thought. Speaking with a mental health professional will always be an option, and its okay to be scared. The way you view others and yourself can be complicated to unravel alone and professionals are there to help all of us. There are many emergency mental health care centers that are able to help in times of deep crisis.
National Crisis Hotline: 988