Your mental health comes first. Visiting a mental health specialist is something you should be proud of because of the many benefits on your mental, emotional and behavioral health. Mental health experts, including psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health specialists, are known to be good listeners. However, there are some facts you need to understand about how therapy works before visiting a mental health expert.
Seeking help with mental health doesn’t mean you are crazy.
Visiting a psychiatry clinic or seeing a psychologist doesn’t mean you are crazy or weak. If anything, it is one of the best decisions you will ever make because it shows you have acknowledged that you have a mental health problem and you need professional help dealing with it. Today, mental health facilities are filled with learned individuals trying to harness the power of their training and experience to help patients deal with their emotions, feelings, and behaviors.
Research about me first.
Another thing your mental health specialist wants you to do is to google them first. That helps you understand their area of specialization, what they look like, their style of treatment, and the type of mental health problems they address. Even when you get referrals from healthcare providers or friends, it is vital to research the mental health specialist to know what to expect beforehand.
Medication is not the only way to treat mental disorders.
Some people avoid visiting a psychiatrist because they believe that medication or prescription drugs are the only way to treat mental disorders. But that is not the case. Although different types of medication are effective against mental disorders like depression, PTSD, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and others, at times, talk therapy can prove superior. The medication works as an aid while undergoing psychotherapy to help you address the physical impact of the mental illness.
Severe mental conditions require drug treatment.
At times seeing a psychiatrist once a week or several times in a month cannot stabilize your condition. Serious mental health problems such as substance use disorder require drug treatment and medical stabilization. A psychiatrist is trained in diagnosing, evaluating, and treating mental health disorders through medication and psychotherapy. They may prescribe drugs such as antidepressants, hypnotics, anti-stimulants, etc., to help you deal with the mental problem you are experiencing.
You can talk about anything.
Another thing your mental health expert wants you to know is that you can talk to them about anything, including sex. The reason is, not everyone who seeks psychiatric help suffers from mental health disorders, and others want help dealing with their emotions, feelings, and behaviors. Your mental health expert needs to know the truth so that they can help you.
It is usual to feel worse before you get better.
When seeking help with mental health, you may feel worse before you feel better. Remember that psychotherapy is all about dealing with difficulties, so you have to delve deeper into the tough emotions and situations to process them to initiate a change. There are ups and downs, but you can always speak to the therapist about your feelings.
