Educational Resources

A Guide to Better Understanding your Mental Health Terminology and Conditions.

Guidance

Common Mental Health Challenges

Listed below are a few of the most common mental health challenges that individuals face. Please read each section for more information on the illnesses and some basic information on how they can effect you or your loved ones.

Condition

Depression

Depression commonly refers to feelings of sadness, loss of interest or motivation, feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness, and withdrawal. Loss of appetite may be present, but depressed individuals may also exhibit significant weight gain. Depression is also manifested in the form of physical symptoms, such as chronic pain. Brief sadness or mild depressive symptoms are normal — but as symptoms become more severe and frequent, professional assistance is usually necessary.

Condition

Anxiety

Anxiety refers to the experience of fear, tension, worry and stress. Symptoms can include panic, obsessive thoughts, compulsive behaviors, phobias, and negative physiological reactions. Excessive anxiety often is associated with avoidance of social activities or specific situations that can later result in a depression. Everyone will experience episodic anxiety. This is a normal life experience and can even be a warning to promote an adaptive response to threat. However, if anxiety becomes persistent and intense, it usually reflects some underlying disturbance.

Guidance

Available Help

Anxiety and depression can be tolerated by many individuals, even as they go about their normal lives, and may even not be apparent to others. However, anxiety and depression can also become seriously debilitating. Fortunately, in most cases, counseling and appropriate medication can make a big difference. Counseling often helps individuals to identify and modify underlying maladaptive assumptions which give rise to or aggravate emotional distress.

Help

Suicidal Thoughts

With severe depression, worry about suicide is a concern. What is most important is to take any thoughts or verbalizations of wanting to die or take one’s life seriously. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please seek professional assistance. Much can be done to help.

If you’re concerned for a family member or friend, please encourage him or her to get help. If the circumstances are urgent, and a PsyCare clinic is not open, either call 211 (Help Hotline) or go to the emergency room.

Treatment Plan

Medication Assessment and Management

We provide medication assessment and management services as part of a comprehensive treatment plan.

Antidepressants are another key treatment for battling depression and Mindful Health Solutions provides medication assessment and management services as part of a comprehensive treatment plan. Psychiatric medications can also carry risks and side-effects, which is why medication management is so important for your well-being.

We understand that everyone is different, and your physician or nurse practitioner will work with you to create a holistic treatment plan for depression help or ADHD treatment that may include pairing medication with one of our other treatments, such as TMS or esketamine nasal spray, or with psychotherapy to help you find relief.

We don’t push medications and will inform and educate you about any benefits and risks with your care options. Your physician can choose from a variety of antidepressants that act on different neurotransmitters to regulate mood or increase electrical flow among brain cells. will walk through your medication options with you.

Depending on your needs, we may prescribe medications such as antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, or mood stabilizers. If one antidepressant doesn’t work well or causes side effects, your clinician may adjust the dosage or have you try another medication that may be better suited to your body chemistry.

In some cases, it might be best for you to take more than one medication for your depression. Or we may work with you to find an alternative to antidepressants, We often recommend ongoing medication management to ensure that the medication is working well for you.

It’s important to schedule follow-up appointments and discuss your symptoms, any side effects, and how you feel about your medication. We want to ensure that you are taking the right medication, with the right dosage, at the right time of day for your specific needs and to help you achieve optimal results.

For convenience, we offer telepsychiatry appointments, where you can work with your clinician from the convenience of your own home. If you have serious or severe side effects, you’ll want to reach out to your clinician. They will give you directions on next steps. If you have a life-threatening reaction to the medication, seek emergency medical attention.