
Welcome to Mental Health Awareness Month at Qwell!
Qwell exists to create an online medical home for both people (sometimes called “patients” in the medical world) and health care providers (sometimes called “doctors”). As founders of QWELL, Family Medicine Physicians, parents of 5 kids ages 8–18, and members of many communities throughout the NYC area, our goal is to bridge the knowledge and communication gap that plagues our medical system.
Curious about medical issues and need a trusted place for information?
Qwell is here.
Feel like you’re navigating the health care system and could use some help?
Qwell is here.
Looking for support, guidance, and want to connect with a health care professional today?
Qwell is here.
Our QWELL blog strives to be that place that you come to as your online medical home. For doctors and patients alike. Help us make QWELL the home you want to live in. Send us your comments, your stories and we’ll do our very best to build this into a place where everyone can feel at home.
BUT WHY START WITH MENTAL HEALTH?
Frankly, because as Family Docs, we believe that Mental Health sits at the core of what makes us healthy, both as individuals and as communities. Mental Health issues are what we in Primary Care call our “bread and butter”- what we see and treat every single day.
About 1/3 of all visits to a Family Doctor are for issues to do with mental health (source: CDC), and yet so many people are unaware that their primary care doctor (PCP) can help diagnose and treat mental health concerns. 1 out of every 5 adults and almost 1 out of every 4 children in the USA is diagnosed with a psychiatric condition every year. (Sources: Child Mind Institute, NAMI)
Nearly 61 million people.
That’s a big number.
And yet mental health issues like anxiety, depression, PTSD, attention disorders & peripartum mood disorders remain shrouded in shame and secrecy. Practically everyone you know either struggles themselves or has a close family member or friend who does, and yet so many of us feel alone.
So we at QWELL wanted to take a stab at bringing mental health to the forefront of our reader’s minds, to remove the disinformation, and to help our readers know that they are not alone.
If you or someone you know needs help, please go to your primary doctor and get help today. If you need a new primary, come to QWELL to find a new PCP and book an appointment today.
Please don’t wait.
If your primary thinks you need to see a mental health specialist, like a Psychiatrist or Therapist, they will help get you the specialist care you need. There are a lot of great organizations out there, a ton of interesting research going on, and a world of people and health care providers who are here to help.
So please check back in here throughout the month and go qwell.com to hear our take on how to get healthy, and stay healthy.
Qwell. Your online medical home. Welcome Home.
