Getting the Most Out of Mental Health Treatment
How to set yourself up for success
One of the bravest things you can do in life is admit that you need help with your mental health whether you’re going through a temporary but minor crisis or suffer from major mental illness that requires lifelong care. Accepting that you need help is the first step, after that there are a lot more things you can do to help you take advantage of that help.
How to help yourself
Know the difference between doctors and therapist
When you need help, you want to go to the right source for help so that you’re not wasting your time. Less severe cases may only require a type of individual or group therapy with a social worker. Other times you may need to seek out medication from your primary care doctor or even a psychiatrist to get you on the path to healing. Often medication and talk therapy goes hand-in-hand. If you’re not sure, start with your primary care doctor who can refer you in the right direction.
Find a good doctor and/or therapist
Once you know whether you’re looking for a psychiatrist, therapist, or both, your next job is to find the best person available to you. Sometimes your options are limited due to insurance constraints or lack of resources in your area, but if you have multiple options then take advantage and don’t just settle. Seek referrals from your primary care doctor or get suggestions from friends and family. Research your options online.
Once you go to an appointment be open and honest about what you need and make sure that your doctor or therapist is also open with you. If you have any concerns, don’t be afraid to try out a different doctor or therapist. I’ve had to find a new doctor or therapist because the previous one wasn’t a good fit a number of times. Having the right person to listen and work with you can be a major part of recovery.
Be honest
Be honest with yourself. Don’t try to deny that you have an illness or where you are in the course of the illness. When you have Bipolar Disorder it’s hard when you’re in the happy hypomanic or even manic phase to want to keep riding the happiness and pleasant feelings. Sometimes you can’t understand that you’re struggling, but if you can try to remind yourself that what feel pleasant can twist into anger or back into depression. Do what you need to do to take care of yourself and get help.
Learn to Cope
Practice coping
There are many ways to cope. Some ways are bad and some are good. Taking your medications is just one of the ways that you can cope. You should avoid bad ways to cope such as self-harm or turning to drugs or alcohol. What constitutes a good coping mechanism depends on you. For me exercise and getting outside in nature are big parts of my coping. I also write, read, and horseback ride when I can. Keeping a schedule to give me a plan for what to do for the day is also helpful. For you coping might be meditating, sitting in a nice bath, or talking to a friend. Spend some time writing down possible ideas, including things you’ve never tried, and then give them a try. Keep what works.
Take your medications
Over the years I’ve spent a lot of time going on and off medications to my detriment. This was one of the areas where I was lying to myself and my doctor. I thought that taking medications once a day instead of twice or missing a dose every couple of days still qualified as taking my medications. By not taking my meds, I wasn’t doing everything I could to get better and as a result my doctors kept changing my medications thinking that the meds I was supposed to be taking but were skipping weren’t working. Of course they weren’t working, I wasn’t taking them.
One time I stopped taking my medications properly I ended up on an almost six month hypomanic episode where I barely slept until I had to change doctors and she recognized right away that I wasn’t taking my medications as prescribed. She helped me find a combination that I was willing to take and started what became almost 7 years of stability until life circumstances triggered a major episode.
Take care of yourself
Part of coping is taking care of yourself. During times of major struggles it can be hard to want to do simple things like getting a shower, changing into real clothes from pajamas, or even brushing your teeth. Do your best to keep to a schedule of keeping up with basic care tasks and it may help you feel better.
Be proactive
When you find out that you have a diagnosis, your job isn’t done there. You should do everything to get to know about your illness by reading and talking to people. Groups like the National Alliance of Mental Illness often have classes where you can learn more. You could also try support groups.
Beyond that, you want to stand up for yourself. Be fully involved in your therapy and psychiatry appointments. Feel free to speak up if you think something’s not working. Every time a medication is changed or added for me, I always make sure that I understand why, what the reactions could be, and other things. If I don’t like the answers, I talk out my concerns with my doctor so we can decide what’s best.
Avoid triggers
Know your triggers
Mental illnesses doesn’t exist in a bubble. Everyone has things that increase the chances of their mental health becoming worse. For me, big life changes like graduating from high school and college and changing jobs have been big triggers in my life. Not sleeping is another big trigger in my life. You’re not always going to be able to prevent triggers, but you can be more aware during those times and be ready to make changes you need to try to keep from getting worse.
Minimize stress
Minimizing stress goes hand-in-hand with knowing your triggers. Again, not all stress is avoidable, but try to avoid situations where you’re creating more stress in your life. When you do have major stressful situations, be aware that it could become a trigger and react appropriately.
Once you accept that you have a mental illness, you are on the path to taking care of yourself. There are many ways that you can learn to take care of yourself so that you minimize increasing issues with your mental health. Using these techniques to help put you on the right tack.
