What is behavioral health?
When you hear the phrase behavioral health, you may wonder what exactly that entails. Behavioral health is comprised of one’s mental health (emotions, worries, sleep, and behaviors), physical health, and social health. Behavioral health providers may include psychiatric providers, psychologists, and therapists.
It's often asked, “If you had diabetes or a heart condition, would you treat it?” Most are going to answer yes. Mental health plays an enormous role in a person’s overall health and well-being. An untreated mental health condition can have negative effects on one’s physical health. A person with untreated anxiety, for example, may develop heart palpitations, headaches, and gastric issues. This is why it is so extremely important to ensure your mental health is being managed as well as your physical health. It is time to break the stigma behind seeking help for mental health.
Who provides behavioral health support?
Healthcare providers, therapists, and couselors are able to provide mental health support. Behavioral health providers can include a variety of healthcare providers, therapists, counselors, psychiatric providers, and psychiatrists.
Many wonder what the difference is between a psychiatric provider and a psychologist. A psychiatrist or psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) can assess, evaluate, diagnose, and offer medication management for mental health disorders. These individuals have extensive education and training in how brain chemistry works, as well as monitoring for and ruling out medical concerns. The biggest aspect of a psychiatric provider's care is prescribing and managing mental health medications. A psychologist also has several years of education and focuses on assessing and testing for mental health disorders and offering talk therapy. While the psychiatric provider may offer some psychotherapy as well, it is often not as detailed as what a psychologist will do. The difference between a therapist/counselor and a psychologist is their education levels (a psychologist has a PhD). Some therapists may not be able to diagnose certain disorders. As mental health providers, we all work together as a team to provide the best care for the patient. Most often, your psychiatric provider is going to recommend you also see a therapist or psychologist regularly.
What does a behavioral health appointment entail?
When you talk with a psychiatrist or PMHNP, your appointment is going to include discussing your symptoms in depth, going over your health and social history, discussing medication management, and briefly discussing coping strategies that may also be beneficial. A typical appointment with a psychiatric provider will last 30-60 minutes. Most people are going to see their psychiatric provider once a month to every few months.
When speaking with a therapist/counselor or psychologist, you are typically spending about an hour each session about 2-4 times per month. During these appointments, you are going to dig even deeper into what is causing your symptoms (depression, anxiety, insomnia, etc.) and will go further in-depth on various strategies and skills to help you better cope with these symptoms.
At QuickVisit, we make it easy for you to schedule appointments! Your appointments can be done in the comfort of your own home via telemedicine. These appointments are easy to connect to, and our nurse practitioners provide the same level of care that you would expect in an office setting. Accessibility to our services is our biggest goal. Offering our patients the ability to have an appointment from their home, office setting, or parked car (to name a few) is important to us.
What can you expect from the PMHNPs here at QuickVisit? We see ages across the lifespan, starting at age 5 years old. We can access and treat a wide array of mental health disorders:
Depression
Anxiety and Trauma
Personality Disorders
ADHD
ADD
Bipolar Disorder
Psychotic Disorders, such as schizophrenia
Gender dysphoria
Sleep Disorders
Eating Disorders
Here at QuickVisit, our providers are eager to help you feel better and offer you the support and compassionate care you deserve. We are patient-centered and strive to work as a team to ensure you have all the tools you need to live a long, happier life.
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