It's not always clear to individuals when their mental health problems have progressed to the point of needing psychiatric services, so we have created a list of signifiers to help. Generally speaking, if your mental health is greatly interfering with your overall function and ability to live life, it is probably time to reach out.
Adults:
Prolonged sadness or irritability
Feeling extreme highs & lows
Excessive worry or fear
Dramatic diet or sleep changes
Intense feelings of anger
Experiencing delusions or hallucinations
Substance abuse
Suicidal thoughts
Adolescents:
Inability to cope with everyday issues
Prolonged negative mood
Significant social withdrawal
Dramatic diet or sleep changes
Frequent, unexplained anger outbursts
Substance abuse
Children:
Dramatic changes in school performance
Excessive worry
Trouble sleeping
Extreme hyperactivity
Persistent aggression or disobedience
Prolonged negative mood
Psychiatry is a medical specialty that helps diagnose, prevent, and treat mental disorders, often utilizing medication for treatment. Therapy, also called psychotherapy, is a general treatment type for psychological problems in which you talk through your problems with a therapist. There are many different types of psychotherapy techniques that can be used depending on a patient’s needs. Therapy sessions are typically longer and more frequent, involving communicating about current issues and skill building to better handle life’s challenges. Very often, therapy and medication are used in combination to achieve better outcomes.
Our diverse team of mental health experts ensures that you will be matched to the provider and treatment type that is best suited for your needs. We require all new patients to go through an assessment prior to treatment so that we can build a customized treatment plan just for you.
We offer 2 types of assessments: Psychosocial and Medication. We recommend that patients do both assessments, as a combination of psychotherapy and medication has been proven to have higher success rates than either alone. It is your choice whether you are interested in just medication, just therapy, or both.
If you choose to pursue psychotherapy, we have a diverse team of therapists and counselors for you to choose from. Our psychotherapy providers are trained in a multitude of therapy approaches that you can learn more about on our "Treatment Types" webpage.
The decision to try psychiatric medication is one that you and your provider would make together. Some mild psychiatric conditions can be treated without the need for medication. However, many psychiatric conditions are caused or worsened by imbalances in the patient’s brain chemistry. If this is the case, medication can help correct this chemical imbalance and give you a better chance to improve your quality of life with your illness. Your psychiatrist will help you determine the best treatment options for your individual problems.
There are many causes of psychiatric illnesses. Some are caused by genetic information that is passed down from family members while others are brought about by environmental factors and major life events, like the death of a loved one. A patient with both genetic predisposition to psychiatric illnesses and exposure to stressful environmental factors may have more severe symptoms or show signs of illness earlier. For example, if you have a family history of bipolar disorder, abusing drugs or alcohol could lead to the presentation of bipolar symptoms earlier in your life and in a more severe form.
Approaching a close friend or family member about their mental health can be a very sensitive situation, but still very necessary. We live in a society where mental illness unfortunately still carries social stigma which can make it even more difficult for people to admit they have a problem and reach out for help. It's important that you approach the individual gently and without judgement, showing them that you are there for them and you care. Avoid stigmatizing language when talking about their mental health.
It's also important to ensure you are in an environment where the individual feels safe and open. Make sure that you are alone and not in a public space with lots of distractions. It's also important that the individual is in a generally good mood and feeling relaxed. They may be less receptive after a hard day at work or with an impending project deadline looming.
Its possible the individual may be resistant to hearing your perspective about their mental health or seeking therapy. Remind them that you are speaking to them from a place of care and love. You can even use the context of your own relationship as an example of the changes or indicators you have noticed and how it has effected you.
It may be hard for the individual to accept their own negative or harmful behaviors being relayed to them. Avoid judgement and stick to the facts. Give tangible examples of their behavior. You can balance this by offering praise of their good qualities, reminding them they are a good person who simply needs some help.
Finally, offer them tangible support in seeking mental health help, such as driving them to their appointments, helping them research local providers, or even just making them dinner on a particularly hard day.
Yes. People develop ADD/ADHD and other attention problems as children, but many go undiagnosed until adulthood. Children with mild to moderate ADD/ADHD can go through school with very high grades and be regarded as intelligent, talented, and charming. However, as they grow older, the demands of adult life can highlight their struggles with attention, memory, motivation, and impulsivity. When the strategies they used to mask these struggles as children no longer work, ADD/ADHD becomes a problem requiring treatment for adults.
Many people discount the risk of their own thoughts of suicide because they doubt that they could every carry through with it. Many people don’t seek help because they suspect that people who do kill themselves are dealing with much worse psychiatric problems and experience much more intense thoughts of suicide than they are. This is not the case and it is a very dangerous way to think. Down playing or ignoring the seriousness of these thoughts can result in tragedy for yourself and your loved ones. If you have any thoughts of suicide, please seek immediate help.
If you need to cancel an appointment, please email cancel@ppsych.com 48 hours prior to your scheduled appointment or you will be charged a late cancellation fee. If you need to simply change your appointment date or time, please still email our cancellation email address to cancel your existing appointment, then give us a call to reschedule a new appointment.