Mental Health Care, Mental Health Treatment

Question: Are health care professionals who provide mental health care ?

(Posted by: chizben on 2008-10-03 10:16:45)

Are health care professionals who provide mental health care integrated with other systems of care? What are the consequences of separating mental health from physical health care?

Posted by: Hopefully Helpful on 2008-10-03, 10:31:29

I think now more than ever mental health is being considered a physiological problem. They say there is an imbalance in the brain. Mental illness is more accepted than it once was. I think there still is a way to go. I think mental health workers working in a regular hospital or medical setting are integrated with other systems of care. They may need to make referrals for their clients to help them seek needed medical attention. Best Wishes to you.

Posted by: chickey_soup on 2008-10-03, 10:28:16

Any one worth their salt combines mental and physical care. Medical conditions can cause or exacerbate mental conditions. Not to mention any medication needs to be monitored with regular lab work.

Posted by: MirS on 2008-10-03, 10:41:02

I'm not sure I understand the question but I'll try to answer it the best I can. Certain health care professions, most notably psychiatry, is very closely tied to other systems of care. A psychiatrist is a doctor, able to come to a diagnosis and prescribe medicine. He/ she works closely with pharmacists, general health care practitioners, and nurses to make sure the patient receives adequate health care. Psychiatry can be seen as a subdivision or a more health care approach of neuroscience. Psychiatry believes that because of the general trends of certain mental disorders (similar symptoms and manifestations) there must be a biological basis for such diseases. Numerous studies have confirmed that chemical imbalance, structural abnormalities, and incorrect messaging relay play a role in inducing abnormal behavior. Neuroscience focuses more on sheer biology than what the difference in biology may do to an individual's behavior. Other health care professions such as counselors and psychologists are not doctors (cannot prescribe medicine), but are licensed to be able to reach a diagnosis. They use behavioral and psychotherapeutic approaches to help patients cope with their mental disorders. Psychologists often work with psychiatrists to treat a patient both by medicine and by behavioral approaches, which seems to be most effective. When you separate mental health care from physical health care, the most practical consequence is that many patients going to mental health care professionals may lose insured coverage of those visits and treatments. Also, it creates a stigma in which people believe that they themselves are to blame for their disorder and do not wish to seek treatment, allowing their condition to worsen.