Health Smart Mom

If you think you have a mental illness, it’s hard to know where to start looking for help.  With all the new diagnoses, medicines, treatments, and online resources, you’re probably over-informed and feeling totally overwhelmed.  That’s why it’s important to find a qualified professional to help you sort through the mess and find the correct diagnosis and treatment.  If you find the right doctor for you, you can get yourself back on track and feeling better in no time.

The easiest place to start looking for a mental health specialist is your regular doctor.  They can not only refer you to doctors they think are good and can help you, they can also refer you to the correct type of doctor who is trained specifically to deal with your problem.  It’s important to find someone you feel comfortable with, and you’re more likely to feel comfortable if they’re referred to you by someone you trust rather than someone you found online or in the yellow pages.

While a general practitioner can often refer you to someone who can help, sometimes they simply won’t.  As drugs for depression and anxiety are becoming more prevalent, often these doctors will try to treat the problem on their own before they recommend a specialist.  It is important to be brave and tell them if you want to see a specialist, or just get a second opinion if you feel their treatment isn’t working.

There are also a variety of online resources that can help you find the doctor you’re looking for.  Many psychiatric websites publish lists of people in your area.  There are also psychiatric organizations that will publish a list of their members.  Just remember when you get a referral from a website to find out what their criteria are for recommending a physician or allowing them in their organization.  The benefit of this is that you may be able to find someone who specializes in or has more experience in your specific problem, rather than just getting someone from a general referral.

Many people want to get help for mental disorders, but they simply cannot afford treatment.  If you don’t have insurance, or your insurance isn’t sufficient enough to provide you with proper treatments, there are options for you.  Many cities have free or reduced cost clinics that offer therapy and other treatment options.  Plus, many pharmaceutical companies provide free medication to those who cannot afford it.

These are all great ways to find a mental health professional, but they do take time.  If you feel you are in crisis and need help immediately, there are suicide hotlines and other crisis numbers to call for immediate help.  This is especially important if you are having thoughts of harming yourself or others.

While it does require some effort, finding a qualified doctor to help you through your journey will be well worth your time.