Mental Health Services and What is Available

Aug 12
06:41

2008

Dean M Novosat

Dean M Novosat

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Public mental health services are managed by government agencies, such as State and County Mental Hospitals; and are funded by state or federal tax dollars, usually through Medicaid and Medicare.

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Depression affects millions of Americans every year. Treatment for depression accounts for a huge amount of our health care budget and the expense of a large potion of medical insurance policies. Mental health services can help many of these people deal with depression,Mental Health Services and What is Available Articles anxiety, and other mental problems. For many people, these afflictions are temporarily, but some people will need treatment for life.

In many facilities, mental health services are available 24 hours a day and can be accessed by appointment, walk-in, or contacting emergency services. For successful treatment, mental health services are best delivered using a partnership approach. Forging a therapeutic alliance depends on mutual respect between a client and provider and a realistic assessment of needs and assets. Patients that expect to take a pill and be cured instantly will be disappointed with their treatment. Mental health services are designed to assist you to cope with life’s challenges; however, each person reacts differently to treatment and receives different services.

State and Federal Help With Mental Health Treatment

State hospitals and centers originally were the main means of treating and caring for the mentally ill and developmentally disabled. In the first half of the 1900s, the capacity of state institutions grew dramatically. Historically, state and local government have borne the expense for most public mental health services and this remains true today. Since the mid-1960s, however, the role of the Federal government in providing care for mental services has also increased.

Psychiatrists and Psychologists Offer Different Treatments

Psychiatrists are medical doctors that treat mental disorders. They work with the nursing staff and the physician’s assistants to provide assessment of mental illness and can prescribe medications. They also provide emergency services as needed. Psychiatrists can evaluate and diagnose all types of mental disorders, carry out biomedical treatments and psychotherapy, and work with psychological problems associated with medical disorders. Of the mental health professionals, only psychiatrists can prescribe drugs and medical therapies.

Psychologists, on the other hand, are not usually medical doctors and as such, can not prescribe medications. Psychologists provide behavioral therapy and counseling. These sessions can include private, one-on-one sessions as well as leading group counseling sessions where patients help each other by sharing their personal experiences with each other.