Your Primary Care Provider Can Help Treat Your Mental Health Too
When you think of receiving mental health services, you might think this means an appointment with a counselor, clinical psychologist or psychiatrist. But did you know that primary care providers, such as family doctors and internists, can play an important role in providing mental health services too?
They can and they do: Family physicians are one of the primary sources for mental health care in the United States, says the American Academy of Family Physicians .
Primary care physicians are the primary managers of psychiatric disorders in one-third of their patients, the AAFP reports. And two-thirds of patients with depression receive treatment for their depression in the primary care setting, the AAFP says.
Adults made an annual average of 30 million mental health-related physician office visits between 2012 and 2014, according to data published in 2018 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While psychiatrists provided care for 55 percent of these visits, primary care physicians provided care for 32 percent.
So you dont have to wait for an appointment with a psychiatrist if you feel the need for mental health care services. You can bring up any concerns about your mental or emotional health with your primary care provider.
This has become even more important in the COVID-19 pandemic era, as many lives have been upended due to working from home, remote classes, joblessness, grief and isolation.
How Do Antidepressants Work
Antidepressants can treat the symptoms of depression or other mental health problems. But they don’t always deal with the causes. Doctors will often prescribe them alongside a , to help deal with the causes of your mental health problems.
You may find that some types of antidepressant work better than others for your symptoms. Or you may find that antidepressants arent right for you. See our page on to find out more.
Whats the science behind antidepressants?
Antidepressants work by boosting the activity of particular brain chemicals, or making the activity last longer. This includes noradrenaline and serotonin, which are thought to be involved in regulating your mood.
Noradrenaline and serotonin are neurotransmitters. This means that they are chemicals which pass messages between nerve cells in your brain, and between nerves and other organs in the rest of your body.
What Antidepressants Can A Primary Care Physician Prescribe
Now that you know your primary care physician can prescribe antidepressants, lets talk about which medications they can write a prescription for.
When it comes to medication choice, its all going to come down to what you and your doctor thinks will work best based for your symptoms, other current medications and your medical history.
With that being said, here are some of the most commonly prescribed antidepressants:
-Zoloft
-Seasonal Affective Disorder
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Can Therapy Treat Depression
Yes, therapy is an effective treatment approach for depression. Many people with depression choose to try therapy instead of medication or do both at the same time for a faster recovery.
PlushCare is offers online therapy across the U.S. so you can get emotional support from a licensed professional. Our trusted therapists are highly trained to treat many mental health conditions including depression and anxiety. Book a free consultation or start your first session with a licensed therapist today.
Youll meet with your therapist once a week to receive on-going care and support as you work through your treatment.
Many therapy patients report improved mood, raised energy levels and reduced stress soon after starting therapy.
Licensed Clinical Social Workers
Licensed clinical social workers can diagnose mental illnesses and be involved in direct therapy with patients in private practice or they might be part of a team conducting research for a university, hospital, or private organization. They sometimes work as case managers helping people solve problems and connecting them to various resources. Most LCSW programs require thousands of hours of direct clinical experience. In North Carolina, LCSWs must be licensed by the state. Use the HelpPRO Advanced Search to find a LCSW. Choose Anxiety/Panic Disorders from the Specializes in this concern dropdown and Social Worker, Licensed Clinical under the Holds this credential, certification, or has completed training in dropdown. This directory provides a good deal of information about individual LCSWs but does not include license status. To review a LCSWs license, use the License Lookup from the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board. Choose Licensed Clinical Social Worker from the Certification dropdown.
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How Soon Will I Feel Better
If you have depression, it will probably be one to 2 weeks after starting the medicine before you begin to feel better, so do not be discouraged if things do not improve straight away. It may take 6 weeks or longer for you to feel the full benefit of antidepressant treatment. Also, some of your symptoms might get better sooner than others if you have sleeplessness, for example, this might go away before another symptom, such as your mood improves.
If you think your antidepressant medicine is not working for you, see your doctor. Your doctor may recommend increasing the dose. If there is still no improvement after a few weeks, youll most likely need to try a different antidepressant. To avoid interactions between the different antidepressants, you may have to wait a couple of days to 2 weeks before switching to your new antidepressant, depending on the medicines used. This is called a washout period. Some people may need to try several different medicines and doses before they find the one that works for them.
Why Are Antidepressants Prescribed
Antidepressants are often prescribed to treat depression.
They work by affecting chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters that are associated with depression, including serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine.
There are five main classes of antidepressants, each of which works to affect these neurotransmitters in different ways.
If one type of antidepressant doesnt help to relieve your symptoms, another type may work better for you.
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How Can I Get Antidepressants
Though there are numerous antidepressants, one common feature is the need for a prescription. This requirement may seem like a barrier, but since there are very few limits and regulations for antidepressants, they are still easy to obtain.
The most straightforward way to get antidepressants is to schedule a visit with your primary care physician or mental health prescriber. During the appointment, let them know:
- What symptoms you are experiencing
- The presentation and impact of the symptoms
- That youre willing to take a medication
With this information, your prescriber will determine if they believe an antidepressant is right for you and which one would be best. There are different types of antidepressants with the most common being:4
- Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors
- Atypical antidepressants )
SSRIs are the most commonly prescribed option, but your symptoms and history may indicate that another choice would be more helpful for you. A person should always honestly discuss their history, side effects, and previous medication trials with their prescriber to find the best medication to fit their individual needs. It is important to note that antidepressants usually take 4-6 weeks to show their full effects so it is important to be patient and continue to check in with your healthcare provider about any side effects or worsening or unresolved symptoms.
Other Treatments For Depression
Other treatments for depression include talking therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy .
People with moderate to severe depression are usually treated using a combination of antidepressants and CBT. Antidepressants work quickly in reducing symptoms, whereas CBT takes time to deal with causes of depression and ways of overcoming it.
Regular exercise has also been shown to be useful for those with mild depression.
Read more about alternatives to antidepressants.
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Finding Help In A Crisis
Behavioral health crises can be serious but most do not require an evaluation at a hospital emergency department. Using other specialized crisis services, listed in the directory below, may help connect you more quickly to ongoing resources to support your recovery and avoid a lengthy emergency department visit.
North Carolinas publicly funded crisis serviceswhich may be used by anyone regardless of insurance status or ability to pay, can be found by using the NC Department of Health and Human Services directory,searchable by county.
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Who Should Sign Up For Online Psychiatry
Many people put off meeting with a psychiatrist out of fear or nervousness. If youre unsure whether you should sign up for online psychiatry, consider your health history and any sudden changes in the way you feel physically and mentally.
Individuals that are experiencing changes in their mood, sleep, and appetite, or have thoughts of harming themselves or other people, should consider seeing a psychiatrist, explains Tamir S. Aldad, MD, psychiatrist and CEO of Mindful Urgent Care.
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What Can You Do In Addition To Taking Medication
Taking antidepressants is a great way to improve your mental health symptoms, but they are only one way to improve your mental and emotional state. Behavioral therapy and lifestyle changes are also recommended in addition to antidepressants.
Some of these behavioral therapies and lifestyle changes include the following:8
- Talk therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy for depression and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing for depression are great choices.
- Brain stimulation therapies. ) and ) may be good options for your needs.
- Exercise. Yoga, walking, weight training, and other physical activities can all help regulate your moods.
- Changing diet and better sleep. The way you treat yourself physically and transfer to how you feel mentally. Eat healthy foods, drink water, and establish regular sleep routines.
- Social support. Spending time with people you love can make your mental health symptoms much more manageable.
The best part is that you never have to choose just one of these options. You can combine most of these to help reduce depressive symptoms.
Who Can Prescribe Medication
physicians can write prescriptions. Licensed physicians assistants , nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and clinical psychologists can prescribe medications under various circumstances.
Do I qualify for antidepressants?
Your doctor might suggest that you try antidepressants if: You have tried counseling and lifestyle changes, and they havent worked. Your symptoms are bad enough that they interfere with your daily life.
How can I get my doctor to prescribe me antidepressants?
After asking you some questions about your mental health, your physician may suggest medication. If so, ask your doctor to explain what they heard you say, or observed, that leads them to diagnosing you with depression or anxiety and why they are suggesting medication. Ask why a specific drug is being recommended.
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Medical Marijuana Vs Anti
When you compare medical cannabis with anti-anxiety pharmaceuticals, how does each medication help? While everyones reaction to a medication varies, they work more similarly than you think. They both work with the same chemicals in your brain.
Doctors commonly prescribe benzodiazepines for people with anxiety disorders. These medications manage the levels of a neurotransmitter called GABA, which balances your anxiety levels. Early studies show medical marijuana can also impact your GABA levels. So, you can get the same results from benzodiazepines and cannabis.
Medical cannabis and anti-anxiety medication have different side effects, tolerance and risks. Many patients quickly build a tolerance to their benzodiazepines, forcing them to take higher doses. In extreme cases, anti-anxiety medication can cause an overdose. Every year, thousands of people die from overdosing on benzodiazepine medication.
Meanwhile, zero people have died from a marijuana overdose. Some folks do build up a tolerance to marijuana and others may have side effects when overdosing on the herb, but taking too much of it doesnt have lethal effects.
Who Should Prescribe Antidepressants
Informed, ethical psychiatrists. Really the only people that have business prescribing psychotropic medications are highly-informed and ethical psychiatrists. If you have pursued various natural cures for depression and nothing seems to work, your next step should be booking an appointment with a psychiatrist. After a few appointments, you should get a good idea as to whether you like and/or trust your psychiatrist to work with you in treating your depression. .
All psychiatrists should be informed and up-to-date with the latest psychiatric literature and studies. If your psychiatrist is using outdated methods, its probably best to find a new one. Ethical psychiatrists will always prescribe what they think will work best for the patient, not based on the amount of financial kickbacks they are getting from pharmaceutical companies for promoting certain drugs.
The ideal psychiatrist is someone who is ethical, genuinely cares about you, and who is prescribing treatments to best suit your needs. They should be taking into account feedback from you based on how you feel, how youve reacted to other medications, etc. Believe it or not, there are still plenty of psychiatrists who dont care to hear patient feedback and who will just throw another drug at them and call it a day. There are plenty of highly paid, highly qualified psychiatrists who are very poor at their craft.
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How Do I Know If I Am Taking The Right Psychotropic Medication
Some psychotropic medications, such as antidepressants, can take several weeks or up to 2 months to become effective. Because of this, a lot of people have a hard time determining whether or not their medications are worth it .
The easiest way to tell if a medication is working for a specific condition is to monitor ones symptoms over time.
A patients physician or psychiatric nurse can give them a timeframe of when they should start to feel better. If, after that time frame has ended, the patient still isnt noticing any improvements or has started to feel worse, thats a sign they need to check in with their prescriber about taking a different dose or trying a new medication.
If You Feel Better Can You Stop Taking Antidepressants
Once you and your provider have determined it is safe for you to stop taking your medicine altogether, you should continue to be monitored during periodic follow-up appointments to detect any signs of depression returning.
Long-term treatment with antidepressant medicine may be recommended to prevent further episodes of depression in people who have already had two or more episodes of major depression. A history of depression in ones family is another factor that supports long-term treatment.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 05/24/2019.
References
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