10/22/2024
Hi Guys, I just wanted to share some common reasons why people seek psychiatric care include:
- Anxiety and depression: These are two of the most common reasons for seeking mental health treatment.
- Intense feelings of sadness or helplessness: These feelings can be a sign of major depression.
- Running out of advice from friends and family: Sometimes it's difficult to get out of a low point in life without expert help.
Unfortunately, individuals often wait to seek care until their symptoms are close to unbearable. Some of the most common reasons I have heard from my clients include apprehension about the effectiveness of mental healthcare, cost, shame, stigma, and/or a negative experience from a past psychiatric professional.
I just want to make sure my community knows that I am here to help. Let's have a quick conversation about each of the common factors that people are hesitant to seek treatment for psychiatric care.
Cost: I want to be available to help, and so I am reasonably priced for private pay and I am contracted with BCBS, Aetna, Cigna, and United Healthcare insurance.
Stigma/Shame: According to the Mental Health Foundation, nearly 9 out of 10 people with a mental illness feel stigma and discrimination negatively impact their lives. This is very sad as it can cause a delay in treatment. I have some data that can show everyone that you are not alone.
- One in six youth aged 6-17 experience mental illness (NAMI California, 2020).
- 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year (NAMI California, 2020).
- People with depression have a 40% higher risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases than the general population.
- 19.3% of U.S. adults with mental illness also experienced a substance use disorder in 2018 (NAMI California, 2020).
- The rate of unemployment is higher among U.S. adults who have a mental illness (5.8%) compared to those who do not (3.6%) (NAMI California, 2020).
- High school students with significant symptoms of depression are more than twice as likely to drop out compared to their peers (NAMI California, 2020).
- The average delay between the onset of mental illness symptoms and treatment is 11 years (NAMI California, 2020).
- 11.3% of U.S. adults with mental illness had no insurance coverage in 2018 (NAMI California, 2020).
Apprehension about the effectiveness of mental healthcare: I have treated many individuals who have had no experience with mental healthcare. I can tell you that it is effective! If you look at the evidence, it has been shown that 70% to 90% of people who receive mental healthcare experience a significant reduction in symptoms (NAMI California, 2021).
The increasing demand for mental healthcare has led some providers to spend less time with each patient, resulting in healthcare burnout and a decline in care quality. Patients deserve to feel heard and cared for, but some have experienced rude or rushed treatment. This motivated me to start my own practice where I prioritize taking time to listen, understand, and create effective treatment plans.
If you are in need of quality psychiatric care, please don't hesitate to reach out to me.
Kind regards,
Logan
Citations
NAMI California. (2020, October 1). Facts & Statistics. https://namica.org/what-is-mental-illness/facts-statistics/
NAMI California. (2021, July 26). About mental illness. https://namica.org/what-is-mental-illness/
Hildenbrand, G. M., Perrault, E. K., & Rnoh, R. H. (2022). Patients' Perceptions of Health Care Providers' Dismissive Communication. Health promotion practice, 23(5), 777–784. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248399211027540
Some patients experience negative interactions with health care providers, such as when they perceive that their concerns are ignored by providers. The present ...
