Mental Health and Psychiatric Treatment
Mental health has always been tagged with a stigma among a society with a tendency to misunderstand, perhaps fear, and unfortunately surround with a degree of discrimination or maybe simply injustice.
Because of this stigma, many people avoid seeking help for their unwellness, particularly if it involves medications with the ideology that these will somehow alter a personality or make changes where none are warranted or desired.
Reputable, trusted, and well-qualified professionals like Dr. Richard Wu, D.O. of Meadows Psychiatry, assist patients with managing their medications. The use of medication simply means treating the symptoms associated with mental unwellness but making no other impact on a person's character, habits, or abilities.
The priority when managing is to ensure clients follow the directives with their prescriptions precisely especially concerning the frequency of dosing, dosage amount, consistency, and duration of treatment.
These instructions play a primary role in the medication, providing an effective solution for mental unwellness. Let's check tips that can assist clients in taking their prescriptions in the right way.
One of the practical solutions for mental unwellness is medication. In order for the treatment to have the optimum outcome, a mental health professional needs to manage a patient's care to ensure the selected drug or combination of drugs is working adequately together to provide relief of the symptoms.
It can take a bit of trial-and-error attempting to find the proper medication to work with the person's chemistry and then determine the adequate dose. Once the doctor and patient find the exact solution, the medicine must be taken precisely according to the provider's instructions to achieve optimum benefit.
Let's look at a few tips on establishing a system to help you remember to take your medication as prescribed.
● Purchase or request a pillbox
Often doctors will have pillboxes to pass out to their clients because these offer a more straightforward method for remembering to take medication each day and will be a good reminder if you haven't taken it.
The suggestion is to either request one from your physician or purchase one that you feel will work more conveniently. It should be set up for at least seven days, but some are available for the entire month.
The problem with the month containers is these can be a bit overwhelming to look at creating confusion. You'll find a vast array on the market, with some color-coded. Still, the idea is to be as convenient and user-friendly as possible.
Your physician can offer guidance on which would be ideal for your specific situation since they're familiar with your medical circumstances.
● Make your doses part of your regimen
When something becomes a step in your routine or a habit, it's much more easily remembered. That's true of administering your meds as well. Perhaps you have supplements or vitamins you take before a workout each morning; you can add your prescription medications to those so you'll take everything all at once.
You can also choose to take them with your bedtime shower after brushing your teeth, especially if these make you drowsy. You could perhaps include a snack and some warm tea to create a new regimen before going to sleep, anything that makes remembering just a little bit easier.
● Incorporate a device that will send an alert or alarm
While a pillbox will keep pills organized and let you see if you miss a dose on a particular day, you need to remember to look at the box. The recommendation is to set up a device, whether you choose an alarm on a clock or an alert on your smartphone, to help remind you of your dosage time.
Some apps are available that help with medication management on the smartphone by sending varied notifications whether it's time to take a dose or if you need to call into the pharmacy for a refill or see the doctor for a new prescription.
A suggestion for hard-of-hearing clients is to use a vibrating alert set to go off at designated times.
● Make the medications readily accessible
Medication will often need to be stored under specific conditions, whether in cool temperatures or a special container.
Often the medicine cabinet isn't conducive to keeping the meds at their most effective quality since the temperatures in the bathroom tend to fluctuate quite a bit from very warm to cool when people take hot showers.
A suggestion is to ensure you use a space where they'll be readily accessible, an area you'll regularly see like perhaps the nightstand in your bedroom or maybe a pantry or the refrigerator if the directions indicate cool temperatures.
● Schedule and keep regular medication management appointments with your provider
The mental health provider will need to monitor your medication regularly. In the beginning, it will likely be each week until the combination is established. The doctor will then set a monthly routine until you do well enough to take it every three months.
You must keep your appointments to keep your physician informed about your symptoms. If these stabilize, you're at a good point with your medication, but adjustments must be made if they fluctuate.
It's also critical when experiencing side effects or having questions or concerns about a specific medication. Instead of researching on your own or trying to find out information from other resources, it's much safer to consult with your doctor.
The provider will be someone you need to speak to if you have the notion of trying specific supplements, herbal remedies, or adding other substances to your regimen that could potentially interact with your prescriptions.
It would be best if you never put anything into your body without the express knowledge of your provider since it could significantly impact the effect of the treatment plan you're on.
Final Thought
Many people avoid psychiatric treatment for mental unwellness quite simply because of a long-standing stigma that follows this branch of medicine. Go here for details on psychiatry as a specialty. When taking medication, clients are of the mindset others will see a drastic personality change or altered behaviors.
With adequate medication management from an experienced, reputable, and well-qualified mental health professional, the solution means relieving the illness's symptoms without impacting character, abilities, or habits once the appropriate meds have been established.
The priority is to follow up with the doctor regularly for monitoring of symptoms and use of the medication. Plus, this is the time for you to be able to address any questions or concerns you might have relating to the prescriptions or the illness.
While it's always beneficial to speak to the doctor about all issues, the professional can also put you in contact with support groups where you can make acquaintances with other people experiencing the same circumstances as you are.
Talking to people who know what you're dealing with is valuable. You don't need to feel alone in your battle.