The importance of physical and mental health professionals.

It may seem like common knowledge to have a mental or/and a health professional treat someone with a condition, however, that is not always true. A lot of people don’t want the hassle of finding a specialized professional to treat them and will turn to a general practitioner (GP) for help. The GP may recommend that the patient go see a professional. Unfortunately, recommendations are not always taken seriously. This can be due to a number of reasons. It is embarrassing to many people to have to seek help from a therapist or psychiatrist. Their life may be working just fine for them so the patient does not want interference. One of the more prominent reasons is that the patient who has dealt with the condition for some time may not even realize they need a professional who specializes in their particular condition. For example: My GP was always telling me not to eat sweets or too much fat. Until the special diabetes management nurse sat down with me and told me that carbohydrates were the clue to getting my blood sugar under control; I really had absolutely no had no idea that was the way to control my blood sugar. It is not always easy to see what is right in front of me.

For mental health issues it is wise to work with a psychiatrist and a therapist who specialize in one’s particular disorder. Most psychiatrists and therapists specialize in at least three to five disorders and up to twenty disorders for those who have been around a long time. If one has schizoaffective disorder, for example, one would look for a professional who specializes in not only schizoaffective disorder but also mood disorders and schizophrenia. In a lot of areas there are not a lot of professionals who specialize in what one is looking for. This can mean the patient will have to drive a distance or take what is available. It can work as long as the psychiatrist or therapist has a lot of experience. The reason for going to these professionals is that they are more equipped to help the patient manage their symptoms than a GP, whether it is through psychiatric medications and/or psychotherapy.

For eating disorders there are numerous in/outpatient programs as well as in/outpatient therapists. Much of the treatment for eating disorders revolves around changing the person’s behavior. There are some medications such as Zoloft, Paxil and Xanax which can help a person with their disorder. The medications help somewhat but nutritional counseling and a therapist are strongly recommended by eating disorder specialists. A nutritional counselor or a dietician will sit down with the patient and discuss how, when and what to eat. A psychologist/therapist will use various therapeutic approaches to benefit the patient as much as possible. The psychiatrist will prescribe the psychiatric medications to go along with the other professional’s goals. It is good to work with a team of professionals – if money and/or insurance allow it – as it often is the most beneficial approach for the patient. Inpatient programs automatically have a team working with the patient. The facility’s can be expensive and many do not accept insurance so it can be difficult to find one.

Diabetes management is complex at first; having the right professionals really helps. As I stated earlier – I did not even know how to eat the right foods until my diabetes management nurse told me. She’s actually a registered dietician (RD). My GP takes care of the regular stuff like blood pressure and medication for my various ailments. My RD takes care of everything pertaining to diabetes. There are also special classes in my area which allow me to learn more about the type of carbohydrates to consume, how to give myself the right amount of insulin and various other concepts which are equally important. It is very important to find the right health professional for one’s condition.