UNDERSTANDING THE REAL COSTS OF DELAYING MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT

One of the many reasons I love my work is that I have the honor and pleasure of seeing most of my clients get better. Do I have special skills that other mental health clinicians do not? No, my work simply mirrors the statistics on the efficacy of mental health treatment. Research shows that therapy is effective at least 80 percent of the time.

Since therapy usually helps, and no one wants to suffer, why are we our own worst enemies when it comes to getting help? Our tough inner critic tells us "you should be able to snap yourself out of this", or "you don't have it so bad, think about what Mary next door has been through", or "you need to help the kids, you're not as important." My wish for folks suffering from mental health challenges or family struggles is that they view mental health treatment as a tool that can help them move towards their future, not as a failure and a last resort.

Recently I have noticed an increase in the length of time clients are waiting to get themselves or their kids to treatment. My colleagues have shared the same observation with me. There are good reasons: financial challenges, increasingly spartan or absent insurance coverage, busy family schedules, and the still present stigma in our culture towards mental health treatment. The problem with delayed treatment is that it increases the likelihood of the development of a second mental health challenge, a substance abuse problem, and physical illness.

Not only does the client get worse if not getting help, but family members and co-workers are also sorely tested by caring for or working with a depressed, highly anxious, bi-polar or substance-involved individual. Many times the people that end up in my office have anxiety or depression that has been triggered by living or working with someone who has not sought help for their own challenges. Delays in getting help often leads to multiple family members in crisis. Jobs are lost, marriages fail, and academic careers stall.

The decision to see a therapist does not bind you to a never-ending series of weekly appointments. One of the important roles a trained therapist plays for you or your child is "assessment".  We evaluate a client's functioning in their environment: home, school, work, relationships, and community. We work with clients to collect data by interview, observation, surveys and test (psychologists) instruments. Thanks to the assessment process, clients can decide whether to enter the "therapy or treatment" phase of mental health treatment after gaining an understanding of their diagnosis and treatment options. After the assessment, I may recommend that a client meet with a psychiatrist, nutritionist, career counselor or life coach. Sometimes I work with parents to help them sort through parenting challenges without ever seeing the child.

The bottom line is that there may be much to gain by investing in a few visits. Unfortunately, waiting until you or your child are too sad to get out of bed in the morning, or your daily glass of wine has turned into a daily bottle, will likely cost more time and more money, and more importantly, needless suffering.

Healing Through Advocacy

If you are feeling overwhelmed by feelings of anger, pain, confusion and despair due to the tragic events at Sandy Hook Elementary School, you are in good company. This week most of the people I encountered in my personal life and in my private practice were feeling highly stressed, sad and helpless. As a psychotherapist from Newtown, CT, I am trying to stay strong by working through my own grief so that I can support others through this profoundly painful time.

Healing from trauma takes time, and varies tremendously from person to person.  Factors such as an individual's genetics; thinking style; home, school, community and work environments; and past traumas all shape the healing process.  Cultural traditions and beliefs, and spiritual or religious faith also play a role in the recovery process.

One wonderful way to counteract despair and speed healing is to foster positive change. Many of you have already helped in ways such as donating to funds for the victims' families and signing a national sympathy card. Another way you can take action is to speak out against assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines.

Instructions are detailed below, courtesy of  Josh Sugarman, Executive Director of the Violence Policy Center.  Josh is a fellow graduate of the Newtown High School class of 1978, and I am proud to call him my friend.

"To my Newtown Friends:
As some of you may know, I've spent most of my professional life working to stop gun violence as founder and executive director of the Violence Policy Center in Washington, DC.

And while I know all too well that gun violence can happen anywhere, that such a horrific event occurred in Newtown is almost beyond comprehension. To see young lives destroyed and the anguish of friends and family is beyond heartbreaking. 

Over the past few days, I've talked to fellow classmates and friends from Newtown and the common question has been, what can we do? Right now, one of the immediate actions you can take is to contact the White House, your Member of Congress, and your U.S. Senators and let them know that you're from Newtown and that you demand action. This may not sound like much, and it's only the first step, but it will make a real difference. I've included contact information below. 
--White House Comments: 202-456-1111

President Obama has said that he will support an assault weapons ban. Call and thank him and urge him to follow through on his promise. 
--U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 

Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard and ask to speak with your Member of Congress and U.S. Senators. Tell them you support a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. 

Please follow the Violence Policy Center, on the web, Facebook, and Twitter, and share this information with everyone you know."

I will be writing more soon on healing from trauma. In the meantime, remember that a little extra patience and small acts of kindness will ease your suffering and that of those around you.

Thinking of you,
Laura