Usually, as happened with me, the first step is an appointment with your general practitioner (GP) or family practice physician who looks to rule out physical conditions and instead looks for some generalized behaviors and symptoms that can help to determine whether it is time to investigate further and get a diagnosis from a professional such as a psychiatrist.
According to the Mayo Clinic, mental symptoms your GP looks for include:
- Confusion
- Memory loss
- Cognitive or learning dysfunction
- Extreme changes in mood
- Depression
- Mania
- Increased or excessive anxiety
- Anger, aggression, or outbursts
- Hallucinations
- Suicidal thoughts
- Delusions
- Obsessions
- Compulsions
There are also behavior changes that a family member’s input may aid in the diagnosis such as:
- Social withdrawal
- Secrecy or hiding other behaviors
- Substance use or abuse
- Hyperactivity
- Inability to keep up or perform typically in work, school, or other personal responsibilities
- Persistent disobedience
- Changes in sleeping
- Eating pattern changes
- Extreme risk-taking behaviors
Mental health disorders are common and very treatable. According to Mental Health America, about 1 in 5 American adults and up to 20% of children will have a diagnosable mental health disorder in a year. Most often, the mental illness worsens if left untreated, and can lead to co-occurring conditions like addiction (drug and alcohol abuse) and physical discomfort (i.e., headaches, gastrointestinal issues, or aches and pains).
Once you receive the diagnosis, it’s time to form your mental health care team. For example, certain people prefer individual treatment with a psychiatrist and a psychologist while other may want to add a support group to the mix. Family is encouraged to help keep you geared toward your treatment plan whether that’s medication or counseling therapy. Then the treatment team monitors you for a specified length of time to discern whether the diagnosis is accurate or was temporary due to an event such as a death of a loved one or a chronic illness.
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