When Psychiatry Care Might Be Right for You

Everyone is wired differently, and personalities vary greatly, so the range of “normal” behavior is massive. This can make it tough to decide on your own whether your behavior, thoughts, and feelings are simply ordinary responses or signs that you have a mental health condition.

That’s where we come in. At Alpha Care Medical, our team of dedicated health experts specialize in functional medicine, addiction, pain management, and behavioral health. This multidisciplinary approach allows us to assess every aspect of your health and find the underlying cause of your physical and mental issues and how they may be connected.

If you’re wondering whether your thoughts and actions may be pointing to a mental health condition, here are some guidelines to help you decide when to seek psychiatric care. 

Understanding mental health

Mental health encompasses how your mind works, what you think about, and how you behave. If your mind has trouble functioning properly, it may cause changes in the way you perceive things and respond to situations. If changes begin to disrupt your life, this may indicate a mental health disorder. 

As we mentioned, what’s normal to one person may seem abnormal to another person. Your culture, beliefs, and past experiences all influence your behavior and thoughts, and these differences do not constitute a mental health problem. So, what does?

Signs you should seek professional care

If you begin exhibiting patterns of thought and behavior that exceed your cultural and social norms, it may be a sign that you should seek a professional evaluation. Suicidal thoughts and attempts certainly qualify, as do panic attacks, hallucinations, and hearing voices. However, some symptoms aren’t quite as clear as these. Here are some other common symptoms of mental health issues:

• Deep sadness, apathy, or depression that won’t let up
• Extreme anxiety that prevents you from doing things
• Clear changes in eating and sleeping patterns
• Inability to cope with stress or conflict
• Hostility, anger, and violence
• Substance abuse

Some of these symptoms are normal if they occur once in a while and are mild in nature, but if they begin to disrupt your life, our psychiatrists may be able to help. If you still aren’t sure, ask yourself if your thoughts and behaviors interfere with:

• Your ability to perform at work 
• Your relationships
• Sleeping
• Your ability to learn or perform academically
• How you behave in social settings
• Your participation in sports, hobbies, or other activities

If so, we strongly encourage you to come see us. If you’ve been living with your symptoms for a long time, you may have resigned yourself to your “lot in life,” but there’s no need to suffer. Nor is there any reason to feel shame or fear about your mental health. 

Our highly experienced psychiatrists provide a caring, nonjudgemental, safe environment where you can get the help you need.

How psychiatry helps

Psychiatry is a medical specialty that focuses on your emotional and mental health. As part of our evaluation, our team considers all the potential causes for your symptoms. Sometimes, a physical condition can lead to or exacerbate an emotional problem, and vice versa. To get to the root cause of your thoughts and behaviors, we look at every aspect and treat you accordingly. Your psychiatric care may include:

Psychotherapy

Also known as talk therapy, psychotherapy is a way to help you cope with trauma, stress, grief, anxiety, and depression. You may benefit from one-on-one sessions with our therapist, or even couples, family, or group therapy. If warranted, we may combine your psychotherapy with medications to complement the treatment. 

Cognitive behavioral therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy is one type of psychotherapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps you identify patterns of thinking and behaving that are either ineffective or harmful so that you can take steps to change them. This type of therapy allows you to focus on problems and practice coping skills that can help you function better in your relationships, your job, and your life. 

According to the American Psychiatric Association, psychotherapy helps about 75% of those who engage in it. And if you have an opioid-addiction problem, we offer medication-assisted treatment, another highly effective and safe treatment that can help you reclaim control of your life. 

If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms and want to find out more about mental health issues and how psychiatry can help, book an appointment over the phone with Alpha Care Medical today. We have locations in Seaford, Millsboro, Harrington, and Dover, Delaware.