There are many ways to approach treating your mental health, and many treatment providers that can support you during your recovery process. One reason that many people in the Dallas metro area choose psychiatrists is because only psychiatrists are able to provide both mental health medication and therapy to provide more complete support for your treatment.
Some primary care doctors provide mental health medication, but this is not advised, as they’re not always trained to recognize the signs of mental health and the medications that a person may need. They also cannot provide therapy. Psychologists can provide therapy, but they are not able to provide medication. Only psychiatrists are trained to provide both.
But why is it important to have access to both options from the same treatment provider?
What is Medication Assisted Therapy?
One of the things standing in the way of an effective mental health treatment is the mental health condition itself. For example, one of the symptoms of depression is a feeling of helplessness and a lack of motivation. Sometimes, that causes someone to feel negative thoughts about therapy and recovery, causing them to not stick with their treatment. These are symptoms of the condition.
That often means that, in order to learn healthier coping strategies and ways to manage your mental health better, you first have to provide yourself with some relief from the symptoms so that you have the energy, focus, and emotional control to commit to and manage other forms of treatment.
That is one of the greatest strengths of medication assisted therapy, and why a psychiatrist is such a useful choice for helping you recover from your mental health symptoms. As a psychiatrist in Dallas, Dr. Sehdev is able to evaluate your symptoms and get to know you more on a personal level. If your symptoms are impacting both your quality of life and your ability to manage your mental health right now, then Dr. Sehdev can prescribe safe, effective medications that provide more immediate relief.
Once you have your medications, it is often easier to manage therapy and other treatment that will provide you with long term support for your recovery. This is why medication assisted therapy is so important for so many patients, and why seeing a psychiatrist can have advantages for your long term health and wellbeing.
Taking Medication to Stop Medication – Why Therapy?
The purpose of mental health medication is not necessarily to take the medication indefinitely (unless that is recommended by your psychiatrist). The purpose is to make it possible to open the door for psychotherapy and lifestyle changes that help you manage your struggles in the future.
While you’re taking medication to relieve some symptoms, you learn coping tools and strategies to prevent future mental health struggles, and then slowly reduce medication use if/when you and your therapist determines you are ready.
This combination of tactics is why medication assisted therapy is so useful, and why people choose psychiatrists in Dallas like Dr. Sehdev of Aware Behavioral Health to support their mental health. Learn more or get started today by calling Aware Behavioral Health.
