Keeping Appointments with a Mental Healthcare Provider

February 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

No matter what the situation it can be difficult to make sure that a friend or family member keeps their appointment with their mental health provider. If you are one of the people responsible for helping them with their recovery it might be up to you to make sure this happens. Even if you have a completely willing participant sometimes there are issues with schedules and transportation.

Set up appointments at a time that is convenient for you. If you are the primary caretaker for this person find times that you will be able to take them to meet with their mental health care provider. Because of the importance of each of these sessions you want to make sure that there is nothing that can conflict with the time slot.

If possible make the next appointment before you leave. You can bring a planner with you and choose a date that will work best for both of you. If the person that you are caring for has a calendar, mark it for them as well. Make sure to ask if there is anything special that you need to bring with you for the next appointment. If you aren’t going to be able to keep the appointment call as soon as possible to reschedule. There are other patients that also need to be seen.

Taking care of a loved one as they go through a difficult time can be a real challenge. As you work to help them, try to do the best you can and take care of yourself first and foremost. You cannot take care of anyone else if you yourself are not well. At these appointments, if you are not supposed to be involved in them in any way, bring something to do while you wait like a book or favorite music to listen to. Overall, just do the best you can to take care of your loved ones and yourself.

Filed Under: Care & Cure, Mental Disorders Tagged With: , , , ,

The Strain of A Child With Mental Illness

January 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Every parent wants his children to grow up healthy. The most nerve wracking moment for a parent is the few minutes after a child is born. Parents anxiously await the clean bill of health from the doctor. But just because a doctor declares a baby healthy doesn’t mean he will remain that way. And while there are many kids who never get sick or break a bone, that doesn’t mean they aren’t going to find that they have their own illness to battle.

Mental illness is a real issue for many parents, and it’s a costly one for the parent who doesn’t get his child proper medical insurance. In the world that we live in, with medical costs increasing every single day, it only makes sense that parents would do what they could to give their kids the best care possible.

Insurance will provide the parents a cushion to give their kids the proper treatment at an affordable price. For instance, a child going to see a therapist might find that the visit is well over $200 dollars. If you combine that with an expensive brand-name drug and you could be looking at a monthly cost (assuming a child goes to weekly visits) over well over $1000 dollars. A good insurance will cost, at most, half of that sum a month. It would be foolish not to get insurance.

Parents have enough to worry about without having to worry about the financial burden that goes along with having to spend their savings on the cost to care for their children. Parents are encouraged to compare insurance quotes from several different companies and find a policy that works best for them and their children.

Insurance is planning for the worst case and hoping it never comes true. With a mentally ill child, a family can be put in a financial bind. Insurance helps avoid that.

Filed Under: Care & Cure, Mental Disorders Tagged With: , , ,

Eating Crayons? Maybe Pica

December 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Eating dirt in the sandbox or crayons at the art table can sometimes be considered cute, but sometimes can be related to something serious. If this occurs before 18 months or after 24 months, don’t be highly alarmed, but be observant. This can be an eating disorder labeled at Pica. Pica is usually defined as the consistent eating of a substance that has no seemingly nutrition. This is not only present in children, but can be in adults as well.

The disorder is not only about eating sand or crayons, but it can be about eating raw foods as well. Someone with the disorder will want to consume high amounts of raw food, such as flour or salt. If this behavior exists for a month straight, this is something to talk to you doctor about. If your child suffers from another condition such as autism, this behavior can be considered normal.

Most of the time the individual eating the specific substance needs the nutrient found in that object. If someone is deficient in iron, they will find a substance containing iron and consume it without thought to whether or not it is food. This seemingly irrational behavior is finding itself linked to obsessive-compulsive behavior and is not considered a symptom of that disease. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has labeled Pica as a mental health disorder.

If you have noticed your child is exhibiting characteristics of Pica, you can try a few things at home before you take them to the doctor. Watch what it is your child goes for. What nutrient could present itself in that specific form and then try to add that nutrient back in the diet of the child. Remember to ask yourself how old your child is because anywhere between 18 and 24 months it is typical to put random things in their mouths and don’t worry. Just know it has a name. It is call Pica.

Filed Under: General, Health, Health Medicine, Mental Disorders, Mental Health

Nocturnal Sleep-Related Eating Disorder

December 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Have you ever woke up in the morning more full than you were before you went to bed? What about food that seems to disappear out of your pantry with no one taking the credit for eating it. There is a new condition called Nocturnal Sleep-Related Eating Disorder. More research is being conducted to figure out more details of the conditions, but they do know it exists.

This condition is not just an eating disorder. Since the person is not aware of being up and eating at night, scientists are considering the fact that it could also be related to sleep walking. People who engage in NSRE usually consume foods that are what they consider to be high in fat. This usually goes hand in hand with another one of their eating disorders where they edit their down immensely. Their body will wake them up in the middle of the night to consume the nutrients it is being deprived of.

If someone with NSRE is confronted with the idea of their nocturnal behavior, the result is usually negative. Most people with the condition tend to have a tight control on most aspects of their lives. They cannot fathom the idea that they have lost control and are eating so much food. Although a small number of the population experiences this condition, only 1-3%, it is usually brought on by high stress times. That aftermath weight gain of the nightly snacks can cause the person to spiral into a depression based on how much weight they are unexplainably gaining. This will cause a more strict day time diet and perhaps even more drastic NSRE episodes at night.

There is help for this condition, even though it is so new. Someone plagued by this can engage in a sleep study or allow a doctor to observe them at night. Sleeping pills are discouraged because the decrease coordination while sleep walking and this can cause physical harm.

Filed Under: Health, Health Medicine, Mental Disorders, Mental Health
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