Christine Moutier on Mental Health

In order for mental health treatment to be front and center in our ongoing conversation about health, we need to engage those who are living with and through these conditions.  While many people can maintain a quality life with treatment and support, living with a mental illness can be a painful experience and often a lonely one. The general lack of knowledge about mental illness stigmatizes the individual and deters many people from seeking treatment. We need to continue educating the public about mental disorders as illnesses requiring the same level of medical treatment, proactive patient involvement and compassionate care as any other illness. There are a variety of effective treatments for many mental health conditions including psychotropic medications such as antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and anti-psychotics; psychotherapy approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT); and, brain treatments including electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), trans-cranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and vagus nerve stimulation. Individualizing treatment is critical and continues to be challenging despite recent advances in neuroscience. This challenge is compounded by the fact that many individuals suffer from more than one mental health condition such as depression alongside an anxiety disorder,  bipolar disorder and substance use, and schizophrenia coinciding with anxiety or depression---all common comorbidities.  Additionally, many peo...
Source: PHRMA - Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Source Type: news