Mental health is one of the pillars of our overall well-being. However, mental wellness isn’t always easy to achieve.
If someone is struggling, a mental health care plan can help them take steps towards gaining control and recovery. These plans are highly personalized and tailored to each patient. Everyone’s treatment needs are different, thus, a plan for one person may not be adequate for another person’s needs.
If you’ve reached this step of your treatment and need advice on how to proceed, here are five steps to help create an effective mental health care plan:
1. Contact a Professional
Seek the guidance of a professional that has been trained and educated in dealing with mental health conditions. Psychiatrists, psychologists and therapists are some of the professionals that have specialized knowledge and skills that are essential for constructing a mental health care plan.
Our previous article on picking a good therapist covered several factors to look out for when seeking professional help, including expertise and credentials. Knowing how to form a team of trusted, qualified professionals will lead to a superior quality of treatment, and increase your chances for a successful recovery.
2. Get a Diagnosis
An accurate diagnosis is crucial to the care of a patient because it sets the direction for which procedures, methods, diagnostics, and medications are needed in order to recover.
To arrive at a diagnosis, a mental health professional will typically begin with the patient’s history to assess what the proper and accurate diagnosis is. Hence, it is crucial that you’re honest about your condition and history so that the physician can give you the most accurate diagnosis. That diagnosis will be the basis for your treatment plan.
3. Assessing Needs
Every patient has different needs. Patients with the same diagnosis can have different needs and different treatment plans based on the assessment of medical professionals. An accurate assessment comes from having a well-rounded team that fully understands the patient’s personal information, psychological history and current mental health diagnosis.
Getting a personalized treatment plan