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Positive Outcomes & Mental Health Treatment

Many mental health problems are listed as official illnesses in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), such as depressive and anxiety disorders as well as many types of personality disorders. Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of living with mental health disorders is seeking mental health treatment, as you may not know what to expect and may be a little suspicious of "shrinks" and therapists. However, starting and then continuing mental health treatment is the only road to positive outcomes for many people.

  1. Treatment Types

    • Several different types of mental health treatment exist for a variety of situations. Psychotherapy, or simply therapy, involves working with a licensed, registered psychologist or mental health counselor to bring about change in a person's life. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, is a mental health treatment that focuses on specific problems and negative thought patterns in a person's life. Art therapy, dialectical behavior therapy and group therapy are other types of therapy that can be used for different diagnoses. In addition, comprehensive mental health treatment also includes anti-depressant medications in most cases.

    Time Frame

    • The length of time that a person goes through mental health treatment before experiencing positive outcomes depends entirely on several factors, including the severity of the mental illness. For example, mild cases of depression or dysthymia may require between two and four months of treatment before experiencing improvement. However, a patient experiencing major depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may require six to 12 months or longer of treatment before seeing positive results. Recovery and improvement time frames depend on how quickly you make progress as well as whether you're taking anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medications.

    Features

    • To effect positive outcomes, a comprehensive mental health treatment needs a stable and solid plan. The plan begins with an overall psychosocial evaluation of the person and his mental illness. Then, the counselor involves the patient in putting together a well-researched and presented plan. Most mental health treatment plans include regular weekly therapy sessions. These sessions may include only the patient or both the patient and her partner or family for support. In addition, many mental health therapists administer "homework," simple, progressive steps that the patient takes each week following therapy to bring about change and positive outcomes.

    Benefits

    • Individuals who seek mental health treatment benefit from the long-term treatment that follows. Patients become better educated about the condition which they have, which aids in their understanding of how to work through it and bring about eventual recovery. In many cases, symptoms of mental illnesses decrease, such as anxiety, sadness, negative thoughts, excessive worry and suicidal tendencies. In addition, patients benefit as they find new, better and more effective ways to cope with problems.

    Warning

    • Progress during mental health treatment can be disrupted by several things, which makes positive outcomes and eventual recoveries seem further down the road. First, feeling down or severely depressed may tempt you to skip therapy and treatment sessions, but this only prolongs your suffering. Second, unreasonable expectations of treatments, such as expecting a quick recovery or issues to be resolved instantaneously, are usually discouraged as most treatment plans involve long-term counseling or therapy sessions. Third, being surrounded by insensitive, unsupportive friends and family members can disrupt progress as well.

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