How to Treat Mental Health Disorders

To treat your mental health disorder, you should work closely with your doctor to determine which treatment options are best for your particular disorder and the symptoms you exhibit. You may only need one type of treatment to effectively manage the symptoms of your mental health disorder, or you may need a combination of different treatment options. Expect to go through some trial and error, and rely on those closest to you for support and encouragement along the way.

Instructions

• 1

  Medications are commonly used to treat mental health disorders. There are several different types of psychoactive drugs that a psychiatrist may prescribe to help manage the symptoms of mental health disorders, and the decision will most likely be based on the type of disorder the patient suffers from. A review of The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library explains that anti-depressants, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, or SNRIs, and norepinephrine/dopamine drugs, are often used to treat depression, a common mental health disorder. Anti-psychotic drugs are used to treat psychotic disorders like schizophrenia. Examples of these drugs include haloperidol, risperidone, clozapine, and thiothixene. Anxiety disorders are often treated with several different types of medications, including SSRIs, anti-depressants, and anti-anxiety drugs such as diazepam and clonazepam. Manic depressive and bipolar patients can be treated with medications such as lithium, valproate, carbamazepine, or other mood stabilizing drugs.

• 2

  Serious mental health disorders, or those that don't respond to common treatments, such as severe depression, may require electroconvulsive therapy per The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library. To begin treatment, the patient is sedated. Then, trained medical professionals attach electrodes to the patient's head and send a series of electrical shocks to the brain, causing a short seizure. Electroconvulsive therapy is controversial, but the most bothersome side effect is usually limited to temporary memory loss.

• 3

  Mental health professionals commonly use psychotherapy to treat many different types of mental health disorders. Psychotherapy requires a patient to talk with a trained psychotherapist about his mental health disorder, symptoms, and other problems in his life. Through this process, the patient gains insight into his life, and through the support and encouragement of the psychotherapist, the patient can begin to take positive steps toward managing his symptoms. A change in behavior and attitude yield the most positive results.

• 4

  Some mental health disorders are not a result of the patient's attitude or thought process, but are the result of a physical condition per the California Psychiatric Association. Certain genes have been discovered as possible causes for disorders like manic depression and schizophrenia. These genes can be identified using computerized brain imaging techniques, and abnormalities in the brain will most likely be treated with drug therapy. Other physical conditions that can cause mental health disorders include tumors, thyroid disease, stroke, or auto-immune diseases. To treat the mental health disorder, health care professionals will need to address the physical condition with a medical course of treatment, such as prescribing medication or performing surgery. A healthy diet and regular exercise can also help treat some of the physical conditions that cause mental health disorders.

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  Regular exercise can be used to treat certain mental health disorders, particularly depression. Exercise may not be able to cure mental health disorders, but it does contribute to a person's mood, attitude, and state of mind. News-Medical.net reports that regular exercise has been shown to have positive mental benefits, including boosting self-esteem, decreasing feelings of loneliness and isolation, and increasing concentration and focus. In fact, exercise is known for releasing endorphins in the brain, which contribute positively to a person's mood and attitude.