If you’ve been diagnosed with a mental illness, you may be curious about what your future looks like and what your options for treatment will be. You may wonder if you’ll have this condition forever or if it will progress over time.
While mental illness can be a challenging diagnosis, the good news is that mental illnesses can be treated. This means that people with mental illness can successfully manage their symptoms, reach their goals, and live fulfilling lives. They don’t have to stop you from achieving your dreams!
Treatment Works
While mental illnesses aren’t “curable” in the same way that some physical ailments are, they are treatable. This means that your doctor may prescribe certain treatments, like therapy or medication, to decrease the severity of your symptoms. It’s likely that you will work with your doctor to address sleeping patterns, anxiety, depression, and more. The goal of treatment is to find a plan that works for you–one that can help you manage your illness and dramatically lessen symptoms, so they are not disruptive to your daily life.
Unfortunately, while treatment often works wonders, there is no quick procedure or instantaneous medication that can cure mental illness forever. It’s common for individuals to try a few therapists and different medications before they find something that works. And, it’s likely that continued treatment will be needed, especially for severe and persistent mental illnesses (SPMIs) like schizophrenia. Think of treatment as an ongoing journey rather than a destination.
As a journey, it’s likely that your treatment plan will involve many different steps. From medication management to promoting positive relationship building, your plan can span multiple areas of your life. With holistic treatment programs like those at Guild, individuals can successfully manage their symptoms and live happy, full, and satisfying lives.
Treatment takes time. It might take a lot of steps. It almost assuredly takes having a lot of patience with yourself. But, it does work. Proper treatment can contribute to a reduction in the severity of symptoms which can quickly increase the quality of your life. If and when symptoms return or worsen, it’s important that you reach out to your care team and stick to your treatment plan. This is common, so don’t blame yourself if you start feeling worse. Know that mental illnesses can be unpredictable, even with the best treatment.
What does Treatment for Mental Illness Look Like?
Treatment looks different for everyone! No two mental illnesses are the same, which is why it’s crucial to work towards a treatment that works for you. Treatment typically starts with a healthcare provider learning about your mental illness. It’s likely you will work with both a doctor and therapist to understand how your mental illness started, what the symptoms are, and what treatment and resources are available to you. Knowing the causes, symptoms, and treatment options will help you make a plan of action to address your symptoms.
Successful treatment of your mental illness should result in a reduction of symptoms. The end goal is to improve and diversify ways you find enjoyment and success–whatever that means to you!
Types of Treatment
Psychiatric medications can help you reduce symptoms of your mental illness by impacting chemicals in your brain. Medications can be pills, injections, patches, or dissolvable tablets. Medications like these can be taken for disorders like anxiety, depression, bipolar, and schizophrenia.
Different medications can work differently for different people. Finding the right medication can take a while, which is why it’s important to work closely with your doctor and support system to monitor side effects and symptoms. Your doctor may start you off on a lower dose and increase it with time in order to determine the best dose for your symptoms.
Often, treatment is most successful when multiple strategies are used. For example, medication can help make talk therapy more effective.
Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, means discussing your mental health with a mental health professional. Talk therapy can help you learn about your condition and develop skills to cope with your symptoms. Talk therapy can be done on an individual basis with a therapist, can be used in a group setting, or can be used for families or couples.
There are many different types of therapy, and you can work with a mental health practitioner to determine the right type of therapy for you. Therapy is proven to be effective for many different mental illnesses and it’s a great way to process and understand your feelings and actions.
Residential treatment centers and hospitals are used when mental illness symptoms are too difficult to handle living on your own. Residential services and crisis services centers can also be used to help you stabilize symptoms and gain resources and skills to manage your illness.
Staff at these programs can help you access resources, develop healthy living skills, and create a recovery plan for when you are discharged.
While medication, therapy, and more intensive services are common for treating mental illness, you may use other skills as a part of your treatment. You can join support groups to help you meet others and feel less alone. You can find a support system of family and friends who you trust to discuss your mental illness with. You can practice self-care by checking in with yourself and working to reduce any lingering stress or symptoms you may have. Catching symptoms early can help you work through and cope with them before they become a bigger problem.
We Treat Mental Illness
At Guild, we know that treatment works. We see our clients make improvements every day and we understand what it takes to properly treat mild to severe mental illnesses. Need help? Guild offers integrated and person-centered services to help individuals stabilize their mental illness, create a successful care plan, and build a support network. Call us at 651-291-0067 to get help today. Or, check out our mental health services.
Sources:
Can people recover from mental illness? Is there a cure? National Alliance on Mental Illness.
How do you Cure Mental Illness? PsychCentral.
Mental Illness. Mayo Clinic.
Mental Health Medications, National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Psychotherapy, National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Getting Treatment During a Crisis, National Alliance on Mental Illness.