How to see a Psychiatric Medication Provider in 5 Steps

By Hilary Holmes, MSN, RN, PMHNP-BC –August 8, 2019

 

Step 1: Show up

This is often the hardest part; showing up takes a lot of courage and energy. It’s a vulnerable thing to do, but in doing so you’re telling yourself that you matter and you’re getting on a path toward wellness. Celebrate showing up!

 

Step 2:  Know that you have power!

Advocate for yourself. If you feel the recommendations the provider has made are not right for you, let them know! You are in control of what goes in your body. Stay in communication with your provider to find a treatment that is right for you.

 

Step 3: Consider medications

Medications aren’t right for everyone but for some, they can make a world of a difference. As you consider treatments (e.g. exercise, therapy, incorporating nutritious food, meditation, prayer, etc.), consider medications. Talk with your prescriber regarding how you feel about medications. Just because you walk into a psychiatrist’s office, doesn’t mean you have to walk out with a prescription! Let them know what you’re looking for. When you’re ready, start a medication cautiously and carefully.

 

Step 4: Side effects happen, but not always

For many psychiatric medications, even common side effects occur less than 30% of the time. You could easily be in the 70%+ who do not experience a particular side effect. Usually the serious side effects are much less common (>1%), but if they happen to you, don’t panic; mental health professionals are trained to manage these effects. If you experience a bothersome or worrisome side effect, contact your prescriber; they’ll likely be able to let you know if the side effect is bothersome but benign or something more serious and can recommend what to do next. When in doubt, seek out emergency medical services.

 

Step 5: Do the work!

Medication cannot do the work of healing for you. Do things to take care of yourself. See a therapist. Meet new people and spend time with those you connect with. Seek out what drives you in life. Stay active. Eat well and often. Medication can help you maintain the stability and energy to do these things, but it takes your effort to stay well.  Learning to take care of yourself takes time! Don’t be discouraged by the ups and downs of your self-care routine. Any time you struggle to do things to support wellness you’ll learn more about yourself and what does or does not work for you. These discoveries help you to progress day by day toward mental wellness.

*Hilary Holmes MSN, RN, PMHNP-BC is a wellness advocate and Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner who helps patients overcome depression, anxiety and other mental health concerns at the Center for Green Psychiatry.

Learn more at CGPwellness.com

Facebook: @HilaryHolmesPsychiatricNursePractitioner

Instagram: hilary_the_psych_np

 

In the land of preschoolers, there is a song called “Bear Hunt”. And in this song you find the courage to go looking for a bear! Exciting! I know right??! Especially when you are 4 years old and repetition is life. The reason why I bring it up here is that there is a line in this song that I feel relates to therapy and working though your emotions.

Here’s how the song goes:

We’re going on a bear hunt ( We’re going on a bear hunt)

We’re going to catch a big one (we’re going to catch a big one)I

I’m not scared ( I’m not scared)

What a beautiful day ( What a beautiful day)

Uh oh!

A river!

A deep cold river!

We can’t go over it!

We can’t go under it!

Oh no!

We’ve got to go through it!

Splash splosh! Splash splosh! Splash splosh!

It sure would be nice to rise above our emotions or escape them (believe me I’ve tried), but what if the key is to accept them as they are and find a way to help yourself cope with the feeling that is at play?

We all have tons of experience doing this with emotions we like- the pleasant ones. Usually when we notice that we are feeling loved, ecstatic, motivated, or content acceptance of these feelings is really a no brainer. We are practicing acceptance and coping with pleasant emotions without even realizing we are doing this work.

However, the idea of accepting a feeling that we do not like sounds like foreign territory. Why would I want to recognize that I feel lonely or inadequate or depressed? It seems that as difficult as it may seem, working through the emotion and accepting it as it is could be hugely beneficial. The way our emotions work is that the more ignored they feel, the stronger they become. Quite adversely, the more we validate and acknowledge our feelings the smaller and more manageable they become.

In this work, there is an important difference in accepting your feelings, without needing to agree with them. Our emotions don’t follow rationality and they don’t have to define the way we see ourselves. Accepting them is allowing them to come and go without putting up a fight each time.

So, do yourself a favor and start your new year with accepting you for the way you are and help yourself cope with the tough stuff.

Thanks for reading,

Katherine Ewing, LCSW