Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
According to NAMI (National Institute of Mental Illness) one in 10 Americans experience depression at some point in their lives yet only about 20 percent seek professional medical help—even though the condition is completely treatable.
“May is National Mental Health Month,” says Jamie Seneca, Community Outreach Director for Nurse On Call. “Why not take this month to reflect on your own mental health by answering a few simple questions? Like an annual physical, ones mental check ups are equally as important. The following are a few questions that you can answer to evaluate your mental and emotional well being.
• Have you lost interest in doing things you used to enjoy?
• Are you more sad or crying more than usual?
• Do you have low energy, motivation and drive?
• Are you sleeping more or less than usual?
• Do you feel hopeless, helpless and worthless?
• Do you have suicidal thoughts or recurring thoughts of death?
NAMI, claims that if one answered yes to any of the previous questions they may be susceptible to depression. The scary thing is that many people who suffer from depression never seek out help for a very treatable prognosis. The first step in treatment is meet with ones primary care physician to rule out any other medical conditions and if depression is the diagnosis, it can be treated in a multitude of ways, but the two most common being medication and psychotherapy. Another option for those of Medicare age and meet the requirements is psychiatric nursing services through home health. These services are provided by experienced psychiatric nurses and are designed to:
• Prevent hospitalizations
• Increase access to mental health services
• Provide follow-up treatment
• Assist families in maintaining community living and improving their quality of life
Psychiatric nurses work with your primary care physician and/or psychiatrist in planning care and also work closely with other care team members or involved community providers. Those who are most likely to benefit from Home health services are individuals who have one or more of the following conditions:
• Serious and persistent mental illness as well as risk for repeated hospitalizations
• Exacerbations of chronic schizophrenia and/or affective disorders, including
major depression
• A recent release from hospital care and need of follow-up to prevent relapse
• A need for monitoring of a new psychotropic medication
• Alzheimer’s Disease and other types of dementia
• Confusion following surgery, strokes, cancer treatment, or related to medications
• Chronic pain and related depression
• Anxiety and/or panic attacks
• Character/personality disorders experiencing a crisis
• Families/caregivers in need of psychosocial support and education
Nurse On Call Homecare has certified psychiatric nursing, psychiatric occupational therapy and licensed social workers that can provide a comprehensive physical, psychological, mental, cognitive, family and environmental assessment of a patient within an in-home environment. Although each individual is screened according to their need for care, some typical criteria to consider in for these services are the following: The patient needs to be home bound, under the care of a physician, and needs a skill of a registered nurse. If all the above criteria is met and you are more interested in homecare Psychiatric services contact your physician to inquire about the benefits of this service.
Nurse on Call
(239) 643-9940
