Unfortunately, not all people get the help they need to manage and improve symptoms of mental health issues. In fact, according to the NIMH, in the year 2020, 65% of people struggling with mental illness received mental health treatment. While the stigma of getting help for mental health issues is improving, people that are struggling with the effects of mental health issues are still living without any kind of support. For these individuals, it may be helpful to understand what the process of getting help looks like through a mental health treatment plan. This way, they can understand what to expect. And, work toward taking the steps necessary to get help and establishing lasting healing.

Some of the steps to getting help through a mental health treatment plan may include:

Educating Yourself on The Types of Treatments and Programs Available

There are different types of mental health treatment approaches available. So, before choosing a treatment center for your needs, it can be helpful to educate yourself about the various treatment options accessible in your area. For example, there are both outpatient and inpatient mental health treatment facilities. Inpatient facilities require individuals to live at their mental health centers while they get the help they need. While this is a more structured approach to getting help, this may not be the best option for people who wish to continue with outside life responsibilities while they work to reach their mental healing goals. Outpatient treatment centers allow people to utilize treatment techniques and therapies on an outpatient basis – meaning they don’t have to live at these facilities. This type of treatment, while less invasive, provides the option to continue with daily responsibilities like work and school while getting the help that’s necessary for establishing mental wellbeing.

Identifying if You’re Struggling With Mental Health Issues

While it’s not a good idea to self-diagnose, it can help to identify if you may be living with a mental health issue before getting help through treatment. Identifying the symptoms you are dealing with can help your team or mental health specialists determine an accurate diagnosis. So, before getting help, you can consider:

• what debilitating symptoms you’re living with
• how long you have been dealing with these symptoms
• whether or not you have a family history of people living with the same symptoms
• what medications you may be taking that can contribute to symptoms
• what your medical history has been like

During your initial mental health consultation, you will be asked questions like these in order to identify an accurate mental health diagnosis. So, knowing this information beforehand can help you during this assessment process.

Getting in Contact With Your Insurance Company

Most mental health treatment facilities accept certain forms of health insurance to help cover the cost of treatment. So, it may help to identify whether or not your specific insurance plan will help to cover some or even all of these costs. Call the customer service number on the back of your health insurance card to learn more about your specific benefits. And, your insurance provider may even help to identify mental health specialists in your area that cover the treatments you need.

Reaching Out to the Mental Health Provider of Your Choice

After you’ve completed all of the above steps, it’s finally time to find the mental health provider you’ll be getting a mental health treatment plan from. Don’t worry – mental health specialists are there to help you, not to judge. Any information you may discuss with a mental health treatment provider is completely confidential. And, you can get information about specific treatments before making the final decision to get help from a certain provider.

If you’re looking for outpatient mental health treatment in the Chicago area, consider Yellowbrick. Our mission is to provide support for individuals living with various mental health issues and diagnoses in order to help them establish a life of mental wellbeing and recovery. Find out more about our programs and services on our website.