Behavioral health is an important aspect of daily life that is historically neglected or downplayed. Sometimes, individuals who struggle with a mental health diagnosis like anxiety disorder or depression may simply attempt to push their feelings to the side in order to function throughout daily life. However, failure to address the root causes of feelings like these (or other behavioral health diagnoses) can have disastrous effects on a person’s life.
This is where a behavioral health center can come into play. Facilities like these provide cutting-edge treatments, therapies, and professional support that are all geared at assisting those with mental or behavioral challenges with living enriched and improved lives.
If you’re currently struggling and wondering if a behavioral health center is right for you, here are several key instances during which it may be time to explore your options.
If You’re Dealing with a Substance Use Disorder
Substance use disorder (SUD) is a medically recognized term that describes when an individual has an improper and unhealthy reliance on a particular substance, resulting in detriments to their health, work, or social commitments. Various assessments exist that can help in determining whether or not you may have a substance use disorder.
Behavioral health clinics are instrumental in helping someone break free from their substance use disorder for a couple of key reasons. Firstly, these facilities provide a professionally managed setting that treats both possible withdrawal symptoms and the mental health diagnosis (or diagnoses) behind an individual’s addiction. With certain substances, withdrawal symptoms can be fatal if left untreated, such as in the case of alcohol. A behavioral health center works to create a managed plan that facilitates detoxification in the safest way possible, accounting for all possible withdrawal symptoms while providing personalized treatments for each patient. Simultaneously, an individual with SUD may have opportunities for group therapy or individual psychotherapy, and may be given additional medication to help treat the mental side of their addiction.
Another crucial benefit of a behavioral health center for those with SUD is that they’re able to be surrounded by other individuals who are affected in similar ways by the same condition. Having communal opportunities via therapy to discuss experiences and feelings can keep patients accountable by their peers. In this environment, everyone helps forge a support network to collectively work toward recovery.
If You Struggle with Severe Anxiety or Depression
Individuals who are diagnosed with anxiety or depression disorders can also benefit from going to a behavioral health center. In an outpatient setting, attending meetings at one of these facilities can enable individuals struggling with either of these conditions to better understand their feelings, practice mindfulness, and identify healthy ways to manage their symptoms.
If severe enough, anxiety and depression disorders can seemingly paralyze individuals going through them or cause uncomfortable physical symptoms that may interfere with their day-to-day lives. They can also tempt them to rely on unhealthy substances as a coping mechanism. It’s imperative to seek treatment if you’re dealing with chronic mental health conditions like anxiety or depression before your condition worsens.
Behavioral health centers offer multifaceted approaches to managing anxiety and depression, training patients to practice mindfulness and proven relaxation techniques. They may also offer therapy programs or prescribe short- or long-term medications to help individuals better manage their symptoms.
If You’re Coping with A Different Mental Health Disorder
Beyond the scope of SUD and anxiety or depression disorders lies an array of other mental health diagnoses. Disorders like PTSD, bipolar disorder, psychosis, schizophrenia, and many others can be effectively treated by a behavioral health center. Here are a few of the specific ways each of these different conditions are managed with the help of a facility’s professionals.
PTSD
As the name states, PTSD is often brought on by an intense or traumatic experience in an individual’s life that causes them to experience mental repercussions later on. Memories of the traumatic event or events experienced in the past can be activated by various innocuous triggers in normal life, making it difficult to acclimate for those who are diagnosed with it. PTSD can be treated by a behavioral health center through a combination of group or individual therapy and medications.
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is often characterized by sudden mood swings or intensely rapid changes between sadness and happiness. Individuals who are diagnosed with this disorder may be given prescriptions to help better regulate their moods and mental states. They may also attend psychotherapy sessions at a behavioral health facility for further support in their mental health journey.
Psychosis
Psychosis occurs when a person has trouble distinguishing between reality and fantasy, and it usually presents due to another condition of the mind. Several neurological disorders that can trigger a psychotic episode include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and Alzheimer’s. To help manage and prevent psychosis, a behavioral health center may administer treatments like medication, support groups, cognitive behavioral therapy, or in extreme cases, inpatient hospitalization as part of an overall mental wellness plan.
Schizophrenia
Characterized by intermittent detachment from emotions, and at times, hallucinatory symptoms, schizophrenia is an uncommon but serious psychotic disorder that requires effective treatment to manage. Behavioral health facilities typically help individuals with schizophrenia via education and the development of social skills, coupled with medication and individual counseling.
How Do I Find a Behavioral Health Center?
Finding a behavioral health center starts with doing some research and contacting local facilities near you to see what types of services and treatments are offered. Whether you’ve been formally diagnosed with a mental health disorder or not, start by contacting a professional if you’re struggling in your mental health journey.
At Alvarado Parkway Institute, we specialize in offering personalized treatment plans for a variety of addictive and mental health disorders. Several of our programs include intensive outpatient programs, partial hospitalization, and inpatient treatment services. Our trained professionals will work with you to determine how to best help you on your road to recovery
Call us at 619-333-7050 for more information about what we do and our mission of service.
