Mental Healthcare: Preparing for Your First Appointment

Finding Help for Mental Illness

Parenting is complicated, and sometimes it’s hard to understand what is happening with your child. Is it a phase? Or could it be something more serious? It’s normal for children to sometimes be sad or act out, for friendships to ebb and flow, and for kids to lose interest in previously loved activities or want to skip school from time to time. When these things become persistent or severe, though, it may be time to find help. Sign that your child may benefit from mental healthcare include:

• Persistent sadness
• Avoidance of or withdrawal from social interactions.
• Talking about hurting oneself, death, or suicide.
• Self-harming behavior.
• Outbursts, extreme irritability, or out of control behavior.
• Dramatic shifts in mood, personality, or behavior.
• Changes in eating habits or in weight.
• Difficulty sleeping.
• Chronic headaches or stomach aches.
• Lack of concentration.
• Missing or avoiding school.
• Loss of interest in hobbies or changes in academic performance.

If you notice any of these signs, it may be time to find help for your child. You may notice that some of these symptoms mirror the symptoms of depression, but is depression a mental illness? Yes, in fact, depression is considered a serious mental health condition. More than simply a case of someone having the blues, depression is a low mood that is persistent and disruptive to the person’s life. Fortunately, depression, and many other types of mental health issues, can be treated.

Things to Know Before Your Child’s First Mental Health Appointment

Finding the right behavioral health specialist for your child can be confusing. There are plenty of providers who know how to help someone with mental illness, but how do you know which one is right for your child? Talk to your child’s pediatrician first and ask for recommendations. At the first visit, you will meet the therapist, and this can help you decide if your child will be comfortable with this person. Be open with your child about what to expect, and explain that the therapist is someone who will talk to the child and ask questions, in order to help him or her sort through feelings and figure out how to make things better. Encourage honesty, so that the mental health professional working with your child will truly understand the situation.

Preparing Ahead of Time

No one knows how to prepare for mental illness, but you can prepare for a mental health appointment.

• Schedule the appointment for a convenient time. You don’t want to be rushed getting to the appointment, or pressed for time afterwards. Schedule it for a time that is easy for you and your child to attend, and plan to spend some down time with your child after the appointment, talking and processing the session.
• Keep your expectations realistic. Mental health treatment is a process, and all of the problems are not going to be solved during the first appointment. Mental health care providers are not magicians, but working with your child’s provider to come up with a realistic treatment plan can help your child grow stronger and healthier over the course of treatment.
• Write down your concerns and goals. Write down symptoms you’ve noticed, things that concern you, and what you would like to see happen through the sessions, being as specific as possible. Don’t expect to have your plan followed to the letter but look at your child’s mental health provider as a member of the team. The pediatrician is also part of the team, and so are you! In fact, you are the one who knows your child best, so you have valuable insight to share.
• Be prepared to provide your child’s medical history. Write down a list of medications, conditions, and relevant family history to take with you. This information will help give the mental health provider an overview of the big picture.
• Make the session comfortable for your child. Encourage him or her to wear comfortable clothes, and schedule a little bit of down time before the appointment, so your child will feel relaxed instead of pressured.
• Schedule the appointment for a convenient time. You don’t want to be rushed getting to the appointment, or pressed for time afterwards. Schedule it for a time that is easy for you and your child to attend, and plan to spend some down time with your child after the appointment, talking and processing the session.
• Ask questions. As the parent, you need to have a good understanding of the treatment plan. Prepare a list of questions ahead of time, ask questions during the session, and jot down notes while the appointment is ongoing, so that you will remember things you wanted to ask afterwards.
• Don’t be afraid to switch doctors. Not every behavioral health professional is a good fit for every child, and that is ok. Follow your child’s lead, and if he or she is having trouble opening up to the first person you try, ask for a referral to a different therapist, psychiatrist, or behavioral health counselor.

Brevard Health Alliance is Here to Help

Whether you need a behavioral health specialist or a primary care physician, Brevard Health Alliance, Inc. is here for you. Brevard County’s only Federally Qualified Health Center, BHA offers extensive health care services on a sliding-fee scale, so that we can treat residents regardless of their ability to pay. We’re committed to providing an extraordinary quality of care for our patients in order to improve the health status of Brevard County. Our focus is on continually improving the quality and efficiency of our care, and on ensuring that every patient we serve is heard, encouraged, and respected. As your family health care provider, we strive to provide not just acute care but also preventive care and health care related education. Our board certified physicians, advanced practice nurse practitioners, and physician assistance provide primary care that includes well child checkups, well woman care, and physicals, along with chronic disease management. In fact, since 2005 we’ve provided not only primary care services, but also behavioral health services, dental services, diagnostic services, resource management services, pharmacy services, women’s health care and obstetrics, Hepatitis C and HIV services, extended hours pediatric walk-in care, and specialty referrals. For more information, to find a location, or to make an appointment, contact us through our website.