Mental Health & Substance Addiction Therapy Treatment

Anxiety is a class of mental health conditions that have some shared traits and notable differences. Common anxiety symptoms include persistent worry and fear, feeling keyed up and restless, poor concentration, fatigue, irritability, and sleep difficulties. Specific disorders that respond well to anxiety therapy with a mental health professional include generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and phobia-related disorders. This can include psychotherapy, medications, or a combination of both. 

Depression is another grouping of mental health concerns with shared characteristics. Depression is a serious mental health concern that can contribute to mental health crises and safety concerns. Common depressive symptoms include persistent sadness, emotional numbness, fatigue, unintended weight changes, sleeping difficulties, and loss of interest in enjoyable activities and hobbies. Many find that they isolate themselves from family and friends when they are experiencing depressive symptoms. Examples of depressive disorders include major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder, perinatal depression, seasonal affective disorder, and depression with psychotic features. Depression therapy can utilize various evidence-based therapies to provide individualized support for the specific symptoms and challenges that an individual is experiencing.

This can occur in both inpatient and outpatient settings, depending on individual needs. Examples of commonly used major depressive disorder therapies include cognitive-behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, behavioral activation, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, psychodynamic therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy.  Ketamine therapy for depression is an example of a therapeutic option reserved for individuals who have not responded to other treatment options for depression, and receive care in specialized treatment centers. 

There are three types of ADHD recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; an inattentive type, hyperactive/ impulsive type, and a combined type. Common symptoms associated with ADHD include inability to maintain focus, distractible, disorganized, speaking out of turn and during inappropriate times, and an inability to sit still. ADHD symptoms often begin in childhood and can have a significant impact on a child’s education, as well as an adult’s work productivity. Therapy options for ADHD often include medications, behavioral interventions, and psychotherapy. 

Individuals who develop PTSD often begin experiencing symptoms within 3 months of experiencing a traumatic event. Trauma can include exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence by directly experiencing the event, witnessing the event in person, learning of the even occurring to a close loved one, or having repeated exposure to adverse details of trauma. Individuals who develop PTSD can experience distressing and recurrent thoughts, flashbacks, nightmares, irritability, hypervigilance, and actively avoid things that remind them of the trauma.  Therapies that are commonly used to treat PTSD include CBT, prolonged exposure therapy, EMDR, cognitive processing therapy, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy.

Schizophrenia commonly affects how an individual thinks, feels, and behaves, in a way that makes them appear to be out of touch with reality. This can include the presence of hallucinations and delusions which can make it difficult for them to participate in their typical, or every day, activities. Additionally, thought processes for individuals living with schizophrenia may be unusual, or illogical, and they may have difficulty organizing their words. Movement disorders can also be a component of schizophrenia, and can include abnormal body movements and motions. Treatment options for schizophrenia often include medications, and supportive counseling that focuses on helping individuals learn new coping skills and manage their symptoms. 

There are three types of bipolar disorder, each of which have their own unique set of symptoms. Bipolar I disorder includes manic and depressive episodes, that represent a cycling of high to low moods. Bipolar II symptoms include hypomanic episodes, which are a less intensive form of manic episodes. Individuals with Bipolar II also experience depressive episodes. Cyclothymic disorder includes recurrent hypomanic and depressive symptoms that do not meet criteria as hypomanic and depressive episodes.

Symptoms associated with manic episodes include feeling elated, irritable, more active than usual, decreased need for sleep, talking fast about different things, racing thoughts, increased appetite or interest in food, sex, drinking, and other pleasurable activities, and feeling more talented or important than usual. Depressive episodes can include a low or depressed mood, poor concentration, lack of interest in all activities, feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness, and experiencing sleep disturbances. The treatment options for bipolar disorder are dependent on the symptoms that an individual is experiencing. As an example, someone who is experiencing a manic episode should receive treatment in an inpatient psychiatric setting, whereas some hypomanic symptoms can be managed with a lower intensity treatment program. Medications can be helpful for those living with bipolar disorder, by stabilizing mood and decreasing the frequency and severity of mood episodes.