No Stigma Nevada
By Kim Palchikoff
Given the scary and overwhelming situation of the coronavirus, the hundreds of thousands of Nevadans that have lost work because of it, not to mention that it’s potentially fatal, Nevadans experiencing anxiety, depression or other forms of mental anguish may feel the need to seek out mental health help from a doctor. While some individuals may have a psychiatrist they’ve seen before, many have not. And these days, psychiatrists are not only in short supply and large demand, most are not taking new clients, especially since mostly they are working from home, by telephone and Skype. So turning to your primary care doctor can be just as helpful.
As someone who lives with bipolar disorder, I’ve dealt with mental health issues for 30 years. They can be complex, but the basics are not rocket science. There are about 10 major psychiatric medications for depression or anxiety, the two main mental health problems. Nevada may be short on psychiatrists, but let’s focus on our state’s mental health strengths: our family practice and internal medicine physicians who take up the slack and pass out the Prozac.
Here’s some reasons why your primary care doctor should be your next best medical friend.
They are trained in diagnosing mental health issues:
A lot of patients are not aware of this. Primary care physicians have years of training in many spheres of medicine, including in basic psychiatric issues. They can and do prescribe medications like Xanax for anxiety, Ambien for sleeping and many others. Although I have a psychiatrist because I have bipolar disorder, a more complicated mental illness, there’s nothing I take that can’t be prescribed by my primary care doctor. She’s well aware of what I take.
My primary care doctor knows both my medical history and me: Having an MD trained in family medicine who’ve I’ve seen for years is soothing. I can tell her anything. She always finds a few minutes to talk to me, about what’s on my mind. She gets it when I share my most intimate woes with her. These days I’m feeling disoriented and kind of lost. The coronavirus is sad, scary and confusing. Every day I still can’t believe it’s happening. Some patients may be experiencing suicidal thoughts, and it’s important to have someone you know to share those with.
I trust her medical advice. There’s a lot to be said for that. She knows my medical history. She can look it up quickly in her computer. Before the coronavirus I normally would go see her in her office. I preferred having a face to face chat. But these days, when I need medical attention we communicate online.
Primary care doctors can address non-mental health issues: Individuals with mental health issues frequently have additional medical problems such as high blood pressure or heart conditions. These other medical problems can rear their ugly heads during times of stress. I have Type 2 diabetes, which my primary care doctor monitors closely. She pushes me to exercise more and encourages me to take walks outside, in desolate places when no one’s around.
Fewer stigma issues: Psychiatrists can be scary, a reason many people avoid them. Primary care doctors can be less intimidating. There’s something soothing about discussing mental health issues in an office with a doctor who gives you a flu shot, listens to your heart, talks about your diet plan and prescribes Zoloft for your depression.
Early diagnosis of mental health issues: Primary care doctors can diagnose and treat patients for mental health issues when they need medical care for something else, like a back ache or birth control pills.
