Mental Health Treatment in Scottsdale, AZ

Treatment for Mental Health Disorders

The treatment for mental health disorders depends on the type of mental illness, its severity, and the patient’s individual needs. Most mental health treatment involves a combination that addresses different aspects of the illness.

A team approach is necessary for many people struggling with mental illness to address all the symptoms and effects. This may include a primary care physician, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, social worker, and support system of friends and family.

Though medication can’t cure mental illness, it’s often part of the treatment protocol to aid in making other treatments more effective. These may include:

• Antidepressants
• Anti-anxiety medication
• Mood stabilizers
• Antipsychotic medications

Along with medication, mental illness can be treated with different psychotherapy or “talk therapy.” This typically involves a mental health professional who guides the patient through thoughts, behaviors, moods, and feelings to develop coping skills.

The types of psychotherapy used for mental illness include:^[3]

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT):

This therapy focuses on the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to discover unhealthy patterns that may lead to self-destructive behaviors. CBT can be beneficial for various mental illnesses, including bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, depression, and schizophrenia.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT):

This therapy was developed to treat severe conditions like borderline personality disorder and chronically suicidal individuals, but it’s been adapted to treat various mental illnesses. DBT is similar to CBT, but it focuses on accepting uncomfortable thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to teach patients to cope.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR):

This therapy is often used to treat PTSD and can be helpful for trauma-related conditions. The treatment is intended to shift adverse reactions with positive reactions using repetitive eye movements that stimulate the brain.

Exposure Therapy

This therapy is a type of CBT that is often used for phobias, PTSD, and OCD. The focus is on determining the triggers for anxiety and learning techniques to address the anxiety that arises. This may be done through exposure to the trigger all at once or in small amounts gradually.