A career in the healthcare sector means you’ll likely encounter many patients with mental health challenges. They may not be presenting for mental health-related reasons, but they may be living with a form of mental illness that affects their everyday life. Most healthcare providers want to do the best for their patients and support them in living life to the fullest. You may be able to offer that support in some of the following ways:

Inform Them of Available Support

Not everyone living with a mental illness that affects their everyday life knows what support is available to them in Australia. You can provide them with insight by sharing information about an NDIS provider. NDIS providers can typically support, coordinate, and advocate to help people live life to the fullest. They can also help patients access additional support, mentoring, and supported accommodation where required. When patients know what help is available, they may be more likely to access it and get the help they need.

Educate Yourself

Over the course of your career, you can’t provide patients with helpful information if you don’t have that information yourself. Educate yourself on the mental health conditions you’re likely to encounter in your line of work and the available resources for those conditions. For example, anyone living with depression and anxiety in Australia can access help through mental health resources like Black Dog Institute, Beyond Blue, and This Way Up, to name a few.

Recommend Counselling

If a patient isn’t already in counselling, you may like to recommend that they do so. You might be able to refer them to receive specific services or provide support and encouragement for them to seek out the services themselves.

Counselling, like psychotherapy, can be effective for people living with mental health challenges. They can learn how to cope with traumatic experiences, navigate relationships, and deal with challenging emotions and behaviours. The skills and tools they learn from one mental health challenge can also often be helpful for a myriad of future challenges.

Explore Medication Options

Many mental health treatment providers explore medication as part of a much larger treatment plan. Talk to patients about various medication options, any potential side effects, and how medication may benefit them as they navigate their mental health challenges. Medication doesn’t have to be a standalone fix for mental illness. It can form part of a more comprehensive plan with counselling, self-care, and family and friend support networks.

Promote Self-Care

Promoting self-care is an excellent way to help patients lay a healthy foundation for improved mental health. By taking care of themselves through everyday actions, they may enjoy positive mental health changes. Talk to patients about self-care activities that are straightforward to participate in every day, such as exercise, getting enough sleep, relaxation techniques, and healthy eating.

Supporting patients with mental health challenges can be integral to their ongoing wellness. These actions are just a few of the many you may like to take to help patients reach their full potential in everyday life.