I have concerning mental health symptoms.... Now what?
A major part of the Happy Birth Day program is to check mothers' mental health at the time of birth and then one month to two months later. This is done to catch any changes in mental health that include symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. None of these tools are meant to diagnose a mental health condition, but they do give valuable information regarding symptoms and trends.
If you find out that your mental health has changed, and it has changed in a direction that might suggest mental health concerns, you should take the results of your assessments and bring them to your healthcare provider to discuss your results. This can be done at the time of your postpartum visit with your obstetrics provider or with a primary care provider or a psychiatrist.
When you meet with your physician, share your results and answer any questions your provider might have to the best of your ability without sugar-coating anything. Your physician may diagnose you with a mental health condition at that time, or she may send you to a psychiatrist for further evaluation and treatment.
If you have never had mental health concerns in the past, this may seem like an intimidating process. Because of this, some moms appreciate having a support person with them to help advocate for them, take notes, ask questions, and give them the confidence they need to clearly communicate their concerns.
At the time of your visit, your practitioner will likely suggest that you receive counseling from any number of mental healthcare providers such as a: marriage and family therapist, clinical psychologist, clinical social worker, occupational therapist, or professional counselor. Your practitioner may decide to prescribe you medication at this time as well, or they may elect to send you to a psychiatrist to be further assessed. If you are prescribed a medication, make sure you take the prescription as directed. Many mental health medications have to build up in your system to work. So, if you take the medications irregularly, the medicine will be less effective. Also, make sure you attend counseling.
While the medicine may help you to feel better right away, you will need someone watching your mental health closely to make sure you're getting the care you deserve. You'll also benefit from a professional who can help you to be the best version of you for you're own happiness as well as your new baby's. If you find yourself intimidated by the whole process, you can ask a loved one to wait with you for your session or seek out a counselor who specializes in your particular issues--so you can have peace of mind. You may also read online reviews or ask loved ones for recommendations of mental healthcare providers who are culturally competent, kind, and effective.
Remember though, mental healthcare providers have a lot of training and have heard just about everything. There is nothing you could say that would shock them. And most importantly, mental health care providers have to follow HIPPA privacy laws, so your information is safe and confidential. There are only two exceptions to this: if you are a danger to yourself or another person, your counselor is required to break confidentiality to share their concerns. This is why it's so vital to find a mental health practitioner who is culturally competent and understands the culture you come from. It helps to minimize miscommunications and undue worries. Ultimately though, we all want to make sure that we and our children are safe, and therapists save lives every year.
If you're feeling apprehensive, it's perfectly acceptable to attend counseling and only share the amount of information you are comfortable sharing. As your counselor earns your trust, you can share more with time. The most important part of this is that you find your bravery for yourself and your infant by attending counseling. We could all benefit from it, and it changes lives for the better.
