How do doctors treat mental illness?
The main treatments include:
Medicines
Talk therapy (psychotherapy or counseling)
For most mental health disorders, a combination of medicine and talk therapy is more effective than either one by itself.
Other treatments include:
Transcranial magnet stimulation (putting magnets on the head to stimulate your brain)
What medicines are used for mental illness?
Doctors use many different medicines to treat mental health disorders. Types of medicines used include:
Antidepressant medicine, such as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)
Antianxiety medicine
Antipsychotic medicine
Mood stabilizers
What is psychotherapy?
In psychotherapy, sometimes called talk therapy, doctors and counselors talk with you about your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. They try not to tell you what to think or do. Instead, they try to help you understand yourself and figure out better ways to deal with stresses and life problems. Individual therapy involves one person working with one therapist. Therapists may also offer group therapy, family therapy, or couples therapy.
Therapists usually use different techniques depending on the problem. Some therapy types include:
Behavioral therapy
Cognitive therapy
Interpersonal therapy
Psychoanalysis
Psychodynamic psychotherapy
Supportive psychotherapy
What is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)?
In electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), doctors give your brain an electrical shock while you're under anesthesia.
ECT has consistently been shown to be effective for severe depression
Sometimes you have memory loss that lasts a short time
Regardless of how ECT seems in the media, ECT is safe and effective.
What types of doctors treat mental illness?
Many types of health care providers treat mental illness, and you may be cared for by a team of providers, including:
Psychiatrist (medical doctor who specializes in mental health and can prescribe medicine)
Psychologist (mental health care practitioner who does therapy)
Nurse
Social worker
Primary care doctor (can also prescribe medicine)
