Behavioral health issues affect one in ten adults over the age of 18. This was according to a CDC report “Morbidity and Mortality” in the October 1st issue. According to the NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health), one in four adults had a diagnosable behavioral health disorder at some point in their life.
However, with the rise in numbers, there isn’t a reciprocal rise in psychiatrists to handle the demand. This result puts an increased demand for behavioral health treatment by primary care physicians. When a primary care physician identifies a behavioral health disorder, they often have limited referral options and resort to medication as an answer.
Understanding Behavioral Health
While a physician is trained at identifying the physical abnormalities of his or her patient, they lack the experience within the psychological realm of general wellbeing. It is estimated that roughly 80% of all physical disease and affliction are psychosomatic. By not treating the root cause of the illness, the associated symptoms could manifest regardless of years of medication.
Many primary care doctors do have a basic understanding of behavioral health issues, and often lack the training to properly assess the problem. In turn, due to ease of access and high returns, psychopharmacology is often used as opposed to psychotherapy or cognitive therapy.
For the patient, this could mean severe side effects, a dramatic impact on their daily life and a high cost associated with these psychiatric medications.
How Early Detection Can Curb the Rise of Behavioral Health Issues
In many cases, early detection and cognitive therapy can rectify behavioral health problems. By implementing the appropriate coping methods, allowing the patient to understand the psychic structure of the issue and how it relates to their own lives, they can work through these issues without the use of medication.
Once a mental disorder has been left untreated, it could develop into something more severe such as acute anxiety disorders, severe depression and can even lead to suicide. Roughly 200 million productive labor hours are lost each years to behavioral health disabilities, which has a significant impact on the economy of the world and the individual suffering from these conditions.
One of the main reasons why people aren’t getting regular behavioral health checkups is due to the stigmas often placed on behavioral health. People dissociate mental health with their general well-being, however if we truly understand how fragile the psychological structure of each individual is, we would surely place a much higher priority on these actions.
Making Behavioral Health Checkups Part of Annual Physicals
Some doctors have taken the step to cater to the general wellbeing of their patients by offering preliminary behavioral health screenings, which allow them to provide a more accurate diagnosis for their patients.
Companies like M3 Information, have created software that implements all the major behavioral health-screening tests in a manner that feels native to the user. Patients simply answer a few questions on a tablet while sitting in the waiting room, which will generate a psychological assessment of their behavioral health state.
The information is provided in a simple and understandable format so that the primary care physician can suggest the appropriate treatment options to the patient.
According to a report from the Center for American Progress, more primary care physicians are treating behavioral health issues. However, only a third are providing adequate diagnosis.
What Doctors Can do to Help
It is blatantly obvious that with an increase of behavioral health issues across the board, that primary care physicians will have to place a stronger emphasis on recognizing and diagnosing behavioral health conditions. Incorporating behavioral health screening tools during primary care checkups can drastically help to identify and treat those suffering from behavioral health conditions. Without systems like this in place, millions will suffer from treatable conditions that could have been recognized by simply offering these screenings.
The issues of behavior health problems aren’t going away and merely prescribing medication to deal with the symptoms is an exercise in futility, and does not adequately address the root cause. We’re reaching a point where healthcare doesn’t just include physical affliction, but also mental health issues which can have devastating effects on patients and society as a whole.
