Frequently Asked Questions
What is a psychiatrist?
A psychiatrist is a medical physician who specializes in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental illnesses, including addiction. Psychiatrists can make a diagnosis and then recommend or provide treatment.
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What is a psychologist?
Psychologists study human behavior and development, psychological problems and other important areas of knowledge about how people think, feel and behave, gaining a broad knowledge about human behavior, and applying that knowledge to help people gain control of their lives.
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What is a psychotherapist?
Psychotherapists use a range of techniques usually revolving around discussion that are designed to explore and improve the mental health of a patient over a series of counseling sessions, or to improve group relationships, such as in a family.
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What are the warning signs of mental illness?
A person with one or more of the following symptoms should be professionally evaluated as soon as possible:
- Marked personality change
- Inability to cope with daily activities
- Strange or grandiose ideas
- Excessive anxieties
- Prolonged depression and apathy
- Marked changes in eating or sleeping patterns
- Extreme highs and lows
- Abuse of alcohol or drugs
- Excessive anger, hostility, or violent behavior
- Thinking or talking about suicide or homicide
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What are eating disorders?
People with eating disorders are generally obsessed with weight and body image. The two main disorders, anorexia nervosa (self-starvation and weight loss) and bulimia nervosa (binging and purging) affect an estimated 10 million women and 1 million men in the United States (according to the National Eating Disorders Association, www.edap.org), and millions more suffer from binge eating, which is similar to bulima but without the compensatory purging.
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What is ADHD?
Researchers are still trying to determine the causes of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, which the National Institute for Mental Health estimates affects as many as 5 percent of children in the United States, or about 2 million children. Children with ADHD may exhibit a range of behavior, from unruly hyperactivity to inattentive daydreaming. Psychologists and psychiatrists are trained to diagnose and treat children with ADHD. Treatment could include medication and therapy.
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What is an addiction?
An addiction can come in many forms – alcohol, drugs, gambling, sex, tobacco. An addiction represents the individual’s relinquishment of free will to satisfy physical and mental cravings for the addictive thing. All addictions are treatable conditions.
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I'm feeling depressed. Can I just take St. John's wort to feel better?
Depression has been called "the common cold of mental health." Everyone feels down sometimes, but clinical depression is an intense and enveloping sense of melancholia that disrupts a person's ability to function. While the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine found St. John's wort may be effective against "mild" depression, a National Institute of Mental Health-funded study suggests the plant is not effective in treating major depression. Medication and psychotherapy are the two major modes of treatment.
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How will I pay for behavioral health services?
Insurance Panels
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