Like most people, you probably do not enjoy going to the doctor only to be referred to a specialist in a different practice. Unfortunately, fragmented care is often the reality among people suffering from common mental illnesses such as depression or anxiety. Wouldn’t it be nice to have both your behavioral and physical health needs addressed at the same time and in the same place?
Comprehensive physical and behavioral health care
In medicine, illnesses of the brain are often treated in specialized settings, separate from the rest of medical care. However, we know that there is a strong link between mental illnesses and numerous medical conditions including heart diseases, lung diseases, immune function, and pain. Mental illnesses can cause or exacerbate physical illnesses, but the reverse is true as well: physical illnesses can result in psychological distress or illness through common pathways such as inflammation. Treating mental illnesses in the primary care setting improves access to mental health care and reduces stigma. Although the burden of mental illnesses in primary care settings is high, many primary care physicians do not feel comfortable managing these conditions alone.
What is collaborative care?
Collaborative care is a team-based model of integrated psychiatric and primary care that can treat mental illnesses in the primary care setting. In our practice, a multidisciplinary “teamlet” of a behavioral health coach, a social worker, and a psychiatrist work together in a coordinated fashion to provide treatment to the patient, and to provide recommendations for the patient’s primary care physician. Treatment is truly patient-centered, and the clinicians often use motivational interviewing to help a patient identify and achieve their behavioral health goals. This model of care is time-limited, generally six sessions every other week for 12 weeks, followed by three monthly maintenance sessions.
Collaborative care helps you meet your goals
Patients may enroll in collaborative care to receive treatment for anxiety or depression, to receive treatment for substance use disorders, or to learn skills to manage stress at work
