The 2017 State of Mental Health in America study shows that 18.29% of adults struggle with a mental health problem, equaling approximately 43.7 million Americans. This statistic is one part of the whole study that is labelled, “Adult Prevalence of Mental Illness – Adults with Any Mental Illness (AMI).” According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, “Any Mental Illness (AMI) is defined as having a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder, other than a developmental or substance use disorder. Any mental illness includes persons who have mild mental illness, moderate mental illness, and serious mental illness.” [i]
Pursuing mental health treatment is an important but sometimes challenging endeavor. Complications surrounding the stigma of mental health issues, lack of mental health professionals, insurance difficulties, and media and internet inaccuracies are just a few of the obstacles one may face in securing and receiving proper mental health treatment.
Another challenge is determining the correct mental health professional to address your need. The worlds of psychiatry and psychology intertwine. Perhaps the most familiar experts are psychiatrists and psychologists. Safe to say that if you do not work in this field or have not visited with one of these specialists, you may not know the difference between the two. In addition, while a psychiatrist and psychologist may be most familiar, there are also mental health counselors, social workers, nurses and nurse practitioners who deal with issues of mental health.
Mental Health Professions
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes in preventing, diagnosing and treating mental illness. He or she can decipher mental health problems from other underlying medical conditions, monitor the effects of mental illness and medicines on other physical conditions, and can write prescriptions.
A psychologist has a doctoral degree in psychology and can evaluate and treat mental and emotional disorders. Psychologists provide counseling and psychotherapy and perform psychological testing and treatment for mental disorders.
In addition to psychiatrists and psychologists, there are other medical professionals who have mental health expertise. A licensed mental health counselor has a master’s degree in psychology, counseling or a related field and can evaluate and treat mental problems through counseling or psychotherapy. A clinical social worker has at least a master’s degree in social work and evaluates and treats mental illnesses, and often provides case management and hospital discharge planning. A psychiatric or mental health nurse can evaluate patients for mental illness and provide psychotherapy, as well as case-management and patient advocacy services.
[i] http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/issues/2017-state-mental-health-america-prevalence-data