Key Takeaways
Behavioral health encompasses mental health disorders, habits, and general well-being.
Behavioral healthcare services most commonly provided include counseling, community health centers, addiction treatment programs, and various therapies, such as ACT and CBT.
Behavioral health, though not always visible like a physical injury, is just as significant a part of our overall health. Understanding this and focusing on our well-being empowers us to take control of our health, ensuring a more balanced and fulfilling life.
Following, you’ll learn about the importance of behavioral health care and services and how medical sciences currently rely on them to support people with different behavioral health conditions on their healing journey.
What is Behavioral Health?
Behavioral health is often used interchangeably with mental health. However, behavioral health covers a wider range of topics than mental health. This area of health can be described as a spectrum covering one’s mental, emotional, and social well-being. It includes different emotions and behaviors that affect one’s thoughts, feelings, and actions and reflect one’s lifestyle.
Karl Benzio, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist, quotes:
“We came up with the term behavioral health to be this big umbrella over addictions. All the mental health, psychological, psychiatric, all those things that were in that space we now call behavioral health. And that also encompasses behaviors like exercise and eating habits and some things that aren’t illnesses or psychological issues but are healthy behaviors.
Some common behavioral health issues include:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Bipolar Disorder
- Substance Use Disorder (SUB)
- Stress
- Eating Disorders
- Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Personality Disorders
Importance of Behavioral Health Services:
Just as with physical health conditions, timely treatment is crucial for behavioral health issues. Neglecting to address these issues can have serious consequences, potentially leading to isolation, physical health problems, and even thoughts of suicide. This underscores the importance of seeking the right treatment at the right time for your behavioral health issue to prevent further complications.
For example, untreated clinical depression or stress can make you feel isolated, develop other physical conditions like headaches and stomachaches, and even cause feelings of suicide.
Behavioral healthcare services will assist you with your behavioral health issue or condition. For example, if you have PTSD, then your treatment will include going to a specific psychologist. And if you have a substance abuse disorder, you might join an addiction group with similar problems, among other interventions.
Thankfully, the world has witnessed a surge in diverse services, catering to the needs of patients from all walks of life. These popular behavioral health services are designed to address the mind, behavior, and overall holistic health, ensuring that everyone, regardless of their challenges, can find the support they need.
Behavioral Healthcare Services
After understanding the critical need for behavioral health services today, now comes the time to look at the range of healthcare services and treatments that will help manage and improve your condition. Some important behavioral healthcare services include:
1. Psychiatrists
A psychiatrist will concentrate on the biological aspects of your behavioral health condition. They are trained to diagnose your state using psychotherapy. If required, the medical professionals can even provide you with prescribed medication(s) to help heal.
2. Psychologists
Psychologists use talk therapy to help you manage your mental health condition. After conducting a psychological assessment(s) based on your symptoms to diagnose which condition or disorder you are suffering from, they will offer therapy to address the patient’s state. Behavioural Health Measures (BHM) is a screening tool used to check a patient’s status.
3. Professional Counselors
Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) are specialists who will help understand your behavioral pattern and then focus on an area like eating disorders. LPCs typically do provide a formal diagnosis or prescribe medicines. Today, you can find counselors alongside your primary care treatment through a collaborative care model.
A study on the integration of behavioral health services and primary care in community health centers found positive results, but the most challenging barriers encountered were difficulty recruiting and retaining behavioral health professionals and substandard payment.
4. Social Workers
Social workers in behavioral healthcare will work on different areas to make the patient’s journey as smooth and helpful as possible. They handle the administrative tasks for different programs and institutions, suggest therapies according to your condition in your area, and more.
Apart from these healthcare professionals, here are some other ways that they can help with your behavioral health issue:
1. Community-Based Services
You can find and join different outreach programs around your area’s community centers. These programs provide mutual support and various resources, and they can even suggest some coping mechanisms that can help you with your condition.
2. Telehealth
Telehealth is a treatment form that occurs through therapy sessions. It is done online with your therapist. Research from 2022 shows that patients can choose the option of telehealth for easier counseling. Combining physical therapy and online methods has positively affected patients’ health.
3. Addiction Treatment
If you are suffering from addiction or substance use disorder (SUD), then treatments like detoxification and relapse prevention strategies will help you overcome them. These programs and services aim to address your issues safely and securely.
4. Rehabilitation Services
Rehabilitation services cover different programs and services like dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), day treatment plans, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and more that help you manage and overcome your behavioral health challenges.
5. Holistic Approaches
Mindfulness activities that focus on calming your mind, like attending art therapy, yoga, and play therapy for children, can support your overall well-being by making you feel relaxed.
Conclusion
Behavioral health, with its profound influence on our thoughts and reactions, demands our attention. Fortunately, behavioral healthcare and services stand ready to assist, offering a wide range of treatments and support systems. These resources can alleviate your symptoms, providing a sense of relief and comfort, and making your journey to improved well-being smoother.
