Mental health care does not stop when a person leaves their appointment. Even when a person feels better, psychiatric follow-up care is essential to help them continue feeling that way. Sometimes, it is hard for people to keep feeling good on their own, especially if things in their lives that led to mental health struggles have not changed. Without follow-up care, they may find themselves struggling again. The good news is follow-up care can help a person stay on the path to recovery.
Follow-up care makes it easier to go back to everyday life. It can also help people stick to their treatment plan and lower the chances of relapse or getting off-course.
The specifics of follow-up care will vary based on each individual’s unique needs, but a psychiatric follow-up typically entails:
Talk about how you are doing. We will ask how the person is feeling and how things are going in their life. They will want to understand if anything is getting better or worse, or if new things are concerning.
Check on medication. If you were prescribed medication, we will want to know how they are working. We can help address any problems with the medication, such bad reactions or challenges remembering to take it.
Learn new ways to cope. One of the most important parts of ongoing treatment is learning new ways to cope. During the follow-up care visit, we will help people practice healthy skills to handle life’s difficulties and feel better.
Get more help if needed. There are many different types of help. A follow-up visit is a great time to talk about how treatment is going and learn more about other treatment options if needed.
Learn about resources. Often, when a person is having a hard time with their mental health, it has a lot to do with other things that are not going so well. If a person needs help finding a stable place to live or a job, they can learn about resources at the follow-up care visit.
Get Started, Today
Taking care of mental health is an ongoing effort. It is important to remember that no one has to be on this journey on their own. Going to a psychiatric follow-up visit allows you to continue on the path to healing, with people who care. Free Your Mind Psychiatry is here to help.