Advice on Helping Your Loved Ones, from the medical director of the country's largest state mental health system and the mental health editor of The Huffington Post More than fifty million people a year are diagnosed with some form of mental illness. It spares no sex, race, age, ethnicity, or income level. And left untreated, mental disorders can devastate our families and communities. Family members and friends are often the first to realize when someone has a problem, but it is hard to know how to help or where to turn. Our mental health “system” can feel like a bewildering and frustrating maze. How can you tell that someone has a mental illness? What are the first and best steps for you to take? Where do you go to find the right care? The Family Guide to Mental Health Care is the first comprehensive print resource for the millions of people who have loved ones suffering from some kind of mental illness. In this book, families can find the answers to their most urgent questions. What medications are helpful and are some as dangerous as I think? Is there a way to navigate privacy laws so I can discuss my adult daughter’s treatment with her doctor? Is my teenager experiencing typical adolescent distress or an illness? From understanding depression, bipolar illness and anxiety to eating and traumatic disorders, schizophrenia, and much more, readers will learn what to do and how to help. Real-life scenarios and authoritative information are written in a compassionate, reader-friendly way, including checklists to bring to a doctor’s appointment so you can ask the right questions. For readers who fear they will never see the light at the end of the tunnel, this book gives hope and a path forward. As one of the nation’s leading voices on quality care in mental health, Dr. Lloyd Sederer has played a singular role in advancing services for those with mental illness. Now, the wealth of his expertise and clear guidance is at your disposal. From the first signs of a problem to sorting through the variety of treatment options, you and your family will be able to walk into a doctor’s office know what to do and what to ask.

A unique consumer resource for understanding mental health treatment With over 250 models of counseling and psychotherapy currently used to treat emotional problems and serious mental illness, figuring out where to look for the right services can be a daunting task. A Consumer’s Guide to Mental Health Services offers pragmatic solutions for those considering or already beginning treatment. It helps you to make important decisions regarding whether seeing a psychiatrist, a social worker, a counselor, or a psychologist is best for your particular needs. It also explores health insurance and coverage of treatment as well as how long it may take for you to begin feeling like yourself again. This valuable text looks at the intricacies of the mental health care system and provides a helpful summary that is both accessible and useful. If you’ve ever tried to find help for a major life transition, depression, or anxiety and have been overwhelmed by the options for mental health treatment, you are not alone. A Consumer’s Guide to Mental Health Services is a unique text that breaks down the vast array of service options with a critical eye so consumers can get the vital information they need in a straightforward and accessible way. This comprehensive text even includes a Questions to Ask section that will help you find the right clinician to fit your exact needs. Some of the topics A Consumer’s Guide to Mental Health Services covers in detail are: causes of mental health problems the three main models of mental health how clinicians who use the different models view mental health types of providers available and the different services they offer talk therapies and medications ethical codes of all professions consumers’ rights the insurance industry, its history and current role matching treatment to the problem alternatives to therapy and much more! A Consumer’s Guide to Mental Health Services is a valuable and practical resource for anyone considering or beginning mental health treatment or their family and friends. It is also a useful addition for educators or students working through introductory courses in all of the major mental health fields.

Self-help materials have become a prime source of psychological advice for millions of Americans. While many self-help resources provide high-quality information and support, others may be misleading, inaccurate, or even harmful. This indispensable volume reveals which are the good ones, which are the bad ones, and why. Based on the results of 5 national studies involving over 2,500 mental health professionals, the book reviews and rates 600+ self-help books, autobiographies, and popular films. In addition, hundreds of helpful Internet sites are described and evaluated by a clinical psychologist, and valuable listings are provided of national and online support groups. The concluding chapter presents practical guidelines for selecting an effective self-help resource. Addressing 28 of the most prevalent clinical disorders and life challenges--from ADHD, Alzheimer's, and anxiety disorders, to marital problems and mood disorders, to weight management and women's issues--this timely book will be tremendously useful to consumers and professionals alike.

A unique consumer resource for understanding mental health treatment With over 250 models of counseling and psychotherapy currently used to treat emotional problems and serious mental illness, figuring out where to look for the right services can be a daunting task. A Consumer’s Guide to Mental Health Services offers pragmatic solutions for those considering or already beginning treatment. It helps you to make important decisions regarding whether seeing a psychiatrist, a social worker, a counselor, or a psychologist is best for your particular needs. It also explores health insurance and coverage of treatment as well as how long it may take for you to begin feeling like yourself again. This valuable text looks at the intricacies of the mental health care system and provides a helpful summary that is both accessible and useful. If you’ve ever tried to find help for a major life transition, depression, or anxiety and have been overwhelmed by the options for mental health treatment, you are not alone. A Consumer’s Guide to Mental Health Services is a unique text that breaks down the vast array of service options with a critical eye so consumers can get the vital information they need in a straightforward and accessible way. This comprehensive text even includes a “Questions to Ask” section that will help you find the right clinician to fit your exact needs. Some of the topics A Consumer’s Guide to Mental Health Services covers in detail are: causes of mental health problems the three main models of mental health how clinicians who use the different models view mental health types of providers available and the different services they offer talk therapies and medications ethical codes of all professions consumers’ rights the insurance industry, its history and current role matching treatment to the problem alternatives to therapy and much more! A Consumer’s Guide to Mental Health Services is a valuable and practical resource for anyone considering or beginning mental health treatment or their family and friends. It is also a useful addition for educators or students working through introductory courses in all of the major mental health fields.

Focuses on a shift away from traditional clinical preoccupations towards new priorities of supporting the patient.