In May, may you be aware of these health issues, Pt. 1

With 12 months in a year, it can be difficult to keep up with the numerous causes that monthly awareness campaigns bring forward. Awareness causes, however, provide crucial opportunities for communities to become informed and take steps that might save lives.

The month of May boasts various awareness campaigns. This is one of two posts that will outline one of just a couple of health conditions that threaten the quality of life of so many people in New York and beyond. Let’s discuss mental health awareness.

The National Alliance of Mental Illness warns that mental illness can be hard to identify and, therefore, to diagnose. Medical care providers might not initiate conversations about mental health conditions unless a patient brings up their concerns. The following are some symptoms that should prompt an important conversation with a doctor:

Consistent, overwhelming fear, worry or anxiety
Consistent sense of sadness
Consistent sense of anger or irritability
Problem relating to people
Lack of interest in activities you used to enjoy
Difficulty completing daily tasks
Suicidal thoughts

Someone who is experiencing any or some of the above symptoms should not be afraid or ashamed to discuss how they are feeling with a doctor or other health care provider. If a doctor notices or is made aware of these symptoms within a patient, he or she should dig deeper and help develop a treatment plan that could improve the patient’s mental health.

A proper treatment plan might or might not include prescription drugs. While medication could help some patients, all patients benefit from prescriptions only when they are given the right drug and the correct dosage. Medical providers play an integral role in protecting patients from the injuries sustained because of medication errors. Someone who believes they’ve needlessly suffered injury or illness because of a medication mistake should discuss their situation with a lawyer experienced in medical malpractice.