The stress of being diagnosed with a mental illness can make it hard to assess your situation in person, let alone from a distance. Finding the right treatment for your condition is not easy, and whether your insurance covers it can also be a challenge.
The good news is that there are many treatments that are now widely recognized as being effective and affordable. Not all of these treatments are cheap, but some are also free or at a low cost. All of them can improve your daily life and give you confidence that there is a brighter future ahead. Here’s the lowdown on three of the biggest ones:
- Cognitive Behavior Therapy
Cognitive behavior therapy, or CBT for short, is the most widely practiced psychotherapy in the world. It’s been shown to help people with depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other mental illnesses. CBT is based on the idea that mental illness is caused by problems with thoughts, feelings, and behavior, and that changing these thoughts and behaviors will naturally reduce the effects on your mood and the other symptoms.
CBT does this by teaching you how to recognize your own thoughts and feelings, and how to modify them to become less upsetting to you and others. The goal is to teach you to make better decisions about your life, and to develop coping strategies to live better, and happier, lives. It can be the best online therapy services even for people who are not suffering from a mental illness.
There are many different types of CBT, but the most commonly used ones involve awareness training, problem-solving, and the skills needed to identify and address unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. For example, if you have thoughts or feelings about being overweight, you might be taught to challenge these thoughts and feelings and replace them with healthier ones.
- Diet and Nutrition
If you suspect that your mental illness is caused or exacerbated by poor nutrition, you should seek advice from a doctor or dietitian as soon as possible. Your doctor may be able to help you identify potential food triggers, and refer you to a specialist for further testing.
Most dietitians are also qualified to do psychiatric assessments. If you find that the food you eat triggers depressive or anxiety-like symptoms, then there are many options to help you learn how to change your diet. Dietitians may teach you how to avoid common food triggers and will often offer you recommendations for healthy, nutritious foods.