Behavioral Health Integration: Why We Do What We Do
At the Family Health Clinic we offer behavioral health integration, which means we do not just look at our patients’ physical health, we also monitor their mental health symptoms to ensure we are looking at our patients’ whole health picture.
Why do we do this?
One of the many reasons our nurse practitioners and behavioral health consultants work so closely together is the frequent overlap in symptoms that occur between a mental health diagnosis and a physical health diagnosis, such as fatigue or irritability that can be caused by pain and/or depression. Some of these overlaps occur so frequently, it is difficult to determine if someone’s mental health condition, physical health, or a combination of the two is causing the undesired symptom.
Therefore, our therapists and nurse practitioners often collaborate on your care to ensure the accuracy of your diagnosis and to ensure that we are meeting your medical and mental health needs since a lot of people who experience chronic illness also meet the criteria for a diagnosis of anxiety or depression.
Here are some of the more common medical diagnoses that resemble depression:
- Hypothyroidism occurs when your thyroid gland is underactive. Hypothyroidism and depression share the following symptoms: depressed mood, fatigue, weight gain, trouble concentrating. For more information: https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/when-depression-starts-in-the-neck
- Vitamin D deficiency occurs when you do not get enough vitamin D, either through diet or sun exposure. Vitamin D deficiency and depression share the following symptoms: fatigue, depressed mood. For more information: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamin-d-deficiency-symptoms#section2
- Iron deficiency occurs when you do not ingest enough iron. Iron deficiency and depression share the following symptoms: fatigue, insomnia, poor concentration, irritability. For more information: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201511/heavy-metal-iron-and-the-brain
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it is important to discuss them with your nurse practitioner so they can run tests to determine if these symptoms are caused by an underlying medical condition and help you determine if counseling might help you cope with these symptoms.
