Self-Advocate for Your Mental Health: How to Talk to Doctors

• Self-Advocate for Your Mental Health: How to Talk to Doctors
• From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs
• How to Curb Oversensitivity and Anger Due to Low Self-Esteem
• Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans
• Bipolar Disorder Quote

When you have concerns about your mental health, talking with a doctor is an important step in reclaiming your wellbeing. This can be easier said than done. Use these tips for talking to a doctor about your mental health so you can be a strong self-advocate for your quality life.

How to Talk to Your Doctor About Your Mental Health

1. Think differently about stigma. Mental health stigma can prevent people from seeking help. Don’t let the fear of others’ thoughts keep you from doing what is best for you. Remember that stigma arises from misinformation and a lack of understanding. Just because some people are ignorant about mental health doesn’t mean that you should suffer because of it. Reaching out for help can improve your life, and nothing you do or do not do will affect the lives of people who stigmatize.
2. Prepare. Make a list of your mental illness symptoms and what is going well, and take it to the appointment. This will help you and your doctor hone in on what to do.
3. Take notes. Jot down your doctor’s thoughts and suggestions so you can reflect on them later. You don’t have to make any decisions during your brief appointment. Gather information and look up articles about it later so you can decide what does and does not fit you.

Working with a doctor is an important part of your journey toward optimum mental health. By advocating for yourself and communicating, you put yourself in charge of your wellbeing.

Recommended Video

Depression patients could delay treatment because of how they explain their depression symptoms. Watch now to find out what your doctor needs to hear.

Related Articles Dealing with Reaching Out for Help, Talking to Doctors

• How to Talk to Your Doctor About Your Mental Illness
• When Should You Talk to Your Doctor About Anxiety?
• Making Doctors Listen to You
• How to Talk to Your Doctor About Your Medications
• Talking to Your Doctor About Anxiety Medication
• Stigma Makes Mental Illness Feel Like a Confession

Your Thoughts

Today's Question: How do you get the most out of mental health appointments? We invite you to participate by sharing your thoughts, experiences, and knowledge on the HealthyPlace Facebook page.

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Job Opening: Blogger for 'Debunking Addiction' Blog

We're looking for someone who has lived experience with addiction who is willing to share those experiences with site visitors. Check out the Debunking Addiction blog and apply at Mental Health Bloggers Wanted.

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From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs

On all our blogs, your comments and observations are welcomed.

• Accepting Your Anxiety Helps You Deal with It
• Disconnecting from Instagram Reduced My Anxiety
• Is Bipolar Having a Broken Brain?
• Does ADHD Make You Bad with Money?
• Losing Friends Is Normal if You Live with Depression
• I Talk to My Reflection When ED Thoughts Re-Surface
• The Control Aspect of Verbal Abuse
• Let's Talk About Self-Harm in Video Games
• Am I a Bad Person for Setting Boundaries?
• I Felt Alone As My Depression Didn't Look Like the Commercials
• 5 Ways to Survive the First Year After a Breakup
• My Bad Days Reignite the Aftereffects of Verbal Abuse

Feel free to share your thoughts and comments at the bottom of any blog post. And visit the mental health blogs homepage for the latest posts.

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From the HealthyPlace YouTube Channel

Will experiences moments of low self-esteem, which can lead to oversensitivity and quickness to anger. Learn how he works through those moments here. Take a peek.

Subscribe to the HealthyPlace YouTube channel

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Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans

Here are the top 3 mental health articles HealthyPlace Facebook fans are recommending you read:

1. Alcohol Detox and Alcohol Detox Symptoms: What to Expect
2. Causes of Bipolar Disorder
3. Alcohol Abuse Treatment: Treatment for Alcoholism

If you haven't already, I hope you'll like us on Facebook too. There are a lot of wonderful, supportive people there.

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Quote About Bipolar Disorder

“Having bipolar disorder does not mean you are broken, it means you are strong and brave for battling your mind every single day.”

Read more bipolar disorder quotes.

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That's it for now. If you know of anyone who can benefit from this newsletter or the HealthyPlace.com site, I hope you'll pass this onto them. Please share the newsletter on any social network you belong to. For updates throughout the week, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, subscribe to our YouTube channel, or follow us on Instagram.

Thank you,
Deborah

Community Partner Team
HealthyPlace.com - America's Mental Health Channel
"When you're at HealthyPlace.com, you're never alone."
http://www.healthyplace.com