Different types of psychology


Community Mental Health

The community mental heath team are there toby the doctor or other members of the
help those who are suffering from mentalcommunity  health  team.
health problems. The first port of call for
anyone who thinks that they are sufferingThe  Key  Worker
from some kind of mental health problem is
your doctor who will be able to recommend thePeople suffering from mental health problems
right  sort  of  help.will usually be assigned a key worker, which
can be anyone in the community mental health
The community mental health team consists ofteam. The main responsibility of the key
a number of professionals who are trained inworker is to make sure that the individual is
their specific areas and can includegetting all the help he or she needs. They
psychiatrists, psychologists, occupationalwill regularly assess the progress of an
therapists, social workers, and of course theindividual and report back to the rest of the
community psychiatric nurse or CPN. Someteam.
specific problems or issues that can arise in
addition to existing mental health problemsCommunity  Psychiatric  Nurse  or  CPN
or which can exacerbate or trigger mental
health problems and which might need extraThe key worker will often be a CPN who will
consideration  include:usually make regular visits to people with
mental health problems in their own homes.
-  Financial  problemsThey offer an important lifeline for people
who are feeling isolated and alone with their
-  Physical  disabilitiesmental health problems or who are
experiencing particular difficulties. They
-  Housing  issuesare aware of the many issues surrounding
mental health and can listen as well as help
-  Divorce  or  relationship  problemspeople talk through their problems in a
setting  in  which  they  feel  comfortable.
-  Childcare  issues
The CPN will liaise with and work closely
Certain kinds of mental health problems maywith other members of the team to make sure
result in different needs and may thereforethat any practical support and assistance is
require some specialist help to deal with andoffered when needed. They will assess the
these  can  include:individual regularly and will discuss with
them the effectiveness of their medication
-  Elderly  depression  and  dementiaand any side effects they might be
experiencing. The family and loved ones of a
-  Child  or  Teen  depressionperson suffering from mental health problems
often need additional support in order to
-  Postnatal  depressionunderstand mental illness and to be able to
cope with it, the CPN can offer practical
-  Bipolar  disorderadvice  and  guidance.
-  SchizophreniaOccupational  Therapists
Obviously, finding one person fully qualifiedOccupational therapists help individuals to
and skilled in all of these areas just isn'tcope with practical issues on a day to day
possible so the community mental health teambasis in areas such as dressing, toileting
work together in order to ensure that theand feeding themselves and can help
best advice and support is available as manyindividuals regain some control of their
of the professionals involved will be trainedlives.
in specialist areas that allow them to offer
a better service to people suffering fromSocial  workers
specific problems. So what sort of people
make  up  the  mental  health  team?Social workers can ensure that an individual
gets access to various social services that
Psychiatristwill improve their quality of life and that
they may be entitled to such as home help,
Patients can be referred to a psychiatrist byrespite care and perhaps admission to day or
their doctor. After an initial assessment,residential centres. They can also offer
the psychiatrist will recommend a suitableassistance in dealing with housing needs,
course of treatment and medication. If afinancial difficulties or other social
mental health problem is particularly severeproblems.
then they are also able to recommend that the
individual be detained in hospital for aThe  best  care
period of time. However, this is a last
resort and also requires the approval ofMany other people can be involved in the
another doctor and a social worker who allcommunity mental health team including
agree that this is the best option for anvarious support workers, therapists,
individual concerned either for thecounsellors, and of course loved ones.
individual's safety or for the safety ofTogether they all make sure that the
others.individual suffering from mental illness gets
the best care possible. Each team member can
Psychologistmake a valuable contribution to the
individual's quality of life and can help
Psychologists have an understanding of humanthem not only to cope with their illness on a
behaviour, emotions and how the mind worksday to day basis but to regain control over
and although they cannot prescribe medicationtheir lives and integrate with the rest of
they can offer various types of psychologicalthe community in a positive and productive
therapies. Patients can be referred to themway.



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