Adult Psychiatry

Resources

• National Institute of Mental Health information on anxiety disorders
• National Institute of Mental Health information on depression
• Depression and Bi-Polar Support Alliance
• National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
• National Institute of Mental Health publications
• Stress Management
• Obsessive Compulsive Foundation
• ANRED: Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders

Ten Ways to Improve Your State of Mind

Here is a list of 10 simple things you can do to improve your state of mind. Remember that your mind and body are one so you cannot ignore one and expect the other to function well!

1. Move: Our bodies were meant to move and it is well-proven that physical activity of any sort, even very modest exercise leads to longer, healthier lives and decreases depression. Start slow with a safe exercise like walking. Try to make it part of your daily routine. Even 20 minutes a day can make a difference.

2. Eat Right: Don't forget those five servings of fruits and vegetables. Drink enough water. Also if you are on antidepressants, be sure to get adequate amounts of protein. The Health Education Center has lots of information that can help you make your diet healthier.

3. Get Enough Sleep: Many of us try to get by with less than eight hours a night and we are chronically tired as a result. If you are having a lot of problems with sleep consider the sleep class offered by our behavioral health education. Also tell me, sometimes changes in medication can be helpful.

4. Limit Alcohol: As you probably already know, alcohol is a depressant and can work against treatment for behavioral problems. Tell me if you are concerned about your alcohol consumption. Kaiser has great programs that can help.

5. Limit Caffeine: We live in fast times and many of us depend on caffeine to get us through. Anything more than four 8 ounce cups of coffee, or equivalent amounts of caffeine consumed in tea or colas, can lead to real health problems with sleep and anxiety.

6.Think Positive: When we are depressed or stressed we tend to see the world in a negative way. These negative thoughts make us even more sad. Try to be rational and positive in your thinking. It will help you feel better.

7. Connect: Having connections to other beings is a key factor in health. This can mean being connected to family, friends, members of a church, or even a pet.

8. Communicate: The expressions ''having a heart-to-heart talk'' or ''getting it off my chest'' really do mean something. Talk about how you feel to others. If it is difficult to share things with friends or family, let me know. We have skilled therapists and a variety of specialized therapy groups in the clinic that can really make a difference.

9. Indulge Yourself: Believe it or not, pleasure is good for you! Think of things that you enjoy- big or small- and do them. It can be anything from listening to music you love to taking time to walk your dog. You may have to push yourself at first but it will help you heal and stay healthy.

10. Work With Me: Sometimes patients get discouraged and give up if the first medication or treatment does not work for them. Tell me, either in person or via email or phone, there are many effective treatments available. Sometimes we have to try more than one treatment to find the right combination for you. Keep your appointments with me so we can discuss how things are going. If you need to cancel, do it in a timely manner so that someone else can use that appointment.

Mental Health Coverage

Your health plan coverage at Kaiser Permanente includes a mental health benefit. It is important for you to know what this benefit includes so that you may utilize our services to your best advantage. It is also important for you to know what this benefit does not include so that you can plan care accordingly. When you register, you may be asked to pay a co-payment fee based upon your particular coverage. If you have any questions about either fees for your visits or details concerning your coverage, please check with either the psychiatry receptionist or the health plan office. After an initial evaluation, your therapist will recommend one or more of our services if it is felt that such services could be beneficial.

Services Provided

The goal of the Santa Rosa psychiatry department is to enable you to deal more effectively with the difficulties (such as relationships, parenting, work problems, depression, incapacitating fears or panic attacks) that have brought you to treatment. The first step of therapy is to clarify the problems and your particular goals.

In order to accomplish this, we will attempt to see you in a timely fashion and focus upon helping you in a relatively short period of time. The psychiatry department offers a variety of treatments including evaluations, crisis intervention, and short term psychotherapy. Your treatment may consist of individual (child or adult), marital, family or group psychotherapy depending upon your particular problem and the judgment of your therapist. Prescribed medications could be added to any of these therapies indicated.

Please note that only conditions that are subject to improvement through relatively short term therapy are covered. Patients requiring ongoing medication management can be followed for longer periods of time.

Services Not Covered

It is important to clarify what we do not offer, as well as what we do offer.

In general, we do not begin treatment with individuals whose problems are of such a long-standing nature that short term treatment would probably not be helpful (such as chronic mental illness, life long personality problems etc.). We will refer such individuals to an appropriate non-Kaiser facility, although this treatment will not be a Kaiser covered benefit and will not be paid for by Kaiser.

Services provided are for treatment only. We do not evaluate for workers compensation or child custody, provide evidence in legal cases or determine disability for unemployment. We do not provide treatment mandated by a court or as a condition of probation. We do not treat adults who come only because someone else (spouse, parent, employer etc.) told them to come.