Hospital and Physician Update

May – June 2020

Guest column from Kenneth L. Salzman, Ph.D., licensed psychologist
May is Mental Health Month: A good time to practice some extra self-care

May has been observed as Mental Health Awareness Month in the U.S. since 1949. Many organizations, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, spotlight it each year to raise awareness about the importance of mental health and help stop the stigma associated with seeking mental health support. That’s a worthy goal.

But making May a true mental health month can only be accomplished by instituting certain individual behaviors. The past few months have seen a great many changes in people's lives due to the COVID‑19 pandemic, and all change by its very nature is stressful. A pandemic engenders a great deal of fear and a host of uncertainties. This can magnify and complicate existing stresses in a person’s life.

For those of you still treating patients, either in person or via telehealth, you’re venturing into some unfamiliar territory. You may be facing conditions that, while manageable, are very different from your usual mode of practice.

Consider paying closer attention to your own stress levels and increasing the levels of self-care you usually take. Take time during the day, either at work or away from work, to check in on yourself and gauge your own level of stress. Use part of that time to stop, breathe and allow yourself to relax before you resume your usual activities.

These breaks may take less than a minute — and taking such a break every quarter hour is not too often. If practicing some relaxation techniques doesn’t seem to be working for you, consider consulting with one of your behavioral health colleagues, possibly scheduling a telehealth session where you can discuss some of your thoughts and feelings with someone who is specially trained to help you process them. Seeking out professional care doesn’t need to be a long-term effort. Sometimes, even a single such encounter may prove beneficial.

Helping your patients

Your patients are likely to be less adept at managing crisis and change than you are. May is a great time to ask each of them that make an appointment with you how they’re faring, emotionally as well as physically.

You don’t have to suddenly become a psychotherapist for your patients, but you can be a caring presence in their lives and, if necessary, a conduit to your behavioral health colleagues who are trained to help those in mental distress. Anyone who shows signs of elevated or unmanaged stress, including a deliberate unwillingness to talk about theirs, should be referred to a licensed behavioral specialist trained to help people cope with stress, anxiety and depression. Behavioral health specialists include psychologists, social workers, licensed professional counselors and licensed marriage and family therapists. These behavioral health specialists can be used to lighten your load and get your patients the care they need.

I truly hope that the month of May — and every month thereafter — really is a Mental Health Month.

Kenneth L. Salzman is a licensed psychologist in independent private practice in Lansing. He currently serves on the Insurance Committee of the Michigan Psychological Association and has worked with Blue Cross and other health care plans to help facilitate the integration of behavioral services with medical systems.

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