Many mental health disorders require a two-pronged approach to treatment, involving a combination of therapy and medication. Regardless of diagnosis, how adolescents and teens respond to prescriptions is often a process of trial and error. A medication management program is essential to comprehensive mental health treatment. Medication management involves the initial evaluation of the need for medication and ongoing monitoring to ensure the safety and effectiveness of prescribed medications.
Not all adolescents and teens need medication, but you and your adolescent or teen may have questions and concerns when recommended. At Beyond Healthcare, we understand that deciding whether or not to utilize medication is a personal decision that does not come lightly. We take the time to ensure that you have all of the information needed to make an informed choice. Call 833.698.0453 to discuss the benefits of a medication management program.
What Is Medication Management?
Medication management helps ensure that your adolescent or teen receives the best possible outcomes if you decide to utilize medication. The nurse practitioners at Beyond Healthcare are highly knowledgeable about the full spectrum of prescriptions, including benefits, side effects, and drug interactions. They completely understand the nuances of medications, such as the best time to take them and how slight adjustments can significantly impact effectiveness.
Medication management involves:
- Initial evaluation of the adolescent’s needs
- Review of the adolescent’s medical history
- Evaluation of potential interactions with other medications
- Ongoing monitoring of effectiveness
- Adjusting dosages as needed
- Education about all prescribed medications
- Helping ensure that the adolescent uses the medications as prescribed
We know that your involvement in the conversation about potential medications is crucial to your being on board with them. Through our medication management program, you can take ownership in decisions about your adolescent’s treatment, allowing you to feel more empowered and fostering your ability to self-advocate for the needs of your adolescent and family.
The Benefits of Medication Management
Medication for mental health disorders has been dramatically stigmatized, especially for adolescents and teens. Critics of psychotropic medications believe that physicians overmedicate today’s adolescents and teens. At Beyond Healthcare, we understand these concerns and do not make recommendations for medication lightly.
We know that medication can help adolescents and teens in treatment find relief from severe symptoms while they develop coping skills and build tools through therapy. Medication is not looked upon as the only answer to treatment but is one component of a comprehensive treatment plan.
In addition to the significant benefit of symptom relief, medication can:
- Promote stability in a crisis
- Improve ability to focus on therapy
- Address chemical imbalances
- Reduce sleep disturbances
- Improve appetite
- Improve overall quality of life
A medication management program can help your adolescent understand the need for their medications and discover ways to manage potential side effects. Additionally, they will learn how their medications help them tackle the challenges of daily life. Through medication management, your adolescent can also discover that improving life skills and effective coping mechanisms might help reduce their reliance on medications for mental health.
Discover Holistic Mental Health Treatment at Beyond Healthcare
Beyond Healthcare provides a full range of mental health services at our outpatient mental health center for adolescents and teens aged 11 to 17. We understand that children’s mental health and behavioral issues do not exist in a vacuum and provide support services for families, including community connections.
The mental health services we provide include but are not limited to the following:
- Assessment and diagnosis
- Partial hospitalization program (PHP)
- Intensive outpatient program (IOP)
- Youth and adult case management and care coordination
- Day treatment and after-school programs
- Family and adult education and treatment
- Youth, family, and adult individual and group therapy
At our center in Toldeo, Ohio we offer holistic mental health treatment through evidence-based treatment approaches to help your adolescent and family heal. Further, we teach the skills and tools needed to find lasting success on the journey to recovery.
Call Beyond Healthcare Today
To learn more about medication management for mental health and the many other services we offer, contact Beyond Healthcare today. Use our online form or call us at 833.698.0453.
