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Lesson One - Possible Treatments for Mental Health Conditions

Site: MoodleHUB.ca 🍁
Course: Mental Health & Wellness [1 cr] - AB Ed copy 1
Book: Lesson One - Possible Treatments for Mental Health Conditions
Printed by: Guest user
Date: Sunday, 7 September 2025, 6:45 PM

Table of contents

Information


  • This lesson is designed to take approximately 3 hours.
  • You have the following tasks and assignments to complete in this lesson:
    • Read all Lesson 1 content, including videos, supplementary links, etc.
    • Lesson 1 Journal


Lesson Outcomes

  • Examine medical and integrative health treatments that are available for mental health conditions
  • Justify the importance of a multidisciplinary health care team approach to managing and treating a mental health condition

Psychological Interventions


Managing mental health can include combination of methods. One of the main ways to conquer mental illness and uphold mental health for the long-term is through psychological intervention. This is a type of intervention that is usually provided by registered psychologists, psychiatrists, counsellors, or social workers.

It is worth noting that if someone chooses to see a professional, that person needs to feel comfortable discussing personal issues and there needs to be a level of trust. If there is not a connection, another professional should be sought out.

There are many different types of psychological interventions that can be implemented, each one based on certain beliefs of how people overcome challenges, as well as empirical evidence of how well the intervention works. The most common psychotherapies for mental health are related to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which revolves around changing the way a person thinks and acts.

One thing to consider with psychotherapies is that they do not always have to be individual, one–on–one sessions. Oftentimes, there are group therapy sessions available, and hearing that others are experiencing similar feelings or struggles can help to validate experiences and build self-esteem.
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Going in depth with each intervention is beyond the scope of this course; however, if you are interested in reading more about the most popular psychotherapies, go to the APA and Beyond Blue!

Medical Interventions


Medical interventions are most often medications that help people maintain a relative homeostasis with their mental health. There are often risks with taking medications, and these should only be taken when prescribed by a doctor. Medications can be classified into anti-anxiety, anti-depressant, anti-convulsant, stimulants, and more. Medical professionals will know which type to prescribe based on a person’s symptoms, medical history, and possible other medications. Medication does not treat the underlying issues, and are not usually meant to be a long-term solution. Make sure to check out the side effects of antidepressant medication at HelpGuide.

The following images show how increasing the neurotransmitter serotonin helps to maintain mental health.








Click each image to enlarge.
Adaped from William Morrow and Company Inc.


Courtesy of Beyond Blue, www.beyondblue.org.au

Going in depth with each intervention is beyond the scope of this course; however, if you are interested in reading more about the different medical interventions, click here!

Complementary and Lifestyle Interventions


There are some lifestyle changes that can help alleviate the effects of negative mental health or even a mental illness. Some of the main changes a person could make are found on the following tabs:

This can be almost as effective as taking medication. Exercising can increase the release of neurotransmitters, which stimulate the growth of new neurons (this is what medication does). Aim for 30–60 minutes a day of aerobic exercise to see the most benefit.
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A social support network is a group of trusted people that someone feels they can talk to about serious stuff that happens in life. Having this support network helps to stave off feelings of isolation.
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This is for both a healthy mind and body. Consuming balanced meals throughout the day will help a person to maintain energy and minimize mood swings.
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Having good sleep hygiene can help to reduce stress, irritability, moodiness, and fatigue. Aiming for 7–9 hours of sleep per night is a good target.
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Courtesy of Beyond Blue, www.beyondblue.org.au
Courtesy of Beyond Blue, www.beyondblue.org.au

Team-Based Management of Mental Health


Team-based management is a way to approach mental health that emphasizes the use of collaboration between professionals to offer people the best mental health care possible. This approach is client-centered and offers more services than if a person were to see only one professional. This type of care can also be referred to as a collaborative care approach. The Canadian Psychiatric Association defines this type of care as:

“Care that is delivered by providers from different specialties, disciplines, or sectors working together to offer complementary services and mutual support.”

Research has shown that many people who are referred to psychologists or psychiatrists by their family doctor do not actually follow through with the referral. However, with the team-based approach, a person would be seen by their family doctor and if their doctor believed they needed to see a mental health professional, the person could just go down the hall instead of having to wait for the referral. Close physical proximity, as well as increased communication between professionals, is beneficial to the team-based approach.

It has been shown that a team-based approach has been more effective than a non-team-based approach in regards to improving depressive symptoms and having clients follow a treatment plan.
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If you want to read more on the team-based approach, check out this APA article or this write-up from the Canadian Mental Health Commission!