Resources for Psychiatrists

Mental Health America of Franklin County, in collaboration with the Ohio Psychiatric Physicians Association and NAMI Franklin County are pleased to provide this resource package for area psychiatrists. If you already have copies of this information, you can download the most recent updates of each fact sheet below:

• About Antidepressant Medications
• About Antipsychotic Medications
• About Psychiatric Diagnoses
• About Taking Psychiatric Medications
• Bipolar Disorder
• Bipolar Disorder Resources
• Borderline Personality Disorder
• Borderline Personality Disorder Resources
• Depression
• Depression Resources
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Resources
• Panic Disorder
• Panic Disorder Resources
• Schizoaffective Disorder
• Schizophrenia
• Schizophrenia Resources

As you know, the stigma associated with having a mental illness can be a formidable obstacle to regaining health, can discourage people from seeking treatment, and can cause them to withdraw from normal activities, thus increasing the likelihood of future relapse.

Literature has cited many interventions to help reduce or eliminate stigma in society. One intervention is based on the education of the individual with a mental illness, as well as their family members. Education, which has found to be helpful, includes information regarding some of the more common signs and symptoms associated with the particular illness as well as medication to treat the illness; recommended literature to read about the diagnosis; local support groups that are structured specifically for those with a common illness; and information on whom to contact for further assistance in the community.

In an effort to provide patients with this type of valuable information and resources, the Mental Health America of Franklin County (MHAFC), in collaboration with the Ohio Psychiatric Physicians Association and NAMI Franklin County, has developed this easy-to-use binder of information for use by psychiatrists in working with their patients. Information from the binder can be photocopied and provided to patients as needed, depending upon their specific mental illness.

The materials will be helpful in:

• Enabling physicians to provide critical information on specific mental illnesses to their patients in a format that is concise and easy-to-understand;
• Assisting treatment teams by educating family members as well as patients;
• Providing physicians with information on community resources;
• Identifying specific reading materials and resources for additional education;
• Encouraging patients and families to seek out community resources, especially in the area of support groups and educational programs; and
• Helping patients to take charge of their own treatment plans.

We hope you and your patients find this information helpful and welcome your comments, feedback and suggestions for improvements. Should you need more information, please contact Laura Moskow Sigal, Executive Director of MHAFC.