May is Mental Health Awareness Month
By Samantha White
In honor of May being Mental Health Awareness Month, this special edition of TAFP News Now includes resources for both you and your patients.
New hotline launches for clinicians treating maternal mental health
Expanded from the Child Psychiatry Access Network, a pilot of the Perinatal Psychiatry Access Network is now available in select Texas regions. The hotline is aimed at clinicians treating pregnant women and new mothers who may be experiencing mental health distress.
Putting mental health tools in the hands of primary care physicians
After recognizing a discrepancy between mental health needs and primary care’s capacity to manage the need, faculty at the Waco Family Medicine Residency created an online library of free tools to be used for the psychopharmacologic treatment of mental and behavioral health disorders. Learn more from residency faculty member Zach Sartor, MD.
PATIENT RESOURCE: 988 crisis lifeline provides over-the-phone help nationwide
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, 988 launched where people in crisis can receive care 24 hours day, seven days a week. The new 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides free and confidential help to anyone who needs it by calling or texting 988, or through a web chat feature online.
MEMBER VOICES: Mental health care is self-care
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, an important month to destigmatize taking care of your mind as an act of weakness, and rather as an act of self-care. TAFP member Michelle Owens, DO, writes about the importance of taking care of yourself to combat burnout and depression in this Member Voices blog.
Listen to Dr. Aiena's podcast on burnout
TAFP member Lane Aiena, MD, launched his podcast, Doc to the Future, as a way to talk about the issues family physicians face on a daily basis. His latest episodes focus on physician burnout, with another episode on the topic coming out later this week. Give it a listen and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts by searching "Doc to the Future."
Check out the TAFP Behavioral Health Integration Toolkit
Integrating behavioral health services like psychiatry and addiction treatment into primary care clinics improves health outcomes for patients, yet many primary care physicians find it difficult to provide access to these services. TAFP gathered behavioral health experts across specialties to develop a toolkit of various resources for members.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Mental health topics featured at TAFP’s TexFamMed this June
TAFP’s 2023 Texas Family Medicine Symposium will be held June 9 – 11 at the La Cantera Hill Country Resort and Spa, as well as virtually. You can earn up to 18 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ including mental-health-related topics like substance use disorder, eating disorders, intimate partner violence, and more. Register by May 19 and save $100 on general registration.