Do you have Mental Health coverage?

Ask this question of your circles of friends and colleagues and you could be surprised at the neglect of this vital health benefit.

Depression, stress and anxiety affect more of us than many people realize. A shocking 1 out of every 10 Americans suffers from one form or the other of Mental Disorder. A study has shown that almost 60% of absenteeism is due to psychological problems. Many of these conditions are eminently treatable but are allowed to aggravate as they are left either without diagnosis or benefits to cover the cost of treatment.

Children most often pay for our errors during open enrollment and some 10 million children suffer from mental ill-health. The condition of the mind affects our physical states as well, so people often see doctors with complaints that have roots in mental health. Mental conditions can provoke alcohol and drug abuse and result in suicide as well.

Medicine recognizes more than 100 different types of mental ill-health. Many of them have subtle beginnings that need expertise to diagnose in time. We may not be in peak mental condition, but tragically ignore the condition until it makes serious inroads in to our lives. Primary Care Physicians are trained to recognize symptoms of mental ill-health, but it is best to have a professional assessment by a Clinical Psychiatrist.

Mental Health Self Assessment Tools are a partial substitute for a professional evaluation by a qualified doctor. Visit http://www.albany.edu/eap/links.html and try the test for depression and some of the others as well. A helpful outcome of trying some of these tests could be a talk with your doctor to seek a GAF (Global Assessment of Functioning) score by a Psychiatrist that could keep you on the highway to Mental Health.