<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In many situations, there have always been two approaches to health.&nbsp; Physical and mental.&nbsp; This also means that the approach to each is unique and that they can not be mixed together -- or so many thought.&nbsp; Recent study into the potential for the medical recovery model for mental health may lead to other conclusions, however.</p> <p><strong>What is the medical recovery model?</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The medical recovery model is essentially what you see with someone who is physically ill.&nbsp; Through a series of diagnostics, a patient is diagnosed with an illness and then given certain tasks and medications to help them recover.&nbsp; This is done through following a series of steps at proper intervals with regular doctor consultation to monitor progress.&nbsp; They will adjust both of these approaches as needed throughout the process.&nbsp; Once completed, the doctor will determine that the patient is healed and that they are ready to return to life with no need for further treatment or consultation.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This is a classic approach that we have all seen within the world of physical medicine and it has much success in the short-term and long-term for patients of all ages and illnesses, assuming the instructions are followed properly as directed.</p> <p><strong>How does it differ from classic mental health approaches?</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The process starts out the same.&nbsp; Diagnostics will match a mental illness to a patient and that patient will be matched with a specialist.&nbsp; The specialist will learn where the patient struggles the most and prescribe treatment that is designed to help with those problem areas.&nbsp; The patient is expected to follow the treatment plan.</p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This is where the results differ, though.&nbsp; Mental health patients can heal and return to their daily life as before, or they could stop at a certain point and feel as though the treatment is no longer helping them, but hurting them instead.&nbsp; The path to success with mental health is not quite as clear if a patient does not respond to the classic approaches to dealing with it.</p> <p><strong>Is there a place for a medical approach for mental health support?</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The medical model for mental health support and treatment can be effective when implemented properly.&nbsp; The key, of course, is in implementing it in the correct way. Some suggestions include:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Having multiple diagnoses for multiple kinds of symptoms:</strong> Not all patients will present with the same kinds of symptoms.&nbsp; Having different kinds of processes that ensure the proper diagnoses will help each patient to get the right approach to their treatment.</li> </ul> <ul> <li><strong>Having multiple pathways to success for those who need unique approaches:</strong> The treatment pathway will always be a little different for every person who is looking at the idea of short-term or long-term treatment.&nbsp; This will, of course, match better with different levels of mental illness and different kinds of symptoms.</li> </ul> <ul> <li><strong>The idea that recovery takes longer with many ups and downs:</strong> Unlike a physical injury which will often simply recover and that will be that, mental illnesses often tend to come and go, rearing up months after a treatment plan has finished, or even years.&nbsp; Long-term and intensive treatment should be seen as the norm.</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; There is still a long way to go when it comes to applying the medical model of recovery to mental health practice, but it certainly helps a lot when it comes to the idea of seeing recovery as a medical condition.&nbsp; The trick is to put it into operation with the proper focus.</p> <p><strong>Sources</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://web.b.ebscohost.com/abstract?direct=true&amp;profile=ehost&amp;scope=site&amp;authtype=crawler&amp;jrnl=14757192&amp;AN=121016139&amp;h=Ie3Dx9hP3pJDvw6wh0%2bp2oGwW9k5nHWzcvDvPE29U010xKgx57CF7EROX9kv1vKq0eHKD4LxtvHd6GUAswSY1A%3d%3d&amp;crl=c&amp;resultNs=AdminWebAuth&amp;resultLocal=ErrCrlNotAuth&amp;crlhashurl=login.aspx%3fdirect%3dtrue%26profile%3dehost%26scope%3dsite%26authtype%3dcrawler%26jrnl%3d14757192%26AN%3d121016139">https://web.b.ebscohost.com/abstract?direct=true&amp;profile=ehost&amp;scope=site&amp;authtype=crawler&amp;jrnl=14757192&amp;AN=121016139&amp;h=Ie3Dx9hP3pJDvw6wh0%2bp2oGwW9k5nHWzcvDvPE29U010xKgx57CF7EROX9kv1vKq0eHKD4LxtvHd6GUAswSY1A%3d%3d&amp;crl=c&amp;resultNs=AdminWebAuth&amp;resultLocal=ErrCrlNotAuth&amp;crlhashurl=login.aspx%3fdirect%3dtrue%26profile%3dehost%26scope%3dsite%26authtype%3dcrawler%26jrnl%3d14757192%26AN%3d121016139</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4418239/">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4418239/</a></li> </ul>