Medications can play an important part of a treatment plan. Medicines are usually more effective when combined with psychotherapy. In some cases, medication can reduce symptoms so that other methods of a treatment plan can be more effective. For example, a medication may alleviate some significant symptoms of major depression and then talk therapy can help you change negative patterns of thinking.

More information: http://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Treatment/Mental-Health-Medications

Mental health crisis response services are a vital part of any mental health service system. A well-designed crisis response system can provide backup to community providers, perform outreach by connecting first-time users to appropriate services and improve community relations by providing reassurance that the person’s needs are met in a mental health crisis.

More information: http://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Treatment/Getting-Treatment-During-a-Crisis

Psychosocial treatments include different types of psychotherapy and social and vocational training, and aim to provide support, education and guidance to people with mental illness and their families. Psychosocial treatments are an effective way to improve the quality of life for individuals with mental illness and their families. They can lead to fewer hospitalizations and less difficulties at home, at school and at work.

More information: http://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Treatment/Psychosocial-Treatments

Traditional medical and therapeutic methods have improved over the years, but often they do not completely lessen or eliminate symptoms of mental illness. As a result, many people use complementary and alternative methods to help with recovery. These non-traditional treatments can be helpful but is important to remember that, unlike prescription medications, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not review or approve most of them.

More information: http://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Treatment/Complementary-Health-Approaches

When treatments such as medication and therapy aren’t able to relieve the symptoms of depression or another mental health condition, there are other options available. A psychiatrist might suggest electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) or other forms of brain stimulation. Brain stimulation therapies involve stimulating or touching the brain directly with electricity, magnets or implants.

More information: http://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Treatment/ECT,-TMS-and-Other-Brain-Stimulation-Therapies

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma. EMDR is a set of standardized protocols that incorporates elements from many different treatment approaches. To date, EMDR therapy has helped millions of people of all ages relieve many types of psychological stress.

More information: http://www.emdr.com/

Find a Clinician Near You: http://www.emdr.com/find-a-clinician/

Cottonwood: Cottonwood is a residential treatment community for adolescents who may struggle with impulse control disorders, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, mental health disorders, behavioral problems, learning disabilities and developmental delays, and family discord. The programs and services are designed to consider the needs of both the resident and the resident’s family. This family central care philosophy is reflective of Cottonwood’s belief that the needs of the family are integral to and associated with the needs of the resident. Empower individuals with viable tools and the opportunity for change, using individualized, state-of-the-art therapeutic processes, to help them return to their communities as productive, contributing members to live happy, fulfilled lives.

More information: http://cottonwoodtreatment.com/

Paradigm Malibu: Paradigm Malibu’s teen mental health treatments are based on a holistic approach and implements a combination of the best traditional and experimental approaches in therapy, in both individual and group settings. Before being admitted to paradigm, every teen undergoes a thorough psychiatric evaluation, which our team of therapists and other mental health care professionals use, when designing the teen’s individual treatment plan. Each treatment plan is carefully constructed, with a primary goal of providing individualized treatment, according to each teen’s specific condition, symptoms, experiences, and interests. Along these lines, it’s worth noting that at paradigm, we approach therapy according to teens’ strengths and other positive attributes, as opposed to their mental illness and symptoms. This is one way in which we provide therapy that is thorough and precise to the individual, in striving to help teens toward a real and long-lasting recovery. We feel uniquely qualified to provide such individualized care, because of the vast number of types of therapy we’re able to offer, provided by our team of therapists and specialists, dedicated to the well-being of adolescents.

More information: http://paradigmmalibu.com/