Transcription:

Prakash Chandran (Host): Did you know that one in five adults in the US experiences mental illness in a given year? I’m Prakash Chandran and in this episode of Magnolia Matters Healthcast, we’ll be discussing behavioral health and the variety of mental wellbeing services offered at Magnolia. Here with us to discuss is Jade Hatcher, the Community Education Manager at Magnolia Behavioral Health. Pleasure to have you here Jade. Now, behavioral health can mean so many different things to different people. But maybe tell us a little bit about what you specifically do at Magnolia Behavioral Health.

Jade Hatcher (Guest): At Magnolia Behavioral Health we specialize in the treatment of psychiatric illnesses.

Host: Okay, psychiatric illnesses. That’s hard for me to wrap my head around, so maybe talk a little bit more about what a psychiatric illness is.

Jade: Psychiatric patients usually exhibit symptoms that would cause them to have to come into the hospital for treatment. Some of those symptoms that you are going to see with a patient is suicidal or homicidal thoughts or actions, they may have hallucinations. They may be experiencing psychosis. Those are just a few of the symptoms that you are going to see with those patients.

Host: I was actually just having coffee with a friend this morning and he was telling me that his dad is experiencing some of these things. So, one of the things that I was wondering as he was speaking was is this something that the patient themselves would check themselves into or is this something that the family kind of recognizes as a problem and then contacts someone at Magnolia Behavioral?

Jade: It can be both. We have had patients who come into the hospital themselves because they know that they are becoming sick and they are having those hallucinations, or they feel suicidal. But then sometimes, there are patients who can’t really see their behaviors and so, they would need a family member to bring them into the hospital. We accept patients both ways. Someone can come themselves or they could be referred by a doctor or a family member or friend.

Host: I imagine if they bring themselves that it’s relatively straightforward, but if a family member notices a loved one going through this; what do you recommend the best way that they go about is? Because I’m assuming there is some sort of process that they have to go through to check in a loved one, right?

Jade: Yes. First thing is you want to make sure that the patient is safe. You don’t want them to do anything to try to harm themselves or try to harm someone else. So, safety is first. But what you would want to do initially, is bring the patient to the emergency room and then the emergency room will consult our Behavioral Health Unit and we will do an assessment and then our doctor will decide whether or not that patient needs to be admitted for inpatient treatment.

Host: Okay, that’s really helpful. So, for those of you listening out there with a loved one that might be going through this, the best thing to do is to first go to the emergency room and then the doctor can decide to move the patient over to the Behavioral Health Unit if it’s necessary. So, I want to talk a little bit about the services that you offer at Magnolia to combat this psychiatric illness. Like what are some of the things that you do to help these people out?

Jade: Well we have two different programs on our behavioral health unit. We have an adult treatment program that treats men and women ages 18 and older. And then we also have a senior care unit that treats elderly patients ages 65 and older who suffer from dementia or psychiatric illnesses. Both of our programs offer patients individualized treatment using different types of treatment methods such as medication management, individual therapy, group therapy, art and activity therapy. We also provide our patients with education on coping skills, daily living skills, relationships and boundaries. And we also educate our patients on their mental health disorder and their medications.

Host: Yes, so it’s good to hear about the comprehensive list of things that you offer, but one of the things I wanted to focus on a little bit is it said that you had maybe a unit there for the elderly and then some for younger patients. I kind of want to dig into that a little bit more. Why is that separation needed?

Jade: Well, the main difference in the two units is our age population. Like I said, the adult unit is for ages 18 and older and then the senior care unit is for ages 65 and older. You wouldn’t want to put an 85-year-old dementia patient in a group therapy session with a 20-year-old drug addict. The milieus are just different, and they have different needs and so, that’s the main reason why we separate those populations of patients.

Host: Yeah, that completely makes a lot of sense and I know that probably for the elderly population; dementia is probably something that’s quite common and you want them to be surrounded by the people that are going through the same things as them. I’m sure that you often see being in a group together, trying to tackle some of the illnesses that your patients share; that does help with recovering, doesn’t it?

Jade: It does, yes.

Host: Okay, so, let’s talk about like some of the most common behaviors that you see someone exhibiting when they come to Magnolia. Tell me about some of the most common things that you treat in your unit.

Jade: Do you want me to talk about with the senior care unit, those kinds of patients?

Host: Sure. Why don’t we talk about yeah, the senior care first and then I’d love to hear a little bit about kind of the 18 and over as well. I think the audience would equally be interested in hearing both.

Jade: Okay. Well patients who have dementia experience psychological changes. Some of those changes are going to be changes in their personality, depression, anxiety, inappropriate behaviors, paranoia, agitation and hallucinations. These patients can sometimes be difficult to care for at home by family members and we are able to treat a lot of those symptoms with medications and other types of therapy.

Host: Okay and how about for the younger population? What are some of the most common things that you are seeing people come in for?

Jade: Most of our adult patients are having suicidal and homicidal thoughts or feelings. We see a lot of drug issues, drug and alcohol issues and with the drug use; you are going to see a lot of psychoses and hallucinations and things like that. Drugs tend to make them more suicidal or homicidal than they would be if they were sober.

Host: So, if someone is listening to this, that is either having some of those thoughts or has a loved one that’s having some of those thoughts; what are some of the best things – or best pieces of advice that you can give them to help them number one, try and cope with this, but maybe even help prepare them for going into a system like Magnolia Behavioral Health?

Jade: My main piece of advice would be to get treatment. Many patients are skeptical about treatment for lots of different reasons, but it’s very important to seek treatment because it can get better. People think when they are in that mindset that they can’t get better, things won’t get better and that’s not true. If they get on the right kinds of medications and they get into therapy and counseling and things like that; there is an end of that tunnel and a bright side.

Host: I think that’s really good that you mentioned that, that there is a path and there is a way out. Because so many of these people think that they are siloed suffering alone in silence and the reality is, Jade, that you deal with this day in and day out, you see the same types of people come in and you are able through treatment, to give them a better life. Isn’t that correct?

Jade: Absolutely, yes. Lot’s of people fell like they are the only ones who are going through this and having these feelings and that’s not true. There are many people out there who are having the same thoughts and feelings and so it’s very important to keep that in mind, that you are not the only one. No one is an island. Everyone has problems and the best thing to do is to get help for it.

Host: Yeah, thank you for that advice Jade. Before we wrap up here, I just wanted to ask you is there anything else that you’d like our audience to know about Magnolia Behavioral Health or getting treatment with Magnolia Behavioral Health?

Jade: I guess I would just like to let everyone know that Magnolia Behavioral Health is located inside Magnolia Regional Health Center and we are in a newly renovated, state-of-the-art facility. All of our patients receive the very best care in a comfortable and safe environment. Our patients also receive medical care if needed by Magnolia Regional Health Center’s medical team and all of our senior care patients are followed by our medical team for the duration of their stay with us.

Host: That’s extremely reassuring to hear that it’s a wonderful, clean state-of-the-art environment and that the level of care is the utmost highest. So, thank you so much for your time today, Jade. This has been extremely informative. Now for more information, please visit www.mrhc.org and go to search the Magnolia Behavioral Health section of the website. My guest today has been Jade Hatcher. I’m Prakash Chandran. Thanks so much for listening.