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Talking to your Primary Care Provider about Mental Health
In this episode Riverside primary care provider, Katie VanHoveln, discusses talking with your primary care provider about mental health.
Featured Speaker:
In addition to her education, Katie is a member of the Illinois Society for Advanced Practice Nursing, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society.
Katie sees patients at the Riverside Watseka Campus, located at 1490 E. Walnut Street in Watseka.
Katie VanHoveIn,NP-C
Board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner, Katie Van Hoveln, NP-C began her nursing education at University of Illinois at Chicago in Urbana, IL with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She then went on to receive her Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner from the University of St. Francis in Joliet, IL. Katie is a board-certified advance practice registered nurse by the Illinois Board of Nursing. She is also a board-certified family nurse practitioner by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.In addition to her education, Katie is a member of the Illinois Society for Advanced Practice Nursing, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society.
Katie sees patients at the Riverside Watseka Campus, located at 1490 E. Walnut Street in Watseka.
Transcription:
Talking to your Primary Care Provider about Mental Health
Intro: Riverside Healthcare puts the health and information you need well within reach.
Helen Dandurand: Welcome back to the Well Within Reach podcast. I'm your host, Helen Dandurand. And today, I'm going to be joined by nurse practitioner, Katie VanHoveIn, family medicine provider at Riverside's Watseka Campus to discuss approaching your primary care provider about mental health.
Riverside myChart: Healthcare can be confusing. But thanks to your myRiverside myChart, you can easily manage not only your care, but your family's as well. With a single click, your myRiverside myChart lets you stay well connected to the same information your provider sees. You can view your health history, get test results, request prescription refills, pay your bill or make an appointment. Manage your care from anywhere, your laptop, phone or tablet. Learn more and enroll today at riversidemychart.org.
Helen Dandurand: And we're back with Katie VanHoveIn. Thank you so much for joining me today. We're glad to have you.
Katie VanHoveIn: Thank you so much for having me.
Helen Dandurand: Yeah. So to start off, can you tell us a little bit more about yourself?
Katie VanHoveIn: Yes. My name is Katie VanHolven, and I work as a primary care provider, family nurse practitioner in the Watseka office of Riverside. I've been a nurse practitioner since 2019, and I work along with Dr. Badwan and Dr. Grewal in the office.
Helen Dandurand: Great. So, what we're chatting about today is talking to your primary care provider about mental health. Why are primary care providers a good first place to turn with mental health issues?
Katie VanHoveIn: So as primary care providers, we do see a wide variety of problems and mental health issues are included in that, and we see them fairly commonly. So, we are apt to be able to handle them. And the other thing is a lot of insurance companies do require a referral if you're wanting to see a psychiatrist or something like that. And so, primary care is a good place to start that process so that you can get a referral to higher level of care if you need it.
Helen Dandurand: Got it. I didn't know that about the insurances. That's good to know. So, how would you recommend a patient prepare to talk about mental health issues at an appointment?
Katie VanHoveIn: I know it can be a very nerve-wracking and vulnerable thing to talk about. I think a good way to prepare is to write things down and keep a journal, especially if you are recognizing the symptoms in yourself. Write things down that way that when you're sitting there in front of your provider and you're wanting to bring up this subject, you don't blank out, which I know can commonly happen. So, writing things down is good. Even sometimes just saying it out loud to yourself when you're alone in the room, you know, in your bedroom or whatever, and just getting it out in the open saying it one time out loud before you get in the room with us, that can just make the comfort level a little bit higher. And then, sometimes bringing a family member or a friend that you trust and are able to talk in front of and bring these problems up in front of, they can just provide that level of comfort for you. And sometimes they can chime in as well if you're feeling especially nervous.
Helen Dandurand: Yeah. That's something I was going to ask actually, just can you bring somebody with you? That's really good to know that you can have someone to support you and you kind of can't back out if somebody's sitting here. But it is easy when you're there and they're like, "So anything else?" And you're like, "Nope. All right. Goodbye."
Katie VanHoveIn: Exactly. Yes.
Helen Dandurand: That's great. We're going to take a quick break to talk about finding a primary care provider.
Riverside knows that health is your greatest asset and that your primary care provider is your partner in health. Find a primary care provider that fits your needs at riversidehealthcare.org/primarycare. All right. Jumping back in, what would you say are some of the most common mental health issues that you see people bring to the table at appointments?
Katie VanHoveIn: The most common are by far feeling depressed and also feeling anxious, so depression and anxiety. We see those on a daily basis. And so, I don't want anyone to feel afraid to bring those to us and feel like that's not something that we haven't seen before.
Helen Dandurand: So, how it does a primary care provider help after a patient has expressed their concern? You mentioned giving a referral. Is that kind of how it goes?
Katie VanHoveIn: So, we will actually start with a little bit of a workup ourselves as a primary care provider. We'll obviously collect a history, speak with you extensively about how you are feeling, what you are feeling, how long you have been feeling this way, how severe your feelings are. And then, we'll perform a physical exam. We might at also do some lab work just to make sure that there's not another cause for your feelings. And once that's complete, sometimes we can talk about starting you on medication, referring you for counseling, if that would be the appropriate next step. And then if we feel like you need that higher level of care, we can refer you to psychiatry.
Helen Dandurand: That's awesome. That's great to know that like those are the steps, this is what happens. I think sometimes you're afraid to say something just because what comes next. You know, what do we do now? So, it's nice to know those are the steps. That's kind of what happens. So, what advice do you have for somebody who may be on the fence about making an appointment and bringing up their concerns?
Katie VanHoveIn: I just want everyone to know that this is something that we are wanting to help people with. We want you to feel comfortable bringing these concerns to us, and it's never too early or too late to bring these concerns. So even if you're feeling a little bit down or a little bit anxious, bringing it up to us is perfectly fine and saying, "I don't necessarily want to do anything about this right now, but I just want you to be aware of it. "And that way, we can kind of continue to check in with you and see if anything is worsening.
And also if you are feeling incredibly down and possibly having scary thoughts or having things that you really need help with, it's never too late to bring those up to us either. We want to help you as primary care providers. We want to get you the help that you need and do anything that we can to make you feel better. And so, anyone should feel comfortable coming to us with these concerns.
Helen Dandurand: It's just really great to know that you have this person in your corner throughout all the seasons of your life to know, you know exactly what's going on and that can help you, a trusted person. So yeah, thank you so much for chatting with me about this today. I hope that this helps someone else.
Katie VanHoveIn: Yes, me too. Thank you so much for having me.
Helen Dandurand: Yeah. And thank you listeners for tuning in to the Well Within Reach podcast, brought to you by Riverside Healthcare. For more information, visit riversidehealthcare.org/primarycare.
Talking to your Primary Care Provider about Mental Health
Intro: Riverside Healthcare puts the health and information you need well within reach.
Helen Dandurand: Welcome back to the Well Within Reach podcast. I'm your host, Helen Dandurand. And today, I'm going to be joined by nurse practitioner, Katie VanHoveIn, family medicine provider at Riverside's Watseka Campus to discuss approaching your primary care provider about mental health.
Riverside myChart: Healthcare can be confusing. But thanks to your myRiverside myChart, you can easily manage not only your care, but your family's as well. With a single click, your myRiverside myChart lets you stay well connected to the same information your provider sees. You can view your health history, get test results, request prescription refills, pay your bill or make an appointment. Manage your care from anywhere, your laptop, phone or tablet. Learn more and enroll today at riversidemychart.org.
Helen Dandurand: And we're back with Katie VanHoveIn. Thank you so much for joining me today. We're glad to have you.
Katie VanHoveIn: Thank you so much for having me.
Helen Dandurand: Yeah. So to start off, can you tell us a little bit more about yourself?
Katie VanHoveIn: Yes. My name is Katie VanHolven, and I work as a primary care provider, family nurse practitioner in the Watseka office of Riverside. I've been a nurse practitioner since 2019, and I work along with Dr. Badwan and Dr. Grewal in the office.
Helen Dandurand: Great. So, what we're chatting about today is talking to your primary care provider about mental health. Why are primary care providers a good first place to turn with mental health issues?
Katie VanHoveIn: So as primary care providers, we do see a wide variety of problems and mental health issues are included in that, and we see them fairly commonly. So, we are apt to be able to handle them. And the other thing is a lot of insurance companies do require a referral if you're wanting to see a psychiatrist or something like that. And so, primary care is a good place to start that process so that you can get a referral to higher level of care if you need it.
Helen Dandurand: Got it. I didn't know that about the insurances. That's good to know. So, how would you recommend a patient prepare to talk about mental health issues at an appointment?
Katie VanHoveIn: I know it can be a very nerve-wracking and vulnerable thing to talk about. I think a good way to prepare is to write things down and keep a journal, especially if you are recognizing the symptoms in yourself. Write things down that way that when you're sitting there in front of your provider and you're wanting to bring up this subject, you don't blank out, which I know can commonly happen. So, writing things down is good. Even sometimes just saying it out loud to yourself when you're alone in the room, you know, in your bedroom or whatever, and just getting it out in the open saying it one time out loud before you get in the room with us, that can just make the comfort level a little bit higher. And then, sometimes bringing a family member or a friend that you trust and are able to talk in front of and bring these problems up in front of, they can just provide that level of comfort for you. And sometimes they can chime in as well if you're feeling especially nervous.
Helen Dandurand: Yeah. That's something I was going to ask actually, just can you bring somebody with you? That's really good to know that you can have someone to support you and you kind of can't back out if somebody's sitting here. But it is easy when you're there and they're like, "So anything else?" And you're like, "Nope. All right. Goodbye."
Katie VanHoveIn: Exactly. Yes.
Helen Dandurand: That's great. We're going to take a quick break to talk about finding a primary care provider.
Riverside knows that health is your greatest asset and that your primary care provider is your partner in health. Find a primary care provider that fits your needs at riversidehealthcare.org/primarycare. All right. Jumping back in, what would you say are some of the most common mental health issues that you see people bring to the table at appointments?
Katie VanHoveIn: The most common are by far feeling depressed and also feeling anxious, so depression and anxiety. We see those on a daily basis. And so, I don't want anyone to feel afraid to bring those to us and feel like that's not something that we haven't seen before.
Helen Dandurand: So, how it does a primary care provider help after a patient has expressed their concern? You mentioned giving a referral. Is that kind of how it goes?
Katie VanHoveIn: So, we will actually start with a little bit of a workup ourselves as a primary care provider. We'll obviously collect a history, speak with you extensively about how you are feeling, what you are feeling, how long you have been feeling this way, how severe your feelings are. And then, we'll perform a physical exam. We might at also do some lab work just to make sure that there's not another cause for your feelings. And once that's complete, sometimes we can talk about starting you on medication, referring you for counseling, if that would be the appropriate next step. And then if we feel like you need that higher level of care, we can refer you to psychiatry.
Helen Dandurand: That's awesome. That's great to know that like those are the steps, this is what happens. I think sometimes you're afraid to say something just because what comes next. You know, what do we do now? So, it's nice to know those are the steps. That's kind of what happens. So, what advice do you have for somebody who may be on the fence about making an appointment and bringing up their concerns?
Katie VanHoveIn: I just want everyone to know that this is something that we are wanting to help people with. We want you to feel comfortable bringing these concerns to us, and it's never too early or too late to bring these concerns. So even if you're feeling a little bit down or a little bit anxious, bringing it up to us is perfectly fine and saying, "I don't necessarily want to do anything about this right now, but I just want you to be aware of it. "And that way, we can kind of continue to check in with you and see if anything is worsening.
And also if you are feeling incredibly down and possibly having scary thoughts or having things that you really need help with, it's never too late to bring those up to us either. We want to help you as primary care providers. We want to get you the help that you need and do anything that we can to make you feel better. And so, anyone should feel comfortable coming to us with these concerns.
Helen Dandurand: It's just really great to know that you have this person in your corner throughout all the seasons of your life to know, you know exactly what's going on and that can help you, a trusted person. So yeah, thank you so much for chatting with me about this today. I hope that this helps someone else.
Katie VanHoveIn: Yes, me too. Thank you so much for having me.
Helen Dandurand: Yeah. And thank you listeners for tuning in to the Well Within Reach podcast, brought to you by Riverside Healthcare. For more information, visit riversidehealthcare.org/primarycare.