Overcoming Barriers To Getting Help

Our main mission at the PTI is to overcome barriers to you getting the help that you need.  If you look on the Who We Are page on our website, you’ll notice that the very first thing that you see is our focus on “transforming the perception of mental health.” 

There’s no question that there is a grand illusion of mental illness in our country.  Although the stigmas associated with mental health have gotten better over the years, we still have a long way to go.  Myths surrounding mental illnesses continue to persist and the overarching sense of shame about “being weak,”  “unstable,” and “needing help” is holding us all back.

We all know that shame doesn’t us any good.  That’s why when you walk through our doors, our primary goal is to make sure that you feel welcome.  We know what it’s like to be out in the hot, humid Louisiana sun and always have a bottle of water to hand out to people to make sure that you’re taken care of while waiting to be seen.  We also know what it’s like to sit in the waiting room forever and then only see a doctor for a few minutes.  That’s not how we roll and we believe that you deserve better!

Overcoming Barriers Is Part Of The PTI Difference

We want to make it easy to make that first step.  That’s why on the front page of our website, front and center, you can choose to call or make an appointment by filling in a few boxes and clicking the “Send” button.  We want to make it easy for you because that helps us all out in the long run.

Just like any physical symptom or ailment, a lot of people who struggle with mental illness wait until it’s “really bad” before going to see the doctor.  However, the opposite approach actually makes things much easier, less costly, and leads to a quicker recovery in the long run.  Instead of asking “how long can someone wait?” instead the question should be “who doesn’t want to get better?”

Sometimes our regular doctors and general physicians, if we see them regularly at all, don’t inquire about our mental and emotional health.  It’s not their specialty so they don’t bring it up.  Across the board, it’s easier to hide mental illness because it’s often invisible.

You may remember a startling statistic from an article we posted last summer about Mental Health and Children:  About a 1/3 of the 17 million children in the US who have a diagnosable mental illness don’t get any treatment.  We believe that’s a shame and it shouldn’t be that way.

In terms of personal attitudes, it’s also easy to gloss over problems and say “it’ll get better soon, I’m just in a slump!”  The tricky thing is how do you know the difference between a slump versus something that you might need help with?  Consider keeping a journal and tracking your “slump” to see how long it’s lasted, whether it’s  improving, and whether there’s anything that’s making it better or worse?  If you’re waiting more than 2-3 months with marginal to no improvement, then we’d encourage you to give us a call.

We also realize that a lot of people are wary of the mental healthcare industry, thinking that the solution is just getting a pill– whether they want it or not.  Going back to the Mental Health and Children article, the research actually shows that, for children, starting treatment early and forgoing the use of medication, can actually have the same affect in the long run as taking medication.

At the PTI, we know that pill isn’t always a simple solution and the truth is that no medication will ever cure mental illness.  While medication might be a part of the solution that can help open other doors to the use of better coping skills, integration into the community, or going back to work, we also believe in a team approach and finding the best way to pursue treatment for each person.

Bar none, our goal is to be the best integrated mental healthcare facility that’s around.  That means you don’t have to go all over town to see different doctors or therapists.  Most, if not all, of the services that you need are all under one roof.  That’s less paperwork, less driving around, and less of a hassle to getting the help that you need.  Whether it’s for few months for a temporary slump or the long run for treating serious mental illness, we’re in your corner, and, as much as possible, want to work ourselves out of the job so that you don’t need us.  That’s success in our book!  If you’re ready for success, give us a call today.