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LOS ANGELES () — Is mental health something you would like your primary-care physician to address at your next checkup?
According to a new Gallup poll, about three out of four U.S. adults would like this to happen. But about a third say they’ve never been asked.
Physicians describe what this says about the doctor-patient relationship.
“You never really know what the patient needs until they walk in the room,” said family practice physician Dr. Branden Turner with Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw.
The doctor needs to exchange a lot of information in a limited amount of time. So he gets right to it.
“What are you here for today? What questions do you have today? And I generally follow that up with what brings you joy?” he said.
If the answer is, “Hmmm I don’t know” then Dr. Turner will ask more about his patient’s emotional wellness because it makes all the difference to their physical health.
“If you’re depressed, are you taking your diabetes medicine every day? Probably not. If you’re depressed, are you taking your blood pressure medicine every day? Probably not. You’re just trying to survive,” he said.
The Gallup survey “does speak to the fact that we are more comfortable talking about those things,” Turner said.
But when patients aren’t asked about mental health, those are lost opportunities, Turner said, because every visit is a chance for physicians to build trust and connection.
“I don’t think the expectation is for me to solve all of their problems, but I need to be able to at least empathetically listen, and then put them in a position where I can send them to somebody who can help them be more successful,” he said.
But doctor-patient relationships work both ways. And he suggests patients put more effort into finding a physician they click with.
“Treat finding a doctor like dating. You know, it might not be the best match the first time, and maybe you can look for another practitioner who fits what you need a little more,” Turner said.
More than half of the people polled said it’s “very important” for primary-care providers to screen for anxiety and depression. And 57% said it was important for primary-care providers to treat patients themselves for these conditions.
“If you are in a comfortable space, you might feel a little bit more vulnerable giving important information. And it is our job as the practitioner to help to create that space,” he said.
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