Ongoing Management & Follow-up

Mental wellness is a journey. That is why we offer continuous care and follow-up to support your progress, monitor changes, and adjust treatment plans as your needs evolve. Psychiatric management and follow-up is an ongoing collaborative process between mental health providers and patients to ensure long-term stability and wellness for mental health conditions.

Ongoing management and follow-up is an essential component of effective psychiatric care, especially when medication is involved and needs to be closely monitored. It can range from months to years – or a lifetime. That decision is made between the patient and the psychiatrist, depending on the individual's ongoing clinical needs.

Understanding the Phases of Psychiatric Treatment

• Phase 1: In the initial phase, psychiatric visits are often more frequent. As treatment begins, a patient may be seen weekly or biweekly at first and every few weeks as symptoms are stabilized and an appropriate, effective treatment plan is developed.
• Phase 2: This is the phase where the treatment plan is underway and the patient has been stabilized. Follow-up appointments typically become less frequent and may only need to happen every few months. This will depend largely on the type of medication prescribed and the patient’s clinical needs.
• Phase 3: Developing a long-term plan for ongoing management and follow-up is a process that occurs between the patient and psychiatrist. In some cases, it may involve input from family members or other professionals that may be involved in the patient’s care. For some, treatment may last no more than a few months, while for other patients (especially those with chronic conditions), it may involve lifelong treatment.

Critical Components of Ongoing Management & Follow-Up

Ongoing psychiatric management and follow-up are essential for maintaining stability and empowering each individual patient to manage the mental health journey effectively. The following components are essential aspects of this care:

• Tracking Progress: Psychiatrists often utilize check-in sessions but also may use questionnaires or rating scales to track changes and patterns in mood and behavior. Monitoring the effectiveness of treatment is essential to assess how effective psychiatric interventions (e.g., therapy, psychiatric medication, etc.) have been in addressing symptoms and overall functioning. It is also important to identify and address any adverse effects.
• Adjusting Medication: It is essential to monitor medications and how they impact symptoms, as well as their side effects and possible interactions with other medications or a patient’s co-existing medical conditions. Psychiatrists rely on ongoing assessments to adjust dosage on psychiatric medication. Over time, they may change the patient’s medication or combine it with other medications. These changes can be made either to optimize effectiveness or address problematic side effects. Providing psychiatric medication management and assessment is a core part of ongoing management and follow-up and one of core responsibilities of a psychiatrist.
• Coordinating Care: Psychiatrists often collaborate with other mental health and healthcare professionals - including therapists, community clinics, mental health hospitals, primary care physicians and pharmacists – to assess whether there has been an effective, comprehensive approach to the patient's care.
• Preventing Crisis: Ongoing management and follow-up can ensure the psychiatric team is poised to notice subtle warning signs so they can gauge whether symptoms are returning. Early intervention is essential to prevent a potential mental health crisis.
• Adjusting to Life Events: Major life events can have a profound effect on mental health. The loss of a parent, partner or child – or even a job – can sometimes trigger a mental health crisis. Aging is a factor that can also impact mental wellness. Ongoing management and follow-up provide an opportunity for a patient’s treatment plan to be adjusted for life’s changing circumstances.
• Continuing Education: It is important to educate patients about their condition, their clinical status, options for treatment, the treatment plan that is underway and potential changes that may be necessary. An important part of continuing education involves providing information on relevant subject matters ranging from coping mechanisms to the impact changes in exercise and nutrition could have on their condition.

Continuity of care is one of the most essential aspects of mental health care and symptom management. Contact us online or call (773) 594-9944 to schedule a consultation.

Why is Ongoing Management and Follow-Up Important?

Ongoing collaboration between the psychiatrist, patient and other providers is important in order to make informed decisions about the care being provided and the specifics of the medication treatment plan. While medication monitoring is one of the most important factors that mandate ongoing management and follow-up, ongoing care should not be solely focused on medication management issues. The patient should be encouraged to ask questions, address concerns and report changes in symptoms, as well as discuss side effects of medications. It is all part and parcel of the comprehensive care necessary for successful psychiatric treatment of mental health conditions.

Ongoing management and follow-up almost always involves a collaborative relationship between psychiatrist and patient unless the patient is completely incapacitated and/or has a condition where they cannot make decisions for themselves. In that event, the collaborative role may involve the patient’s legal guardian who can collect information from caregivers or directly monitor and report on ongoing care.

An Important Note for Parents, Spouses and Other Family Members

Family involvement and active participation in treatment will be particularly important for any person in psychiatric treatment. Especially with Psychiatric Medication Management. Family members and individuals who interact with the patient closely can provide invaluable feedback on how well the medication is working for symptom management, as well as any side effects they have noted. The patient’s primary psychiatric provider will be able to address questions as long-term and short-term treatment goals are developed, with the consent of the patient, when necessary.

Request Your Consultation

Ongoing management and follow-up plays an essential role in a mental health treatment plan. It’s important to ensure ongoing monitoring and follow-up appointments, along with quality professional assessment by a qualified psychiatrist. Call (773) 594-9944 or contact us online for consultations.