Mental health care at your Colorado primary care and pediatric clinic

There’s no single way to spot mental health challenges. Different conditions have different symptoms, and even people with the same condition can experience their symptoms in different ways. But common signs someone may be struggling with a mental health concern include:

• Changes in eating and sleeping habits and energy levels
• Difficulty doing daily tasks or handling stress
• Excessive worry or fear
• Increased irritability, frustration or anger
• Increased use of alcohol or other substances
• Ongoing sadness, hopelessness or feelings of emptiness
• Unexplained physical aches and pains

If you or someone you care about is experiencing a mental health concern, reach out to a medical or mental health professional. Support is available, and treatment can make a difference.

If you need immediate help, please call:

• Emergency: 911
• Suicide hotline: 1-800-273-8255
• Substance abuse hotline: 1-800-662-4357  

If you’re having anxious thoughts or your feelings are becoming hard to manage or getting in the way of your day-to-day life, consult with a medical or mental health professional. They can help you figure out what’s causing your anxiety and take steps to manage it.

Addiction is a chronic disease that affects the brain and behavior. When someone has an addiction, they find it difficult — sometimes even impossible — to stop using or doing whatever they’re addicted to. This is true even when the addiction causes harm in their lives.

Addiction can take a heavy toll on a person’s quality of life, health, relationships, finances and performance at school or work.

Addiction is complex, and there is no single cause, but treatment is available. Depending on the type and severity of the addiction, treatment often includes therapy, support groups and, especially for substance use disorders, medication.

With treatment, many people learn to manage their addiction and go on to live long, fulfilling lives in recovery.  

It isn’t always easy to spot signs that someone is becoming dependent on substance use. But some things to look out for may include:

• Becoming unusually clumsy
• Changes in personality
• Changes in relationships
• Disappearing for long periods of time
• Locking doors
• Periods of high energy followed by sleeping a lot
• Trouble focusing  

Yes. The good news is that recovery from eating disorders is possible with early detection and proper treatment.

Whether you’re worried about your own disordered eating or are seeing signs of an eating disorder in a loved one, it’s important to get a professional assessment and find a clinician to talk through your concerns and explore treatment options.