Taking on Stress, Depression, Anxiety and Addiction

In case you missed it, GBMC and WMAR ABC2News recently hosted an interactive Facebook Live event on the topics of stress, depression, anxiety and addiction featuring primary care physician Kevin Ferentz, MD. Watch it on YouTube now. An estimated 11 to 36 percent of current primary care patients have some type of behavioral health disorder. With that in mind, GBMC HealthCare and Sheppard Pratt Health System are partnering to proactively address the behavioral health needs of the community.

“Our organizations are integrating behavioral health services in GBMC primary care offices and working to better manage all aspects of a person’s health in one setting,” says Robin Motter-Mast, DO, Chair of Family Medicine at GBMC. “For example, we are adding new team members to each of our primary care practices: behavioral health consultant, consulting psychiatrist and substance use consultant. Our work focuses on strong collaboration among the patient, primary care physician and these three new resources, depending on the patients’ needs.”

A Sheppard Pratt Health System behavioral health consultant will be located in each practice, operating as an internal expert for patients’ behavioral health needs. He or she is able to support minor to moderate mental health conditions through counseling techniques such as motivational interviewing, behavioral activation and problem solving therapy. The consulting psychiatrist, also employed by Sheppard Pratt Health System, can recommend medications or programs and may see patients face-to-face, serving as an additional resource to the primary care physician and behavioral health consultant. For patients who would benefit from treatment for addiction, the substance use consultant engages them in counseling (motivational interviewing) and offers resource navigation. Other services may be provided as needed by Kolmac Outpatient Recovery Centers and Mosaic Community Services, part of the Sheppard Pratt Health System.

“We have effective treatments for anxiety, depression, addiction, and other behavioral health problems, but it’s often hard for people to get access to expert care quickly when they need it,” notes Robert P. Roca, MD, MPH, MBA, Vice President and Medical Director, Sheppard Pratt Health System. “Our behavioral health consultants and psychiatrists are part of the GBMC primary care team and are on the spot to help when the primary care physician calls us in. It’s designed to be a seamless experience.” To utilize behavioral health services, simply contact your GBMC primary care provider and ask for more information. Please note: behavioral health consultants are not available in all practices yet, so your physician may put you in contact with a team member from another location.