How long does it take to get a mental health diagnosis?

How long does it take to get a mental health diagnosis? Learn about the usual timeframes through this post.

The way we learn to deal with stress and psychological trauma may differ from person to person, but there are many steps along the road to recovery. 

How long does it take to get a mental health diagnosis? This is a question we've heard a lot of people ask. Several factors determine how long it takes to get help with mental illness.

Lack of resources

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) estimates that only about half of Americans with serious mental illnesses get treatment from professionals within the first four months after their symptoms begin. Accordingly, only about one-third receive treatment within a year.

The first factor that determines how long it takes to get help with mental illness is the lack of resources in your area. If there are no therapists, psychiatrists or medications, you won't be able to get help right away.

Section: Insurance coverage

One of the leading factors is insurance coverage. If your insurer has paid for one or more of your medications before, then you may be able to get help sooner than if you had no insurance or if you had to pay for the medications yourself. If you have Medicaid, Medicare or military insurance, it may be easier to get treatment because they typically cover mental health issues as part of their benefits package.

Fear and denial

If you don't want to admit that something is wrong with you and begin to ask what will happen? Will everyone stop loving me? Will I lose my job? Will people stop trusting me? These are all normal fears that any person would have when faced with such an obstacle. However, if these fears prevent people from getting treatment, then yes, your life can be affected negatively by your denial and hence will give you a long time to get your diagnosis.

Lack of knowledge

Another factor that determines how long it takes to get help with mental illness is the lack of knowledge on your part. For example, if you don't know what depression feels like or anxiety feels like, then you'll be more likely to think something else is wrong with you and come up with an excuse for why things aren't working out as planned or as planned by someone else (like your family). You may also resort to seeking a doctor that specializes in another health condition rather than mental health. 

The time required for you to get a mental health diagnosis or help will depend on your situation and these factors. It's important to understand what types of treatments will work best for you and how they fit into your life as a whole — working with a therapist one-on-one is often the best option because they understand what you're going through better than anyone else! They'll also be able to answer questions like "what do I do if this doesn't work?" or "how long does this take?"

Check out this article to learn more about mental health symptoms or you can also learn more about mental health here.

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