Three Mental Health Issues That Urgent Care Can Help
Your local urgent care center can successfully treat a long list of ailments, including cuts and scrapes, minor allergic reactions, and even broken bones. What you might not know, however, is that you can also turn to urgent care when someone you know appears to be struggling with a mental health issue. Sometimes, mental health issues are more difficult to spot than physical health issues, but if you feel that someone you know needs help, you can take him or her to urgent care. Life-and-death situations such as someone threatening suicide are best helped by calling 911, but if notice one of these issues, don't hesitate to visit urgent care.
Depression
While depression can certainly lead to thoughts of suicide and overt threats to commit suicide, this isn't always the case. If you've noticed that someone close to you is evidently feeling down, try to assess whether he or she is getting the necessary medical attention. If the person isn't seeing a therapist or hasn't talked to his or her family doctor about being depressed, you may wish to step in by suggesting a visit to urgent care. There, a health professional such as a doctor or a counselor can listen to the patient's concerns and take the appropriate steps.
Eating Disorders
An eating disorder is a mental health issue, despite its evident physical consequences. Although long-term counseling and medical supervision are generally ideal for helping someone to get through an eating disorder, there may be a reason that you're thinking about taking the person to urgent care. For example, if the person appears disoriented and weak, perhaps as a result of not eating nearly enough, you may be concerned enough to get medical help. At an urgent care center, the patient can be put on intravenous fluids to provide nutrients and strength.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
It can be difficult to see someone you know struggling with OCD. As with other mental health issues, this isn't something that a medical professional can cure in just one visit, but you may still feel the need to get medical intervention. Perhaps someone's OCD symptoms are leading to physical issues — someone may wash his or her hands so frequently that the skin rubs off and leaves open wounds, for example. In such cases, urgent care can be a definite asset. Your local urgent care center can be valuable for dealing with a variety of other mental health issues, too, so don't hesitate to visit with someone who needs help.