Patients across the nation are faced with a dilemma when it comes to mental health care: There aren’t enough psychiatrists to treat their needs. Exacerbating the problem is that when a patient is having mental health problems, they will most likely see their primary care physician who may not have the time or training to effectively treat and diagnosis their ailment. Even if a patient manages to schedule an appointment with a psychiatrist, the waiting period to see someone can take weeks, even months.
The Depression Improvement Across Minnesota, Offering a New Direction (DIAMOND) program is aiming to fix this mental health care gap. Mark Williams, M.D., of the psychiatry and psychology department, has taken part in the program at the Mayo Clinic and within Mayo Clinic Health System sites. In a nutshell, DIAMOND gets a patient in front of an advocate who will spend the appropriate amount talking about their potential condition, begin to suggest treatment and get them in front of a psychiatrist within a week of their original visit to the doctor if need be.
Listen to Dr. Williams explain the unique program above. For more information about DIAMOND or to interview Dr. Williams contact, Nick Hanson.
my 73 yr. old husband dx. with Multiple Myeloma 5 years ago…SCT; great physicsal condition currently…on oral Revlimid, 15 mgs 3 weeks per month…problem is that he has ADHD and is showing increasing short term memory loss, not catastrophic, but combined with chemo brain, refusal to wear his hearing aids, consistent chattering and messiness…I am the one who is going crazy fron this. I am already on antidepressants and a mild tranq. but desperately need for him to be on something to calm him down. He has never been one to accept reality, but my reality is that I would run away from this situation if I didn’t love him, but it is getting desperately more difficult.