Treatments for mental health conditions Treatments for mental health conditions

There are many options available to help mental health conditions.

Speak to a professional

Some forms of counselling focus on changing certain behaviours and thinking patterns. They are often useful for people with depression or anxiety disorders and can be a helpful addition to other treatments for psychotic conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Psychological treatments can help people to:

• think more positively
• have better relationships with others
• recover more quickly from their condition
• prevent their depression recurring.

Some general practitioners (GPs) have training in psychological treatments but will often refer to another health professional who specialises in mental health conditions.

People who are seriously affected by a mental health condition will usually need medicines as well.

Antidepressant medicines

Antidepressants are recommended for people with moderate to severe depression. They help reduce symptoms of depression by acting on certain chemicals in the brain, including serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine. Some antidepressants are also used to help treat anxiety disorders.

Antipsychotic medicines 

Some medicines are used to treat psychotic symptoms caused by conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.  They act on certain chemicals in the brain to reduce symptoms like delusions, hallucinations and out of control thoughts.

Mood stabiliser medicines

Mood stabilisers are useful for people with bipolar disorder. They help to prevent extreme mood swings and reduce major depressive and manic (or ‘high’) episodes. Sometimes an antidepressant needs to be added to a mood stabiliser to help treat a depressive episode.

Like all medicines, those used to treat mental health conditions can cause side effects. While some are short-term and can be managed, others can occur long term. It’s natural to worry about side effects but it can help to know what you might expect, what symptoms to look out for and what to do if they occur. It’s important to let a doctor, pharmacist or other trusted health professional know if you experience side effects and to discuss them when deciding about a treatment.
Read more about antipsychotic medicines including how to recognise and deal with side effects.

Adopt a healthy lifestyle

Other non-medicine ways to help you manage a mental health condition include learning more about the condition and how to manage it, exercising regularly and using relaxation techniques to manage stress.

Almost everyone with a psychotic condition like schizophrenia can benefit from daily exercise, a good diet and stopping smoking. These people often have poor physical health for various reasons including their lifestyle (e.g. they are more likely to smoke), less access to health services and possible side effects from using antipsychotic medicines.

More information and resources on lifestyle interventions for people with psychotic conditions can be found at:

• The Mind + Body Initiative
• activate mind & body
• SANE Helpline 1800 187 263.