Blue Review
A newsletter for physician, professional, facility, ancillary and Medicaid providers

May 2018

May Is Mental Health Awareness Month

As a health care provider, you’re aware that mental health conditions are the result of multiple, linking events or sources such as genetics, environment, lifestyle, stressful job or home life, traumatic events, and biochemical processes and brain structure. A study* has shown that 50 percent of mental health conditions begin by age 14 and 75 percent of all chronic mental health conditions begin by age 24. The normal personality and behavior changes of adolescence may mimic or mask symptoms of a mental health condition. Early engagement, intervention and support are crucial to improving outcomes.

Stabilization and recovery are possible, especially when the disease process and treatment are started early and the patient plays a strong role in their own treatment. Screening your patients, and educating them and their family members are keys to improved health outcomes and quality of life.

Magellan Healthcare® has provided a Behavioral Health Toolkit that supplies Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) Blue EssentialsSM, Blue Advantage HMOSM and Blue PremierSM contracted providers with screening tools and the information necessary to assist in making behavioral health referrals and assessments. Knowing that early engagement and interventions are crucial, we encourage you to use these tools.

BCBSTX provider manuals also provide information on Behavioral Health. The provider manuals can be accessed on the BCBSTX provider website under Standards and Requirements.

LifeTimes
Also, you may share these articles with your patients from our LifeTimes health and wellness website, which is available in both English and Spanish:

Teen Depression: More than Just a Phase
English
Spanish

The Science of Happy: You Don't Have to Be Born That Way
English
Spanish

Calming Down High Anxiety
English
Spanish