Heavy snow and difficult travel expected again, heaviest snow in southern Minnesota

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

Long waits for an appointment and pop culture stereotypes of lying on a couch are enough to turn many off from seeking mental health services. But 

University of Minnesota Physicians Mill City Clinic

, says it can be as easy as talking to your primary care physician. 

"This is part of our training. This is one of the reasons we went into primary care," he told MPR News host Tom Crann. "We don't separate out mental health issues with the rest of the things that go on in our bodies."

He recommended making a separate appointment to talk about mental health, but said any way you bring it up is OK. The important thing is starting the conversation.

"When you're suffering, you're thinking, 'Oh gosh, this is terrible. I don't want to talk to anybody about this. They're going to think I'm strange,'" Hallberg said. "Consider where we're coming from. We're dealing with this all the time, every day in clinic."

For what you can expect during the conversation with you provider, listen to the full interview above.

," MPR's initiative to foster new conversations around mental health.

Health

Mental Health

Shows

All Things Considered

Tom Crann

Author

Dr. Jon Hallberg

Megan Burks

"This is part of our training. We don't separate out mental health issues with the rest of the things that go on in our bodies," Dr. Jon Hallberg said.

"This is part of our training. We don't separate out mental health issues with the rest of the things that go on in our bodies."

Want to get started on your mental health? Start with your primary care doctor

Go Deeper.

Like this?