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start the conversation about mental health with your primary care physician

, but when is it time for you or your doctor to take the next step and book an appointment with a psychologist or psychiatrist?

"If it's some form of anxiety or some form of depression, we can get started with that. We might simultaneously recommend that they talk to a therapist or psychologist of some kind," 

 University of Minnesota Physicians Mill City Clinic

But primary care doctors typically also screen for more urgent symptoms with questionnaires called the PHQ-9 and GAD-7. If patients receive a high score — with points adding up for an inability to sleep and thoughts of suicide, for example — primary care doctors are likely to refer them to a specialist. 

"When I'm treating someone with a heart condition, or a kidney condition, or they've got a really bad joint, patients and providers don't even hesitate to send that person to a cardiologist, a nephrologist, an orthopedic surgeon," Hallberg said. "So, I liken that to mental health conditions. If I've got someone with a severe form of depression, they're on a couple different kinds of medications, they've talked to someone, they're not getting better, that absolutely is a time to refer to a psychiatrist, who I really consider a specialist in mental health."

To hear more of Dr. Jon Hallberg's conversation with Tom Crann, click play on the audio player above.

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Dr. Jon Hallberg walks us through when it's time to move from primary care to specialty care for mental health conditions.

When to seek a referral for a mental health specialist

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