By: Kathy Hubbard
There are over 200 types of mental health disorders. They range in severity, they range in symptoms and they range in effective treatment options. Many people have mental health concerns from time to time; it becomes an illness when ongoing signs and symptoms cause frequent stress and affect one’s ability to function.
Treatment depends on the disorder and the patient. It is so very important for those who are experiencing one or some of the many symptoms of mental illness to seek professional medical care. Your primary care provider can help you identify whether or not you need to seek psychiatric help and the psychiatric provider can walk you through the options for treatment.
I contacted two providers at Bonner General Behavioral Health to get their input on the subject of psychiatric medications. Let me introduce you to Denise White, DNP, PMHNP-BC, RN (Doctor of Nursing Practice, Psychiatric-Mental Health NP Board Certified, Registered Nurse), and Natasha Splaine-Talbott, APRN, PMHNP (Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner). That’s just about my maximum word count in degrees!
Since we often hear about people suffering from mental illnesses “going off their meds,” I was curious as to how these professionals work with their patients to ensure the various types of effective medications are understood and taken correctly.
My first question was, “Considering that many (all?) drugs come with side effects, how do you determine that a medication is worth the unpleasantness.”
Splaine-Talbott rightfully backed me up a bit. She said, “Prior to prescribing medications, a psychiatric nurse practitioner will conduct a full psychiatric evaluation including a ‘biopsychosocial assessment,’ which is a structured interview, that includes an exam, review of prior medical and mental health records, ordering or review of labs, and gathering of additional information.
“This allows us to have a comprehensive and holistic understanding of a person’s life, including their physical health, mental state, impact of social environment, and review of biological and family history to understand potential psychological, social, and genetic predispositions or influences on their current state. This type of comprehensive evaluation supports development of an accurate diagnosis, which then guides treatment recommendations.
She said that these recommendations might include medications but often and equally importantly, may involve psychotherapy and lifestyle changes.
And when medications are the best choice, White said, “After reviewing the options for medications to treat a person’s mental health disorder, I take in account many aspects of their health profile to determine which medication would be the best choice for treatment. My recommendation would be based on the benefits outweighing the side effects. Often most people do not experience serious side effects and if they do we would stop the medication and choose another. If they experience minor side effects, often they go away within the first few weeks, and we can make dose adjustments or again if patients cannot manage the side effects comfortably we can choose another medication.”
Next I asked them to share some skills they use to get people, particularly children, to understand why they need to be treated. White said that she puts importance on building rapport with her patients in order to establish a relationship of trust.
“Clear communication with any patient, adult or child, is very important about their diagnosis and what medication treatment would benefit them. In communicating the information, it should be done in simple, age-appropriate language. The decision should be a collaborative choice with the patient, so they feel a sense of empowerment in the decision making,” she said.
Splaine-Talbott said that she would explain to her patients that any treatment she recommends is research based and has a “proven benefit through rigorous scientific studies.”
She added, “All medications have potential risks and side effects, and part of any discussion and decision making around use of medication must be careful education and discussion around these risks, as well as the potential benefits of the medication.
“We strive to make certain that potential benefits outweigh risks of medications, while also weighing this against the risk of not taking medication at all (meaning risks of untreated mental illness). Our job is to provide our patients education and support so they can make these decisions about their health care.”
Both providers are accepting new patients. Get a referral from your primary provider, then call 208-265-1090 for an appointment.
Kathy Hubbard was a charter member of Bonner General Health Foundation. She can be reached at [email protected]. This article was written for publication in the Bonner County Daily Bee on March 25, 2026.