For executives, a mental health provider can ‘get you and your employees back to your best’

Whether it’s a stressful project, a difficult client or a busy schedule, high-performing professionals are used to powering through challenges. But what happens when it all  becomes too much? Burnout from workplace demands as well as  personal stressors — like a death in the family or  divorce — can take star executives and employees  alike from the top of their game to a shell of their  former selves. It can be tough — especially for  professionals accustomed to handling everything  themselves — to recognize when it’s time to seek  assistance. But Dr. Majid Khan, medical director of  Elemental Health, warns against the temptation to  keep on keeping on. 

“There’s a stigma toward mental health,” Khan  says. “There’s an idea that when something bad  happens, you pull yourself up by the bootstraps,  you keep working to hold things together for your  workplace, your partner, your mortgage. There’s  an immense pressure that, regardless of what hap pens, you keep moving forward.” 

Burnout, stress, depression and other mental  health concerns don’t mean someone is weak  or lazy, Khan says. These issues should be taken  seriously, as they impact individuals and entire  workplaces. Organizations rely on leaders in C-Suite  roles to guide operations; they need to be capable  of making good decisions. Good mental health is  important for employees, too. 

“Maybe they have dedicated a decade or more  of service to the company,” Khan says. “Wouldn’t an  employer want to have that normally high-functioning person back?” An outpatient provider like Elemental Health can  help restore a sense of balance — and top-notch  job performance. “It’s to get you back to your best,” Khan says.  “You’ve gotten to that position by having been  good at balancing everything in your life at some  point. You are excellent at what you do, but you  do everything else because you’ve built a life — and  now something’s off because you’re not able to  balance. You’re doing the job so you can keep the  rest of your life going — yet it’s lost all its color and  flavor. That’s not what life is supposed to be.” 

WHEN TO SEEK HELP 

Khan says many people can benefit from the  services of a mental health care provider. Some  common signs indicating a need for help include: 

• Prioritizing work and doing the bare minimum  in other aspects of life. 

• Neglecting responsibilities, relationships and  activities at home. 

• No longer participating in hobbies. 

• Considering quitting a job that normally is  enjoyable and fulfilling. 

“If someone’s not sure, if they’re even asking  themselves the question of whether this can help,”  Khan says, “in most cases, the answer is yes.” Some people who have seen a therapist or taken  antidepressants before with minimal results may be  reluctant to try another approach to improving their mental health. But Khan encourages them to give a multifaceted strategy like Elemental Health’s outpatient program a chance. 

ELEMENTAL HEALTH’S APPROACH

People can stop by Elemental Health for a tour, and  if they want to enter as a new patient, an assessment is  scheduled within a couple of days. Within the week, Khan  meets with the patient to go over medications, if required.  “The fact that we can immediately get started in a time  of personal crisis for someone is significant,” Khan says. Elemental Health’s program takes about eight weeks  for most patients. Khan and his team employ a unique  mix of therapeutic modalities, providing six forms of  therapy each week, such as cognitive behavior therapy,  dialectical behavior therapy, family systems, art therapy  and more. Khan calls it “a college course of therapy.” Plus,  evidence-based medication management is offered. “When someone is facing incapacitation due to their  emotions, it requires a high level of focused, coordinated  therapy and an appropriate amount of medication assistance,” Khan says. “They walk out of here in eight weeks  in a much, much stronger position.” 

He says the program works in conjunction with a  person’s existing therapist, psychiatrist and primary care  providers, taking care of all medical leave paperwork  while the patient is taking time to prioritize their mental  wellbeing. Elemental Health is one of the only mental health  providers of its kind in the Baton Rouge area and accepts  most commercial insurance plans. For information, visit  elementalhealthbr.com or call 225-218-6774. 

AUTHOR 

MAJID KHAN, MD  

is the Medical Director and Psychiatrist of  

Elemental Health, as well as of Regions Behavioral  

Hospital, a 24-bed acute inpatient psychiatric unit. 

40 BUSINESS REPORT, September 2024 | BusinessReport.com