June 2019

June Is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Month; Access Behavioral Health Toolkit

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic condition that may appear sometime after a traumatic or stressful event. It can cause significant physical, emotional or psychological harm. PTSD is similar to acute stress disorder (ASD), but it lasts longer. ASD typically lasts 3 days to 1 month, while PTSD lasts longer than a month. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), PTSD affects 7.7 million Americans ages 18 and older¹. PTSD is a serious condition that affects people of all ages and backgrounds, specifically, after a traumatic event¹.

As a provider, be attentive to the history your patients provide and their risk for suffering from PTSD because of previous events or experiences. Ask your patients if they are suffering from symptoms² of PTSD, such as:

• Nightmares
• Flashbacks
• Difficulty sleeping
• Depression
• Emotional numbness
• Being easily irritated or angered

These symptoms can be debilitating for patients and yield unhealthy behaviors, such as alcohol and drug abuse.

To ensure accurate diagnosis, care and treatment of your patients, Magellan Healthcare^® has provided a Medical Providers’ Behavioral Health Toolkit to assist in making behavioral health referrals and improve the integration of physical and behavioral health.

Best Practice Summary:

1. Utilize the Medical Providers’ Behavioral Health Toolkit to ensure appropriate behavioral health for your patients.
2. Screen your patients for signs of PTSD during their annual well check exam.
3. Perform the required age appropriate assessments for mental health and refer patients, if needed to a behavioral health practitioner.
4. Ensure your patients know the Magellan Healthcare Behavioral Services Hotline (1-800-735-2988; 1-800-327-7390 (TTY)) for questions and/or crisis support. Call the BCBSTX Provider Services Hotline (1-877-784-6802) to obtain provider information about eligibility, benefits, provider network referrals and claim statuses.
5. Reference and review BCBSTX’s Preventive Care Guidelines and Clinical Practice Guidelines, and the Texas Health Steps for Providers website for more information on this and other important topics for treating your patients.

References
¹ Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), 2018.
² Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Symptoms of PTSD, 2018.