Welcome!
Thank you for taking the time to read
"Bright Futures: A Health Care Provider's Guide to Promoting Emotional
Wellness." This resource is part of a series of materials called "Bright
Futures for Women's Health and Wellness." This series also includes a
promotional flyer for health care providers, two consumer booklets, and a guide
for community organizations.
These materials were developed by the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services
Administration, Office of Women's Health, with the guidance of a 10-member
panel of predominantly female mental health experts (medical doctors,
psychiatrists, and researchers) from across the country. The aim of the Bright
Futures project is to help women of all ages achieve better physical, mental,
social, and spiritual health by encouraging healthy practices.
Like physical health, mental health exists
along a spectrum. At one end are feelings of thriving and flourishing, and at
the other are depressed and anxious feelings. For a variety of reasons, the
field of mental health has historically focused on the negative end of this
spectrum. The Bright Futures project is different. It is not about avoiding or
treating depression: It is about helping women to thrive. Health care
professionals can be an important part of this effort.
This guide contains information for health
care professionals on the latest research about emotional wellness as well as
tips and ideas for how you can discuss wellness issues with the female patients
you serve. It is important to note that this guide focuses on women's emotional
wellness with some discussion on the more common types of depression and
anxiety that many women can face from time to time. It does not discuss more
serious clinical diagnoses of unipolar and/or bipolar disorders that can occur
among some women, nor the treatment and care that is warranted in these
cases.
We encourage you to partner with us in
this effort to promote emotional wellness. Thank you for the work you do to
improve the health of American women in your community.
Sincerely, Elizabeth M. Duke
Administrator Health Resources and Services Administration U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services |