Catherine Hines
University of Kentucky
Talking about mental health isn’t always easy, but it’s one of the most important conversations happening in healthcare today.
For many people, a routine visit with a healthcare provider may be the only opportunity to share concerns about stress, anxiety, depression or thoughts of self-harm. Yet these topics often go unspoken. Recognizing this gap, the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC), in partnership with the Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities, developed a new resource for physicians and other healthcare practitioners: “Discussing Mental Health: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals.”
While designed with clinicians in mind, the guide offers practical, easy-to-understand strategies that can benefit anyone interested in how mental health conversations can be approached with empathy and confidence.
At its core, the guide emphasizes a simple idea: Mental health should be part of everyday healthcare. Research highlighted in the guide shows that many individuals who die by suicide had recently visited a healthcare provider, sometimes within days or weeks. This underscores the critical role providers can play in recognizing warning signs and connecting patients to help.
One key strategy is routine screening. Short tools like the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (commonly referred to as PHQ-9) for depression or the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 questionnaire (GAD-7) for anxiety help practitioners identify concerns about a patient that might otherwise go unnoticed, especially if that patient came in because of physical symptoms. These quick check-ins can open the door to deeper, meaningful conversations.
Equally important to starting these conversations is how they proceed. The discussion guide introduces the OARS approach: using Open-ended questions, Affirmations, Reflective listening, and Summarizing to help providers build trust and encourage patients to share openly. Simple shifts in a clinician’s communication style can ensure that patients feel heard, supported and more willing to seek care.
The guide also addresses how to respond when concerns are more serious, including how to discuss suicide directly and compassionately, assess risk and connect individuals to appropriate support, such as the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Beyond clinical conversation, the guide points to tools that help people take the next step. Resources like FindHelpNow.org allow users to quickly locate mental health providers with current availability across Kentucky as well as community resources.
Importantly, the guide also recognizes the emotional toll this work can take on healthcare professionals. It encourages providers to prioritize self-care so they can continue showing up for their patients with clarity and compassion.
Mental health is an essential part of overall health, yet it’s often overlooked in routine care. This new discussion guide offers a practical roadmap for changing that by helping start conversations that could make all the difference.
“Discussing Mental Health: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals” was created by KIPRC in partnership with and with funding from the Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities, under the Kentucky Emergency Response for Suicide Prevention grant.
Catherine Hines is a research project manager at the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center, which is part of the University of Kentucky College of Public Health.