"Good mental health care is not an elective procedure" - Dr. William Sauvé on WTVR-FM

Greenbrook's Virginia Regional Medical Director, Dr. William Sauvé, was recently on 98.1 WTVR to discuss mental health care during the COVID-19 crisis.

Greenbrook's Virginia Regional Medical Director,  Dr. William Sauvé , was recently on 98.1 WTVR to discuss mental health care during the COVID-19 crisis. Dr. Sauvé began practicing psychiatry in the U.S. Marines and later served as a Division Officer of inpatient psychiatry at the Naval Medical Center of San Diego. Dr. Sauvé started working with Greenbrook in 2014 and has since been providing TMS Therapy throughout our Virginia centers. Dr. Sauvé was interviewed by Jeff Wicker and Rebecca Wilde to discuss the basics of TMS Therapy and various changes to the mental health environment since COVID-19 began.

Dr. Sauvé explains that during a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, many people worry about their basic necessities such as water, food, and safety. But, as  Dr. Sauvé explains,  mental health is just as much of a necessity as physical health. "Isolation cannot cause mental health illness. People are doing well enough and functioning okay. This is not the same thing as being well ...  People are putting up with not feeling well every single day-- no one told them that they shouldn't be feeling this way."

As a mechanism for coping with isolation,  Dr. Sauvé recommends  continuing to stay connected with your loved ones by utilizing video conferencing services such as WebEx, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet to connect with your friends or co-workers after work. During the interview, Dr. Sauvé was asked how a person can tell when the time is right to see a mental health professional. Dr. Sauvé says that "if you are wondering if it is time to give a mental health professional a call.. that means you should call. The first thing I do is help [a person seeking advice] decide whether or not what is bothering them constitutes something that needs treatment or if I can reassure them they are doing okay."

Dr. Sauvé's stresses that during COVID-19, "good mental health care is not an elective procedure. Hospitals have been suspending elective procedures and only focusing on the essentials. Elective procedures mean things that can wait. Mental health is not that. Any kind of mental health or depression is no exception. That is a serious illness that has the potential to wreck someone's life. Every minute wasted is a minute of life that someone cannot get back."

If you have questions or concerns about your mental health, know that help is available. Call a mental health professional or reach out to us at   855-940-4867 .

Listen to  Dr. Sauvé's full interview below: 

To see all upcoming Greenbrook TMS provider interviews, click   here