Even at a regular exam, discuss mental health with your doctor

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - Doctors say at our annual exams, women shouldn’t be afraid to talk about mental health.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says in the past year, 1 in 5 women dealt with a mental health condition, such as depression or anxiety.

Prevea OB/GYN Dr. Jennifer Milosavljevic -- her patients call her “Dr. Milo” -- says women can sometimes feel like they need to worry about the other members of their families first and don’t realize they also need to take care of themselves.

Milosavljevic says women should be honest with their doctors when they’re feeling down or overwhelmed, and she wants her patients to change the misconceptions they sometimes have about mental health care.

“I do think there is a stigma behind mental health, and I think some women are afraid to start medication because they’re afraid they’ll become addicted or they’ll never be able to get off that medication. But truthfully, they only need to be on the medication for as long as it takes to get them feeling better,” Dr. Milosavljevic says.

She says getting more daylight in the spring and exercising can also improve our mental health.

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