Liberia’s Mental Health Care: a Crucial Need for Improvement

The provision of mental health services in the U.S. is a social justice issue that affects vulnerable populations in a variety of ways, including: limited access to quality mental health programs, especially in rural areas; the stigma associated with seeking mental health help; and discrimination against those with mental health issues. The far-reaching implications on our current system and policies of mental health care mean that it is a pervasive issue in the United States. According to the Scientific American, “Mental health care is one of the biggest

Such absences of basic mental health care leave those with mental illnesses with very few options.

There are so many services offered in Mental Health America I could go on and on. These services provide help for just about any cause and have trained highly professionals to meet our needs.

One of the biggest contributors for poor healthcare is the stigma against mental health. This stigma allows healthcare providers to view those with a mental illness as having low relevance, thus creating disinclination towards providing adequate resources and/or care. This negative stance, based on misinformation and prejudice creates those that have a mental illness to lose their self confidence. Because of this loss, people with mental illness decide not to contribute to their health or livelihood. In the past fifty years, many advances have been made in mental healthcare. However, with the attached stigma, many people choose to not seek out treatment.

Mental health has been a recurring topic in present society and it is a very large section of health care in general. Health can be termed as an absence of disease, but it really is much more than that and should encompass every facet of the human, mind and body. The WHO defines mental health as a state of well-being in which an individual can function properly and productively, cope with life stressors, and contribute to community. Mental health is dependent on many factors, mainly social, biological, and psychological (WHO). A mental disorder is a condition of alterations

“40 percent of countries have no mental health policy” (Nullis). Ghana and other third world countries do not have the financial means to care for those with mental disabilities. This is due to the fact that they do not understand the seriousness behind these disorders, and see it as less of an epidemic then it truly is. Clare Nullis reported that “two thirds of countries spent 1 percent or less of their health budget on mental health, and half had only one psychiatrist per 100,000 people.” For most of these countries they either cannot afford to spend their budgets on taking care of the mentally challenged, or they do not understand how serious the problem actually is, and feel that their finances are better spent elsewhere. Mentally ill people all over the world are not being seen as human beings, who still possess the same rights and protections as everyone

Addressing inadequately served mental health needs is a multifactorial issue related to inadequate social understanding of the problem, funding, supply of providers, and integration of services. There is no one solution to the problem, and the recommendations here will focus on addressing several of these important aspects of the mental health issue.

Primary mental health services are a fairly recent idea in health care that was described by the World Health Organization (WHO). The interventions start from primary care physicians that detect early problem, prescribe medications, referring to counseling services, chronic diseases management, applying strategies to prevent mental disorders, and improve population overall health outcomes basted on the needs in primary healthcare. The causes of mental

Vulnerable populations face many challenges and difficulties. Populations such as the homeless, the intellectually disabled, the elderly, and those living with HIV/AIDS face greater health risks than others. They have greater health-related problems and lack the means or ability to access needed health care. Furthermore, in addition to the many challenges, such as health-related problems, having no permanent living situation, social isolation, stigma, and poverty, they also may suffer from several mental illnesses. Unfortunately, as a result of their vulnerability, accessing appropriate mental health care is a challenge to these populations. Their health needs are often underserved. However, one way in which mental health treatment and assistance

The United States has never had a federal-centered approach for mental health care, entrusting its responsibility to the states. The earliest initiatives in this field took place in the 18th century, when Virginia built its first asylum and Pennsylvania Hospital reserved its basement to house individuals with mental disorders (Sundararaman, 2009). During the 19th century, other services were built, but their lack of quality was alarming. Even then, researchers and professionals tried to put into effect some principles of the public health, focusing on prevention and early intervention, but the resources were in the hands of the local governments, which prevented

My primary goal with this program is to get familiar with and understand psychological theories and get licensed for clinical counseling. In a long run, I aspire to open clinical mental health services for individuals in Nepal. Coming from a third world country that struggles to understand the importance of mental health, I want to challenge the outdated and widely endorsed opinion that believes having mental health illness is a taboo. I desire to show people with mental health illnesses back home in Nepal, that it is okay to talk about it and help is available. I aspire to fight back the judgmental attitude of people towards those with mental health illnesses.

The RUF then realized that they could obtain money from the diamond mines in eastern Sierra Leone, they took over extremely large areas of land and started mining the diamonds, then they began illegally smuggling the diamonds into Liberia, selling the diamonds and receiving a great deal of money, and using that money to buy weapons and supplies to use against innocent civilians and the government. (Sierra Leone’s Civil War). These diamonds played a crucial part in the war because without them the RUF would not have had a substantial income which was later used to fund child soldiers and many of the other horrible things. Foday Sankoh, the leader the RUF encouraged his soldiers to abduct children from villages they had raided, force them to take drugs, and turn them into soldiers that were trained to kill without thinking about it. The girls would also be turned into “wives” of the soldiers and were treated as sex slaves (Martin). This harsh thing happens all the time all over the world and they children are left helpless. This is a major issue in our world that need to be fixed but it requires help of

Access to mental health care is not as good as than other forms of medical services. Some Americans have reduced access to mental health care amenities because they are living in a countryside setting. Others cannot get to treatment for the reason of shortage of transportation or vast work and household tasks. In some areas, when a

Liberia has always been under pressure, similar to other countries. At first, the establishment of Liberia in 1822 with the reinforcement of the American Colonization Society may have seemed like a pleasant time. The American Colonization Society’s enterprise was for liberated black slaves to immigrate to Africa. In general, this wasn’t an appalling event along with the time when Liberia was observed as independent by the United States of America in 1862. Although the discovery and foundation of Liberia is essential and positive, Liberia is still like a rose with thorns. Underneath the beauty of Liberia were grotesque misfortunes. In particular, these hardships were the civil war and revolution, violations of human rights, and the

Clifford Beers, a graduate from Yale University in 1897, is a great example of learning from education and experience on improving healthcare. Beers created a positive impact when he wrote the book, A Mind That Found Itself, which gave insight to the awful conditions mental health patients endured. This acknowledgment help shed light these conditions that slow down recovery and helped remove stigmas build around mental illnesses. Building on this knowledge and understanding is something the United States healthcare system should focus on. Considering the direct and side effects of not having a functioning mental health system is a great area to concentration on. This population can affect tax payers, police force, and health care industry due to the time, work, and financial support they require. This is why mental health research and education is as important to the United States as we move forward with revamping our healthcare