Mental Health Reflection Paper

Pursuing a career in Mental Health Counseling has been a part of my plan since I

It has always been easier to define mental illnesses than to define mental health. In the United States, the American Psychiatric Association has traditionally been the organization to define mental disorders (beginning as early as in 1917 when it was known as The Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions of the Insane). More recently many have recognized that mental health is more than the absence of mental illness.

Mental Health America (formerly known as the National Mental Health Association) is the country’s leading nonprofit dedicated to helping all people live mentally healthier lives. With more than 320 affiliate nationwide, we represent a growing movement of Americans who promote mental wellness for the health and well being of the nation, every day, and in a time of crisis (2007 Mental Health America). As an organization, Mental Health America has been around for nearly a century. We began work in 1909 when Clifford W. Beers, a young business man who struggled with a mental illness and shared his story with the world in his autobiography “A Mind

It not easy to determine how many people suffer from mental illness. This is due to the changing definitions of mental illness and problems classifying, diagnosing, and reporting mental disorders. There are social stigmas attached to mental illness, such as being labeled "crazy," being treated as a danger to others, and being denied jobs or health insurance coverage. These negative connotations keep many sufferers from seeking help, and many of those in treatment do not reveal it on surveys. Some patients do not realize that their symptoms are caused by mental disorders. Even though more is being learned about how the brain works a lot of information has still yet to be discovered, thus mental health professionals must continually reevaluate how mental illnesses are defined and diagnosed. The Surgeon General 's report estimated that roughly 20% of the United States population was affected by mental disorders and that 15% use some type of mental health service every year. Community surveys estimate about 30% of the adult population in the United States suffer from mental disorders.

Principle is a great way to remember what should be included in a fitness plan. F.I.T.T stands for __________ __________ __________ __________.

In order to determine the specific challenges of disaster mental health (DMH) responders, Hambrick et al conducted an audit. The data was gathered through semi-structured group interviews using open ended questions with nine clinicians at various Community Mental Health Centers (CMHC). All CMHCs had a disaster response team who completed at least six hours of Psychological First Aid (PFA) training. The PFA guide that was consistently reference is a guide used to direct posttraumatic distress caused by a disaster. The interview content consisted of questions about the organization they represented, the needs of the organization, and phone interviews asking about barriers of DMH at the organization they work. The purpose of this experiment

At some point in our lives, we all questions our childhood beliefs. When I was young, I saw mental conditions as an excuse people used to justify their poor behaviour. In other words, I did not take them seriously because of how I was raised. Since then, much has changed. I now realize that mental illness is an issue that has to be dealt with in order to help our society grow as a whole. To do so, we all need to support our community’s non-profit mental health organizations. Providing support through improved access to qualified non-governmental organizations is an important action in dealing with the problems associated with mental illnesses that adversely affect our community.

Comprehensive Mental Health Services (CMHS) is an organization in Kansas City, Missouri dedicated to serving those with mental illnesses, ranging from both low- to high-functioning. This group has a for-profit and non-profit side. The for-profit side utilizes doctors, nurses, and a pharmacy to aide in the non-profit side. Case workers, therapists, addiction recovery, and group homes are all funded via the organization. With diverse staff involvement, CMHS has a multitude of positions ranging from full-time salary doctors, to full-time hourly case workers, to volunteers. Volunteers vary between other organizations that CMHS collaborates with, including Harvester’s food pantry, and even patients who want to donate their time to some of the less-fortunate. While those with mental illnesses are oppressed, this report is not about their oppression, rather their open-mindedness on the oppression of those around them.

Consequently, mentally ill patients as well as those placed in psychiatric facilities are often branded as zombies (Hochwälder, 2013). Therefore, the recovery process of such people is often difficult because they face humiliation verbally or physically from others. As such, this website is very useful to people who are trying to liberate themselves from the stigma that comes with being a psychiatric patient. The design of the “Antipsychiatry Coalition” website is such that it makes use of links to provide information on various issues that revolve around mental illness and psychiatry (Antipsychiatry, 2015). For instance, the link on “myth of psychiatric diagnosis” enables the reader to read and learn about the things that people believe about psychiatry yet they are false.

Starting out as a Vocational focused field counseling eventually developed a preventative measure for those “wanting to work with a more “normal” population” (Noah, 2018). As needs arouse throughout history counselors have developed different ways of working with people. Today there are 16 different divisions in the American Counseling Association (ACA) (Norton, 204). Mental health counseling specifically was developed as a hybrid between “psychology and educational counseling” as a way to fill gaps in services for those conflicted with mental health issues (Smith & Robinson, 1995). Today mental health counselors utilize a holistic approach and wellness models to assist people with a multitude of issues, from clinical

Sound mental health helps us to live our lives wholesomely and with a sense of well being. Though this seems to be an adult state of mind, how we have been brought up and conditioned through our growing years plays an important role. Mental strength means we are confident of dealing with anything that's happens. Chronic stress and anxiety is banished since we are confident of our ability to handle life as it comes. Even though life is uncertain we are assured that we can work it out. However, how many of us actually feel this way? Rather we find ourselves wondering and questioning if we will be able to manage life situations like our work, finances, families etc.

In the United States, mental illness is a topic that is severely neglected. Many individuals who suffer from illnesses including, but not limited to, schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder are routinely ignored and often do not receive the treatment needed for them to lead functional lives. According to Richard Frank and Sherry Glied, Harvard Medical School professors and co-authors, the severely mentally ill are “among the most gravely disadvantaged and stigmatized groups in the United States” (3). According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), those who are fortunate enough to have family or friends that aid them in seeking help, or those who recognize themselves that they need help and seek it on their own, often have a lot of trouble finding long-term services that can do more for them than simply provide medication

When I first started my college journey I initially majored in Biology. Not knowing what I wanted to do, I was influenced by my advisor to enter the biology field. After my third year, I decided not to pursue biology anymore, and that’s when I discovered my passion for the Psychology field. After receiving my undergrad in psychology, I knew that I wanted to get my masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, but I had no idea of how broad this area is. This week assignment granted me the opportunity to interview someone who has been in this profession for 25 plus years who has worked in all sectors when it comes to mental health counseling. It allowed me to learn the pros and cons of this field and it even gave me more insight and clarity on exactly what I wanted to do. I found this week assignment to be very informative and I believe it is necessary for anyone that’s interesting in entering in this field. I am grateful for the knowledge and advice that I received during this week assignment.

Seeing that there are many factors that contribute to the negative notion of mental illness from the stigmas associated with the illness and the lack of attention surrounding the subject, as a career, I hope to make a difference by working with individuals with severe and chronic mental health issues and

Of the 44 patients contacted, 26 (59%) participated in the study. Eight (31%) participated in one of the three focus groups, and 18 (69%) participated in semi-structured interviews. Reasons for non-participation included competing priorities, lack of interest, and parent refusal. Participants were aged from 14 to 26 years (mean 18 years [SD 3.15]), and 14 (54%) were below 18 years, and the median disease duration was 6 years (SD 3.7). Most were female (n=24 [92%]) and of Asian ethnicity (n=16 [62%]). The most common SLE manifestations reported by participants were arthritis (n=17 [65%]) and skin lesions (n=11 [42%]) (table 1).