From there, the article talks about how mental illness is a global problem and how societies all over the world see it as a burden. Because of this, mental illnesses have become a chronic disease, especially in the United States; this because nothing is being done to help those affected. The article has a focus on creating strategies to help resolve or improve the problems there are with mental illness. The author looks at past resolutions and asks people who are actually going through this themselves in order to better understand what society can do to help alleviate some of the pain and
Our progress in learning the causes and treatments for mental illness has been steady as we build on the medical model of mental illness, which Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman (2010) describe as a model that, “views emotional and behavioral problems as a mental illness, comparable to a physical illness (pp. 341). Only in modern times have we been able to effectively treat mental illness with behavioral therapy, social support, medicine, and other research-based programs. However, there is still much work to be done in regard to access, proper facilities, policy and a host of other challenges that affect this issue.
Furthermore, tremendous advances have been made in the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses in the recent decades. Nowadays, someone with a mental illness is treated with respect, just like every other person, because, in fact, everyone is equal. Society’s goals today are to treat and support the mentally ill individuals enough so they can live in
In the United States the Mental Health Care field is one of the most underserved areas of healthcare. The mental healthcare field faces many challenges to the proper treatment of patients from both a societal and professional standpoint. From a societal perspective a negative stereotype is associated with patients seeking psychiatric care. Patients seeking care are often labeled as defective or damaged. Add in the complication that most patients with mental illness appear to be normal, accepting that someone is ill without outward symptoms can also be difficult for a society to understand. From a professional perspective the challenges within the mental health care industry include personal prejudice, staffing issues, and problems with coordinating care. The combination of these factors has a direct negative impact on the willingness of individuals suffering from mental illness in seeking the care needed to treat the symptoms of mental illness.
Mental illness is nondiscriminatory, can affect any person and transcends all social boundaries. As a result, the issues surrounding mental illness have become common discussion pints among policymakers dedicated or required to formulate solutions around providing the long-term care needed by many patients. Healthcare reforms and changes to the systems that provide services to those living with mental illness and funding for services to the facilities providing care have become major social issues (Goldman, Morrissey, Ridgley, Frank, Newman, & Kennedy, 1992). The reason for this is primarily how it can affect a market economy and how much of a burden diseases of the mind can be in a country such as the United States. According to the 1991 Global Burden of Disease study conducted by the World Health Organization mental health burden accounted for “more than 15% in a market economy such as the U.S.” (The Impact of Mental Illness on Society, 2001). The study also states that for individuals over the age of 5, varying forms of depression are the leading cause of disability. A more recent study indicates that mental illness in general is found in more than 26% of the United States adult population, of which 6% are severe and limit the patient’s ability to function (Martin, p. 163. 2007).
In recent times, the responsibility of providing health care services has fallen on the shoulders of the primary health care providers. In turn, this reflects on the treatment preferences of many citizens and the subsequent availability and further the affordability of health care services. Quite some patients now receive health care for mental disorders from their primary health care providers. Therefore, this shows that the mental health afflicted patients are getting the proper treatment and prescription of their disorders from their doctors.
In allowing psychologists to handle both the therapy and medication, more progress can be made with the client. This would also help patients stick to their treatment without having to drop out in the middle of it due to transportation or monetary issues. This is important when taking into account that mental health often requires long-term treatment without a defined way or cure to treat someone. The complexities behind mental health make it difficult to have a set date in when a patient will be fully better. Therefore, sticking with the treatment, is ideal when aiming towards a desirable result. If people were able to access the care they need more easily, then most likely they would be more willing to continue on with the treatment. Many argue that in allowing psychologists to handle both the therapy and treatment, it would not only reduce the cost and time needed, but it will also increase the availability of mental health treatment to those in rural areas (Long,
Throughout history our nation has struggled with the treatment of mental illness. In our early history, mental illness was not seen as something of interest, and as a result, those who had a mental illness were not treated the way they should have been. The advancement of science and medicine has allowed society to start to unfold once seemingly impossible to understand mental disorders, and bringing with it a surge of awareness and motivation to help those in need; but it would not come easy. Through the 1800’s leading up to the turn of the century, state hospitals started to sprout up across the country. One that we will spend our time discussing was the St. Peter’s state hospital in St. Peter Minnesota.We will learn about the hardships experiences
In today’s society there is a greater awareness of mental illnesses. With this greater awareness one might assume that there would be a substantial increase in government involvement or funding in the area of mental illness treatment. Unfortunately this isn’t the case in the U.S. today. There are hundreds of thousands of people with mental illness that go untreated. These potential patients go untreated for many reasons. These reasons are discussed in the Time article “Mental Health Reform: What Would it Really Take.
My experience in mental health clinical was very different from any other clinical I had before. In a mental health clinical setting, I am not only treating client’s mental illnesses, I am also treating their medical problems such as COPD, diabetes, chronic renal failure, etc. Therefore, it is important to prepare for the unexpected events. In this mental health clinical, I learned that the importance of checking on my clients and making sure that they are doing fine by performing a quick head-to toes assessment at the beginning of my shift. I had also learned that client’s mental health illness had a huge impact on their current medical illness.
Dr. Evans has stated, “Twenty years ago, providers were paid on a fee-for-services basis; no one ever asked if the patient got better” (Clay, 2011). This has changed and care is more “recovery-focused patient care” with evidence based studies for behavioral changes and to be more patient friendly. There is more to behavioral health services than just psychologist and psychiatrist. Often it starts with a primary care physician that makes a referral to a behavioral health professional. Behavioral health can also be forms of counseling from social workers, pastoral counselors, clinical social workers, peer specialists, psychiatric pharmacists, and psychiatric nurses (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2016).
Helping those battling serious mental illness is not just an issue of humanity; reform will make the mental health system more effective and cost-efficient.
In its article, “How do we fix America’s Mental Health Care System?”, the Nami organization states that, there are problems in the mental health care system that needs to be solved for the greater good to the people. It claims that America has limited access to treatment in mental health care system, and therefore, there should be various solutions that can solve the problem. It supports this by providing list of ideas that could be initiated in the near future. Likewise, President of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, Allen Doederlein mentions that, healthcare professionals from the same background as the patient could provide more effective treatments. This could be worth considering because, it could remove the negative thoughts
The treatment and prevention of mental illness can be difficult, and as with physical illness, no case or result is the same for everyone. Treatment varies for each illness, as well as for individual client needs and level of severity. With the numerous choices of treatment available today, people around the world have a greater chance at not only preventing or decreasing mental illness, but also the opportunity to enhance their mental health through the public health model of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention.
It has been reported that the number of people with mental disorder is increasing in our communities at an alarming rate. Environmental and social changes are among the most mentioned causes of the accelerating rate of mental illness in society (Häfner, 1985). Despite the prevalence, about one fifth of the adult population will battle with mental illness every year ("Facts and figures about mental illness," 2014) and the acknowledgement of authorities mental illness is still given less attention then is needed to treat the problem successfully. Health bodies need to be putting more resources into this area as