Treatment Gap Barriers

Barriers to mental health care exist for many populations in the United States and hinder the abilities of preventative care to treat mental health issues effectively. Some barriers to mental health care include: the perception that treatment is not needed, the patient does not finish the course of treatment, or for financial reasons, treatment is unobtainable. A study by Mojtabai, et al. (2011) investigated the barriers, stating, “Desire to handle the problem on one 's own was the most common reason among respondents with perceived need both for not seeking treatment (72.6%)...Attitudinal/evaluative factors were much

The lack of treatment for mental illnesses — due partly from the stigma with which it is associated with — comes with a number of public issues: economically,

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.

According to the World Health Organization, mental illness will affect approximately 25% of people at some point in their life (“WHO Qualityrights”, n.d.). Despite that, the current mental health care system in the United States is inadequate. Many aspects of the system need improving, especially the barriers to service. In fact, approximately 20% of individuals are left without necessary treatment for their mental health disorder (“Mental Health”, 2016). Mentally ill individuals have difficulty accessing necessary mental health care services for various reasons; insurance, socioeconomic status, and mental health stigma can all function as barriers to treatment. Insurance discrimination can make it difficult for individuals to find treatment (Han, Call, Pintor, Alarcon-Espinoza, & Simon, 2015). Gaps in insurance coverage can also be a barrier, as they disrupt the long-term treatment process (Gulley, Rasch, & Chan 2011). Socioeconomic status has been found to negatively affect appointment scheduling (Kugelmass, 2016). Finally, stigma in our society can also stop people from seeking out treatment that they need (Bathje & Pryor, 2011). The mental health system in the United States is not capable of caring for the mentally ill, as insurance, socioeconomic status, and perceived stigma all act as barriers that prevent people from receiving the treatment they need.

There is so much that can be done to create more access to mental health care but we need to start somewhere. To reduce the effects of untreated mental health care, access to care needs to become available to everyone. Having care and access to that care is essential in treating mental illness and to help provide a better life to those suffering from mental illness. Access to care needs to increase so that everyone in the world has a fair shot at receiving help. It's time to take a stand and increase the access to mental health

As discussed in class, little advancement has been made in the field of mental health care over the past two decades. Rates of mental illness continue to be high especially among certain subgroups, but progress has been stunted by stigma and social environmental issues. Mental health disparities, like many other health disparities, are embedded within a trend of socioeconomic differences (Miranda, McGuire, Williams, & Wang, 2008). Racial and class disparities exist among those afflicted

Optimal mental health has been associated with improved health, social, and professional outcomes (Centers For Disease Control and Prevention "Mental Health Basics”). Thus, mental health care is the process of maintaining this well-being for individuals through various health-related services. Because those with mental health disorders are unlikely to “live productively and fruitfully,” many of these people are likely to be in low-income brackets, which also means they are less likely to be able to afford or have sufficient access to the necessary care and their mental and physical health may further deteriorate, thus signaling a vicious cycle. Unfortunately, because poor mental health is not commonly treated or prevented in primary care, these individuals continue to suffer until they are able to be treated for a specific mental illness. Often mental health care and medical care do not coincide. This is a substantial issue because individuals who are in serious need of mental health services are more likely to have serious physical illnesses that accompany mental illnesses. In addition to driving up prices of care, this type of disorganization also reduces the quality and effectiveness of mental health care and medical care

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.

Lack of access to mental health care and treatment is one of the top ten reasons that many mental health conditions go untreated. Many private and group health insurance plans only include minimal mental health care coverage or do not incorporate mental health care coverage at all. Over half of adult citizens of the United States of America, who possess a mental illness, do not obtain mental health care treatment. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, one out of every five adults in America have endured their own mental health difficulty, and one out of every twenty-five American adults suffer from a severe mental illness, such as major depression, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder. (Top 5 Barriers to Mental Healthcare Access, Social Solutions.com, 2017)

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

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.

Barriers to changes in health care policy/legislation at the state and federal level can be substantial. Implementation can be affected greatly by the planning process and feedback. “Without adequate planning to address potential barriers, implementation can fail miserably”, Milstead & Short, 2019).

Mental health issues have been an ongoing hot topic in this country for over a century. Though many strides have been made to increase awareness and lessen the stigma, there continues to be a barrier to mental health care, especially for our nations’ youth and young adults. I will be discussing the history behind mental health care, current policies regarding it, how the presence of stigma reduces the likelihood that youth and young adults are receiving the adequate mental health care they require, how mental health awareness decreases these stigma, and how policy changes can lead to overall acceptance and mental health treatment of youth.

Mental Health has been recognized, as the well-being at which individuals are able to cope with everyday stresses, and work productively while contributing back to their community. Mental Health America began in the early 1900’s by Clifford W. Beers, a former psychiatric patient who experienced mental/physical abuse during his stay in public and private institutions. It wasn’t until short after a reform group emerged, to stand against the abuse and ill-treatment at these institutions. In this paper, I will be discussing the history/background of Mental Health Services, and how quality, access, cost or other factors have changed (or how they haven’t). I also will be discussing the populations that benefit from this type of service and the significant issues, and or problems within the area that impact specific populations. Lastly, I will interpret national policy, legislation, attitudes, political climate, and how they impact or relate to the problems discussed, then I will address two current issues discussed along with clarifying each discussion.

As health care providers, we have seen a lot of patients come to the emergency with very serious infection or after 5 days of abdominal pain. We always encourage patients to seek medical care as soon as possible. However, not everyone wants to believe that they have health problems. There are many reasons that prevent the patients from seeking health care.