As a RN who works in the community I knew I was going to face challenges in finding resources. As the parent, it was the hardest part getting resources. Because my son is Autistic, many of the Psychiatrics did not want to treat because they were not specialized in Autisms. The other hurdle was because he was on Medicaid, we were limited to one program that were told we had to apply for a spot. The resources just are not there. We still struggle for resources and all his help is now private pay. This bothers me because Michael is not the only person with special needs, and not the only one who will attempt suicide. Not every parent or family member can pay out of pocket. Mental health for this country needs an overhaul, Mental health for this community needs so much…
The deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill was originally and idealistically portrayed as a liberating, humane policy alternative to the restrictive care in large state supported hospitals. It was supposed to help these individuals regain freedom and empower themselves through responsible choices and actions. Due to many funding issues, stiff opposition from communities, and ill-equipped patients, who are unable to live independently, this idealized program, has not always been a blessing for the communities or the patients.…
Describe the major components of the Sociological Model of Mental Illness and compare it to the Medical Model of Mental Illness. What evidence exists that supports the Sociological Model of Mental Illness? What evidence exists that supports the Medical Model of Mental Illness? (Approximately 2-4 paragraphs)…
Only 20% of children with mental illness access mental health services. The economic burden of mental illness in the United States (U.S) is substantial. Over 300 million were estimated costs in 2002 and is on the rise Approximately 80 million American suffer from some form of mental illness. In the last 20…
I do not think that the Mental Health Parity Act was successful, because there are many people still in this world who don’t have insurance have to pay more than what people with insurance do. Even some people…
There is an agreement that about 2.8% of the US adult population suffers from severe mental illness. The most severely disabled have been forgotten not only by society, but by most mental health advocates, policy experts and care providers. Deinstitutionalization is the name given to the policy of moving severely mentally ill patients out of large state institutions and then closing the institutions as a whole or partially. Deinstitutionalization is a multifunctional process to be viewed in a parallel way with the existing unmet socioeconomical needs of the persons to be discharged in the community and the development of a system of care alternatives (Mechanic 1990, Madianos 2002). The goal of deinstitutionalization is that people who suffer day to day with mental illness could lead a more normal life than living day to day in an institution. The movement was designed to avoid inadequate hospitals, promote socialization, and to reduce the cost of treatment. Many problems developed from this policy. The discharged individuals from public psychiatric hospitals were not ensured the medication and rehabilitation services necessary for them to live independently within the community. Many of the mentally ill patients were left homeless in the streets. Some of the discharged patients displayed unpredictable and violent behaviors and lacked direction within the community. A multitude of mentally ill patients ended up incarcerated or sent to emergency rooms. This placed a huge burden on the jail systems.…
Modern mental health services have, and continue to experience ongoing changes throughout the United States. Rapidly fading away are the days of long-term hospitalizations and institutional based systems of care (Breakey, 1996). As Dr. George Paulson, MD reports, “things are changing in America and the hospitals were not exempt from intense scrutiny by society at large” (Paulson, 2012). Depending on the region and availability of resources, mental health services are now intended to serve as a safety net not only for the individual, but for the community as a whole (Rosenberg & Rosenberg, 2006). According to Catawba Valley Behavioral Healthcare Chief Clinical Officer Donald Mott, “Community mental health services are now currently meant to be available with the focus on easy access, low cost and resilient to sustain the ebbs and flows of the community” (Donald Mott, Personal Communication, November 5, 2012). According to Breakey,…
During the Nixon administration, funding was impounded and during Reagan’s administration, mental health funding was collapsed funding in order to block grants. During the period 1970-73 14 state hospitals were closed. Programs that supported deinstintuliation were the start of Community Mental Health Centers passed on a bill by the U.S Congress hoping that it would be able to be a resource regardless of one's ability to pay(The History Of Issues,132-140). The 1900s was a time of great progress in mental health reform but as the 2000s approached some of the biggest changes occurred on the basis of treatment as the idea of mental illness slowly became a less taboo subject among the population(The History Of…
As it stands now, 28 states have laws requiring insurers to pay for psychiatric treatment. However, many sufferers of mental illness lose their jobs, and the states provide no safety net to catch those people. Insurance coverage also is exceedingly limited, such as 20 visits to a therapist and no drug coverage (Morain & Marquis, p. A22). Many people want treatment but cannot afford it. Why not spread that cost around to everyone? Each person will have to pay a little more, but they will have psychiatric treatment if necessary. They also will benefit from a society that will be healthier as a…
First, Australians are now more informed on mental illnesses and the consequences of falling to provide services for those with a medical need. The work of beyondblue, headspace, SANE Australia and The Inspire Foundation (to name a critical few) has significantly increased awareness and understanding. Second, on an almost daily basis there are national media reports of mental health service failures and inadequacies. This combined with regular adverse reports from credible sources including Ombudsman’s Offices, Auditor Generals, providers, researchers and so on, paint a picture of a system in perpetual crisis. This in turn feeds the public discourse and drives the political engagement around policy responses.…
In the past, and still occuring now, people with mental disabilities were often thrown into jail for the wrong reasons or while in jail were treated inhumanly. It states in the journal Prisons of the Mind: Social Value and Economic Inefficiency in the Criminal Justice Response to Mental Illness, “statistics show that between 30 and 40 percent of mentally ill individuals in the jails...had no criminal charges pending against them, while jails report frequently holding people with mental illnesses simply because there is no other place to put them,” this means that many people who need help and assistance for their illness are often thrown into a prison and neglected because that is easiest for the people in charge, rather than seeking out help…
Health disparities related to access to mental health care services continues to be a growing concern for the field of nursing and other healthcare professions. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) (2016b), 20% of people living in the United States (U.S.) currently struggle with mental illness. Despite the goals of Healthy People 2020 (2016) to improve mental health through prevention and access to care, significant disparities still exist. Substantial cuts have occurred in national and state funding of mental health services across all 50 states. The result has been multiple community and hospital based facilities closing their doors causing an even greater gap in access to care for patients seeking mental healthcare…
If these individuals do commit crimes public officials need to, “Implement and promote jail diversion programs such as mental health courts, use court-ordered outpatient treatment (assisted outpatient treatment/AOT) to provide the support at-risk individuals need to live safely and successfully in the community” (Torrey et al., 2014, p. 6). In the article “The Treatment of Persons with Mental Illness in Prisons and Jails: A State Survey” it goes on to state that, “Decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court have affirmed that prisons and jails have a duty to provide medical care to individuals in their custody” (Torrey et al., 2014, p.11). Policy makers need to conduct studies to compare housing the mentally ill individuals in prison and jails verses the cost of treating them in health facilities or in the community. Intake screenings need to be more precise in determining if medications are needed, suicide attempts, and other risks related with mental illness. Mandatory release planning should be provided to plan community support and foster recovery. Mental illness treatment is also needed for these…
Federal and state levels have a hard time finding the funds to treat the mentally ill who have been incarcerated. Many times mentally ill inmates go undiagnosed or their needs are not met because corrections officers do not know how to handle them. If these offenders are not properly cared for their physical and mental state will deteriorate. This causes them to be much more of a burden on society and the prison system financially ("National center for biotechnology information, u.s. national library of medicine",…
People suffering with mental illnesses have to endure many hardships that most of society is unaware of. Medication, treatment and proper care for those with extreme mental disorders , including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, can often times be overlooked. Along with the mentally ill, families must go through extreme costs and legal difficulties to be able to provide for them. Ever since the 1800’s, society has been unable to provide and deal with mentally ill citizens in an appropriate manner. Many have been thrown in jails. Few may understand that mental diseases affect millions across the U.S, but everyone needs to understand how costly it is to ignore these issues. Some would agree to continue to completely…