Mental illness is a dominant issue in our society today. It is reported that “just 50% of Canadians would tell friends or co-workers that they have a family member with a mental illness, compared to 72% who would discuss a diagnosis of cancer and 68% who would talk about a family member having diabetes” (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 2014). Without proper care, people with mental health issues cannot function or contribute properly to society. Health promotion provides the public with information and resources to improve and control their overall health. “Health promotion aims to address the underlying determinants of population risks; promote multi-sectoral policies and programmes to improve health and reduce health inequalities; …show more content…
According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) (2012), it has been reported “70% of mental health problems have their onset during childhood or adolescence”. Mental health occurs during adolescence, which is when education is most crucial. Those individuals who do not seek help when it is crucial will result in an interrupted study and may not complete their education. Without educational achievement, individuals may face poverty, isolation, and deteriorating mental health issues (Canadian Mental Health Association, 2014). People with serious mental illness face numerous barriers in their life. Stigma, discrimination, poor education and poverty are just a few to name. Loss of income can affect a person negatively such as loss in housing, employment and education. As quality of life is compromised, depression and anxiety often follow which increases an impact on mental health. Many people with mental health issues rely on social assistance as their main source of income. According to the CMHA (2008), “In 2008, 36% of the caseload were people with a mental health conditions and represent the largest disability group to receive social assistance. This number continues to rise”. Those receiving money from social assistance have little to waste; therefore accessibility to community services may not be an option. This issue may leave the person in isolation and as a result distance …show more content…
“Clients receive case management services through a collaboration between CMHA Ottawa, Project Upstream, Ottawa Salus Corporation, The Royal, Montfort Renaissance, Pinecrest-Queensway Community and Health Services, Youth Services Bureau, Sandy Hill Community Health Centre and Somerset West Community Health Centre” (CMHA, 2014) just to name a few available. These have been developed in order to strengthen community action and to promote health services in order to give the individual a chance to actively be involved in achieving optimal health. Having listed numerous of programs available in the community, data reveals that “Almost a third of Canadians who seek mental health care report that their needs are unmet or partially met” (CAMH, 2012). It is imperative for community health professionals to assess and advocate for changes to be made. Through this, public health policy will be consistent with the needs of the community. In return, this will build stronger
The relationship between mental health and poverty can prove to be complicated at times because of an overwhelmingly large number of outside
The impetus for change to improve the healthcare services provided to individuals suffering from mental illness came about because the deinstitutionalization efforts begun in the 1970s were failing to properly assist this population (McLaughlin & McLauglin, 2008). McLauglin and McLauglin (2008) explain North Carolina’s four regional mental health hospitals were acting as independent entities and not working to provide better coordinated services to its’ local community mental health centers. They reveal local community mental health centers were not receiving the resources necessary to run effective rehabilitation programs for their patients (McLaughlin & McLauglin, 2008). Similar situ...
Studies do show that low income can lead to poor mental health as well. People with low income will typically suffer from stress, depression, low self-esteem or stigma (Sieppert, 2004). Families that live in poverty are often geared away from getting an education, or secure employment (Poverty and Mental Illness, 2007). These families lack the health care that they need, health care does not necessarily need to be when you get injured, but mental health. Although, some may disagree, people with mental illnesses need just as much help. Families in poverty experience economic hardships, these could be things like losing a job, a house, or education (Poverty and Mental Illness, 2007). These are essential needs that everyone needs to be entitled to, to be able to live a healthy life. Losing these kinds of essentials will absolutely cause stress, which can sometime follow up with anxiety and depression (Poverty and Mental Illness, 2007). According to statistic, 1 in 5 people in Ontario will suffer from a mental illness, and 35% of those people are living on social support from the government (Poverty and Mental Illness, 2007). This stress could also come from how expensive basic living conditions are in
Discharge planning for these patients into the community does not consider living in shelters and assisted living facilities. The revolving door situation creates negative outcomes for patients and organizations. These organizational alternative housing services do not provide medication supervision, therefore adherence to medication regimen and treatment is not provided to them. Consequently, they return to hospitals seeking follow-up treatment. Unfortunately exacerbation of mental illness symptoms is inevitable reflected from premature discharge and inadequate follow-up care. It is imperative that all patients receive proper treatment and discharge plan. Providing discharge instructions to patients for transitioning to independent living and self-care is not sufficient. Proactive health interventions and planning organizational strategies are needed to improve health outcomes for patients who are living in health care institutions (National Health Care for the Homeless council,
On October 31, 1963, President Kennedy signed the Community Mental Health Act into law with the aim to change the delivery method of mental health care (National Council for Behavioral Health, 2013). The primary aim was to release the mentally ill from institutions and allow them to successfully integrate into functional members of society. In an effort to achieve this goal, delivery of care would be a coordination of effort from a network of outpatient clinics, community services, partial hospitalizations, and when needed emergency services. The funding for these services was to be from a combination of government, private programs and self-pay sources. However, due to the recent recession government sources reduced funds available for mental health services (Thomas). This economic reality coupled with an already fragmented health care system has left mental ill vulnerable. Patients that fall into the cracks in the system often end up in homeless shelters, jails/prisons or the morgue (Szabo, 2012).
Mental illness related to low socioeconomic status (SES) conditions lead to interference of educational pursuits and finding employment; thus trapping the family in a cycle of poverty. Obstacles in accessing quality mental health car...
Poverty in mental health prevents patients from seeking out medical attention due to lack of insurance. “insurance coverage disparities make mental health care less accessible than other forms of health care” (Safran, 2011). Due to lack of insurance patients are not receiving adequate care, such as being evaluated, receiving the appropriate treatments, and not going to doctor follow up appointments to ensure proper care. Without receiving proper treatment, it can cause the patient condition to get worse and would not have a chance of a successful outcome. Also, poverty can cause additional stress and anxiety making the mental illness progress. “The stresses of living with someone who has a mental health problem may be particularly pronounced for families who live in resource poor areas where treatment options, accurate information, and social support may be limited.” (Bischoff, 2017). Lack of attention is another health disparities, due to lack of attention, there is limited funding sources to help mental health patients. Since there is a lack of funding these individuals are not getting the appropriate help that is needed. As well since mental health lacks attention and funding, there are limited mental health institutions, so people who need to be institutionalized may be required to be relocated to another city/state. We must try our best to provide all resources for our patients and
Those that are homeless or living in poverty have high rates of mental disorders, but have limited access to get assistance due to they are the ones that are being discriminated against because of their social status (Saxena, et al., 2007). In some countries, it is a person’s sex that determines if they meet the criteria for assistance, more woman than men normally meet the criteria for common mental disorders and assistance (Saxena, et al., 2007). The last example are those that live in rural areas due to they are not in close proximity to a major city to be able to receive the care they need (Saxena et al., 2007). Where I live these are all barriers for those with mental illness to get assistance and I do not feel like there is much being done to improve the situation. Next I will discuss the last worldwide barrier, which is inefficiencies when using the
Close to six million Canadians live with mental illness; let alone the thousands that are undiagnosed. Mental illness has made big headlines in the news in the recent years. The people suffering from mental illness have been faced with discrimination a caused by a stigma towards them. Mental illness can be caused by many different factors whether they are psychological or environmental. Although only twenty percent of Canadians personally experience mental illness in their lifetime, it affects everyone in their lives. Many of the people suffering from mental illness live their lives in silence because of the stigma attached to the illness. They would rather nobody know about their condition than face the stigma and discrimination of the public. Society has come a long way from a hundred years ago when they would use trepanation. Trepanation is a primitive method used to heal head injuries; they truly believed that carving a hole in ones skull would release any mental injuries the patient had. A decade ago people suffering from mental illness were treated as if they were less than others. Now a days, people suffering from mental illness are not treated as poorly as before, they have larger support group than before, and society is more understanding of mental illness now. However, there is still much room for improvement.
States obtain many services that fall under mental health care, and that treat the mentally ill population. These range from acute and long-term hospital treatment, to supportive housing. Other effective services utilized include crisis intervention teams, case management, Assertive Community Treatment programs, clinic services, and access to psychiatric medications (Honberg at al. 6). These services support the growing population of people living in the...
Margaret, M.A.(2009). Framework for a Mental Health Strategy for Canada. Health Policy Monitor survey 13.
Those basic needs such as health care create obstacles for those with disabilities as well. Mental health care is unbelievably expensive as shown by the quote, “Depression is estimated to cost the EU €41 billion in direct costs and €77 billion in productivity losses. This compares to €35 billion in productivity losses for cardiovascular disease” (“The Effect”). This is also interesting because cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in the world today, yet depression raises so many more costs. Not only are mental health issues more expensive, they’re more common than one might realize as well: “One in four (132.4 million) Europeans are affected by mental health problems every year. This resulted in an economic cost of
Most commonly, people are stated to be “depressed” rather than someone who “has depression”. It is a common perception that mental illnesses are not a priority when it comes to Government spending, just as it is forgotten that most mental health disorders can be treated and lead a normal life if treatment is successful. The effect of this makes a sufferer feel embarrassed and dehumanized. A common perception is that they should be feared or looked down upon for something they have not caused. People experience stigma as a barrier that can affect nearly every aspect of life—limiting opportunities for employment, housing and education, causing the loss of family and friends.... ...
It is deeply alarming that ignoring mental health is systematically ignored as an important part of health promotion. This is shocking because, in theory, mental health is recognized as an important component of health, the close link between physical and mental health is recognized, and it is generally known that physical and mental health share many of the same social, environmental and economic components. We know that facilities dedicated to those with mental health problems are more vulnerable to the resources of physical diseases in many parts of the world, and it is essential that mental health promotion should not be equally affected
Today, the numbers of people with mental health issues are considerably high. The problem increases the national and global social and economic burdens as governments try to find means of empowering the people with the issue and solve the problem. Today, one in five adults in the United States has a mental health problem (“Mental Health Facts,” 2016). “Mental Health Facts” (2016) also states that the adults that received mental health services are about 60%. Only 50% of the youth with mental health issues received mental health services in the previous year. Further, mental health issues are also related to drug use and addiction. Of all the mental illnesses and disorders, depression affects the most people and has the biggest burden globally. Due to the increasing burden and the gap in service utilization, the mental health policy seeks to address several factors. Some of the key issues to address include early diagnosis of mental disorders, provision of appropriate and adequate intervention a particular problem, education and counseling for the family members, and research to help reduce the numbers and reverse the trend. Another key area of focus is the use of mass media to create awareness about mental health issues and help clear the