Introduction Many people face obstacles every day of their lives, but when it comes to getting assistance around these obstacles many people do not have a way to do that. A client for human services will put up their own barriers to avoid having to deal with asking for assistance and until they work through some of those barriers they are not going to be able to get the assistance they need. Some of the barriers that they face include not having money to pay for the services, not having transportation to get to the place where the services are provided, and not having time to be able to travel to receive the services (Woodside & McClam, 2015). Clients in the United States are not the only ones facing these barriers it is happening worldwide …show more content…
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 …show more content…
As a human service provider there is so much we can do to help those that are suffering from with a mental illness get the resources that are available to them worldwide. As the provider, we have access to the resources that are available, we have to make sure we are educating those that need the help, and there are many places online that offer a toll free phone number to get free or low income assistance (Me, 2009). Along with the toll free phone numbers there are also websites and clinics in a lot of the areas that offer free or low income assistance (Me, 2009). As human service providers we should have a list of all the resources that are available, so that we are able to help those that may come into our office for assistance or when we are out in the community providing
Mental healthcare has a long and murky past in the United States. In the early 1900s, patients could live in institutions for many years. The treatments and conditions were, at times, inhumane. Legislation in the 1980s and 1990s created programs to protect this vulnerable population from abuse and discrimination. In the last 20 years, mental health advocacy groups and legislators have made gains in bringing attention to the disparity between physical and mental health programs. However, diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses continues to be less than optimal. Mental health disparities continue to exist in all areas of the world.
Accessibility is a major area of concern because while other countries embrace universal health care at low cost the U.S. see health care as a cash cow with the cost of health care constantly increasing. The U.S has the most expensive healthcare system in the world, but yet and still the quality of service that people receive is often time less than stellar. Also, another reason why the U.S. has such low rankings is because of equality. In the U.S people who are considered as having low income do not go to the doctor which results in them not partaking in wellness visit, nor receiving proper medications to combat their illness. Whereas in other countries they do visit the doctor regularly despite their economic status (Mirror, Mirror on the Wall,2014). Moving on to mental health and substance abuse The global burden of Neuropsychiatry diseases and related mental health conditions are enormous, underappreciated and under-resourced, particularly in the developing nations (Ngui, 2010). Mental health and the issues that revolve around the disease are still very much taboo than in the U.S. which makes for accurate diagnosis and treating the disease very tough. With the stigma and discrimination surrounding the disease is some countries such as
In an economic lens, mentally ill patients also experience discrimination due to the stigma and stereotypes surrounding their disorder. Although mental illness is similar to other diseases/disorders such as cardiac disease, in the sense that they are malfunctions in a part of the organ, mental disorders are not treated like it. Until the passage of Mental Health Parity And Addiction Equity Act in 2008, an act that made mental health and substance abuse treatment easily accessible, there was health care discrimination where they refused to pay for therapy sessions or other forms of treatment for people with mental disorders. But, even with the passage of the act, there is still discrimination in accessing. For example, Ali Carlin a person
Mental health is an issue that has been bombarded with unanswered questions and cursed with social stigma. Throughout history, this has created a social divide between mental health issues and the mainstream media. This disparity doesn’t only create a social separation, but a lapse in ethics, making it tolerable to look down on people in the mental health community. Historically, patients have been placed or forced into mental institutions in order to “cure” them of their mental obscurity so that they can function normally in the society, yet for centuries this has proven to be an ongoing struggle for the mental health community. With all of the new advancements in medicine and our ability to cure more physical and mental ailments than ever before, we should be making it easier for people who suffer from mental disabilities to be able to access the proper treatment they require.
Continuing budget cuts on mental health care create negative and detrimental impacts on society due to increased improper care for mentally ill, public violence, and overcrowding in jails and emergency rooms. Origins, of mental health as people know it today, began in 1908. The movement initiated was known as “mental hygiene”, which was defined as referring to all things preserving mental health, including maintaining harmonious relation with others, and to participate in constructive changes in one’s social and physical environment (Bertolote 1). As a result of the current spending cuts approaching mental health care, proper treatment has declined drastically. The expanse of improper care to mentally ill peoples has elevated harmful threats of heightened public violence to society.
Mental illness is a preventable and treatable illness that is experienced by a large number of people worldwide, but disproportionately affects people of color and individuals in poverty. Mental illness does not just affect those who are diagnosed with a mental illness but it also has an impact on those around the individual, including family and friends. However, the impact does not stop there; it affects all of society economically and potentially socially. An estimated 450 million people suffer from mental illness worldwide; as well as one in four people will experience one or more mental illnesses in their lifetime (World Health Organization, 2007). This means that a quarter (25%) of people in the world will have experienced mental illness at some point in their lives but may have recovered from their mental illness. In addition to that, the United States of America has the highest lifetime rate of mental health issues of any of the 17 industrialized countries, according to an epidemiological study done by the World Health Organization (WHO) (2007). Additional data shows that the United States has the second highest poverty rate out of 21 wealthy countries as well as having significantly high rates of income and wealth inequality, which is shown to be one of the highest risk factors for mental health problems (Shea & Shern, 2011, p. 5).
Stakeholders in mental health are a group of people who take interest in the field of mental health. The reasons for their interest are varies, but overall it is with the best intentions.
An estimated 61.5 million American Lives, or one in four, suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in any given year, and it takes a decade, on average for them to make contact with a health care professional (Pending). One in 17 Americans currently live with chronic mental illness disorders such as schizophrenia, major depression or bipolar disorder (pending). Despite the new discoveries and advances in science and technology, the social stigma of mental illness prevails. Why is mental illness an issue? Why should healthy people be concerned if their neighbor suffers from acute depression? Those are the questions that the average American faces. Yet, our society remains naïve when it comes to mental health. The roots of this issue are found in the lack of information and lack of mental health accessibility.
There are many ways in which the mentally ill are degraded and shamed. 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 feels embarrassed and feel 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 ...
Dror and colleagues (2010) believe that mental illness is heavily stigmatized, thus resulting in detrimental implications on one’s availability to behave normally in every day life in Western culture. They state how stigmatizing mental illness leads to the mentally ill losing housing opportunities. To add insult to injury, stigma also leads to mentally ill people to lose job opportunities. Finally, this stigmatization forces the mentally ill to have lower self-esteem and self-efficacy when compared to the average, mentally healthy
Over the past several decades, awareness of mental illness has grown significantly. More than ever before, we are understanding the importance of diagnosis and treatment. Recent research shows that the overall burden of mental illness accounts for 32-34% of years lived with disability (YLD) and 13% of disability-adjusted life years (DALY) (Vigo et al., 2016). This a significant increase from the previous estimates of 21% and 7% respectively (Vigo et al., 2016). With these current estimates, mental illness places first in global burden of disease in terms of YLD and DALY’s.
According to the Association of Psychological Science (2014), 40% of people with mental illnesses choose to not receive treatment due to the stigma related factors. Without treatment, an individual’s mental illness can get progressively worse, drastically altering their quality of life. It is therefore important to reduce social stigma associated with mental illness, in order to eradicate the barriers preventing individuals from receiving treatment.
The treatments are not readily be available for many people. “Government spending on mental health compared with the burden of disease is creating an enormous mismatch, and substantially contributing to globally low rates of treatment of people with mental disorders (known as the’ ‘treatment gap’’) (Vortruba et. al, 2014, p.
Both mental illness and substance abuse remain stigmatized with major gender, racial-ethnic and economic inequalities in access, use and quality of services and support. Therefore, my goal is to collaborate with educational institutions, health organizations and government agencies to create, study, and disseminate interventions that reduce the risk, increase resilience, provide effective treatment, and aid in-long term recovery. In particular, I am interested in creating policies that will help bridge the economic inequalities face by those who experience mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders. With these plans in mind, I am currently studying French and will continue working with underserved communities to gain valuable field experience in public
For example, home visits to provide social support to childbearing women from low income homes, cognitive behavioral therapy, and some type of psychological support for long term nurses, coping skills due to life changing events such as job loss, birth, caregiving, separation, divorce, bereavement, poverty, etc. For children, early interventions for preschoolers from low income communities, social skill practice to deal with problems that may become upsetting or depressing, improve relationships, improve positive attitudes, emotional support for children experiencing loss of a loved one or divorce or separation of parents, etc. The Center for Mental Health Services is the US agency that takes the lead of national efforts to improve prevention and treatment of mental illness for all American citizens. The agency is responsible for the vast ranged services and support needed for those with mental health issues, their families, and communities. A community based care system creates and delivers many of the community based care to a specific population who under any other circumstance require long term care. Range of services are included but not limited to social networks, mental health care, rehabilitation, educational and employment opportunities, etc. All of these play a substantial role in how mental health patients are cared for but all of these efforts can be stalled and yield no real result due to many contributing factors. Such as stalled resource, poverty, reinstitutionalization, education, psychopharmacology, and stigma. Stalled resources are a result of a system fragmented and characterized by multiple providers and inadequate funds (Stroul & Friedman, 1968). Poverty is a huge reality for many people. These people are burdened with a reality