The Current Mental Health Policies Essay

The provision of mental health services in the U.S. is a social justice issue that affects vulnerable populations in a variety of ways, including: limited access to quality mental health programs, especially in rural areas; the stigma associated with seeking mental health help; and discrimination against those with mental health issues. The far-reaching implications on our current system and policies of mental health care mean that it is a pervasive issue in the United States. According to the Scientific American, “Mental health care is one of the biggest

The Mental Health Services Act is a monumental proposition that has helped many people for more than a decade. In California alone, close to 1.2 million adults and around 422,000 children live with a serious mental illness (State 2010). Without the proper treatment, suicide is the leading cause of death for a person battling an untreated mental illness (State 2010). With over thirteen billion dollars raised so far, MHSA has been the root of funding for mental health in California (Williams 2015). MHSA is still a work in progress. The act is nowhere near perfect, as a recent audit has shown, but it is certainly a step in the right direction.

A national strategy for promoting mental wellbeing and mental health is No Health Without Mental Health.

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).

Mental Health is a state of social, emotional and psychological well-being. Mental health affects every part of our life and determines our ability to function, handle stress and make decisions. Throughout life, we have good and bad experiences which affect how we handle situations. The Mental Health Awareness and Improvement Act of 2015 was passed on September 30, 2015. The purpose of this act is to improve programs ordered by the Department of Health and Human Services to increase awareness, prevention and early identification of mental illnesses. Some challenges that affect mental health care in America include lack of knowledge regarding healthcare and insurance, lack of funding, no minimum standards, and lack of access to medication.

This essay will research and reflect a service user’s perspective on what legal and ethical implications John and his family may go through during his admission onto section 2 and how it will affect different aspects of his life such as; employment, relationships, continuing treatments and engagement issues.

Policy analysis of mental health care under the ACA as well as description of how mental health care/service are organized under the ACA from federal to local levels.

The United States has never had an official federal-centered approach for mental health care facilities, entrusting its responsibility to the states throughout the history. The earliest initiatives in this field took place in the 18th century, when Virginia built its first asylum and Pennsylvania Hospital reserved its basement to house individuals with mental disorders (Sundararaman, 2009). During the 19th century, other services were built, but their overall lack of quality was alarming. Even then, researchers and professionals in the mental health field attempted to implement the principles of the so-called public health, focusing on prevention and early intervention, but the funds were in the hands of the local governments, which prevented significant advances in this direction.

A universal theme in mental health reform has been simply to restate policy goals (ex. destigmatizing against mental illness, replacing institutionalization with community-based care, etc.) rather than actively achieve them.

The Mental Health Act of 1963 was put in to law by President John F Kennedy on October 31, 1963. The Mental Health Act also identified as: (Mental Retardation and Community Mental Health Centers Construction Act of 1963) led to the establishment of a variety of community mental health centers around the U.S. This act basically assisted people with mental illnesses who were stuck or held in clinical facilities move back into the regular population. Along with this law also many different developments of new psychotropic medications and innovative approaches to mental health drugs made it easier for this process to occur.

Just last year 1 in 5 Americans suffered from mental illness. Everyday Americans and people in other countries are suffering because of mental illness and they should be treated to matter the cost. Mental health has just as much effect on the body as does physical health. Which that comes to my essential question. Should health care companies cover mental health treatment? One side says yes because that would help millions of people with getting treatment because the cost is too extensive for them. But on one side of the claim some people say that the cost is too severe to cover everyone’s mental health treatment through insurance. Nevertheless, It is extremely essential that no matter the cost that people are being treated for their mental illnesses. Many people are suffering from unfair treatment from insurance companies with mental health issues to prove that I will talk about that people really do suffer, that mental health patients really do want help and lastly that it is legally deemed to be treated the same insurance wise.

Mental health is defined as an individual’s optimal care in managing the stress of everyday life, through their own unique approach and can efficiently and successfully make vital contribution within the community they live in (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, 2013). Since a break in a person’s optimal mental state affects not only the individual but society, it is important to understand what it means to have a break in one’s state of mental health and the different categories that is associated with mental illness. Focus will also be paid to why there is a need for the reformation of the mental health act in Canada; the social determinants that is associated with mental health and their contribution to society’s health’s. Finally, focus also need to be placed on how mental health is being promoted to society the stigma generally associated with it.

Senator Creigh Deeds story is just one of many that end in tragedy because of a mental health system that has failed. While the major proportion of people living with mental illness are not violent, they can become a victim of violence. According to the latest statistics from the American Psychological Association one in five adults has a diagnosable mental disorder, one in twenty-four has a serious mental disorder (SMI), and people with mental illness are no more likely to be violent that people without mental illness (Association, American Psychiatric, 2016). Untreated mental health care is characteristic of the violent crimes that we see happening today. Some of the reasons behind these untreated individuals are the unmet needs of people not having a financial means to pay for services, lack of insurance, knowledge about how to access care, embarrassment about having the need for services, and those that needed care but experienced delays in accessing care (Jones et al., 2014).

Mental health services ended up being far from reached by patients with primary psychiatric disorders. Mental health care means not only improving access but also improving clinical quality and ensuring cultural competence. It is the ability to treat and support programs to encounter individuals on personal terms and in methods that are customarily aware.

The world is facing an emergency in the area of human rights in the mental health sector as human rights of the people with mental disabilities have been violating (World Health Organisation). . Many countries in the world and Australia itself have legislation to treat a person with mental illness against his/her wish or without their consent which is the abuse of their basic human rights. The mental health legislation which is called Involuntary Treatment Orders involves treatment and detention of people with mental illness against their wish and it is total violation of the rights of people with mental illness who are subjected to these treatment orders. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD) recognizes that people with disabilities should have freedom from torture and will be given the right to make their own decisions (Barriga, 2013). Therefore, the mental health legislation in Australia also being reviewed by a number of Australian governments in the light of principles set out in UNCRPD (Mcsherry & Wilson, 2015). Consequently, there are some provisions have been made in the recent mental health reform specially to involuntary treatment orders to empower consumers rights which are going to be discussed in the following essay. The Mental health Act 2014 is the major aspect of mental health reform to promote recovery-oriented practice, minimise the use and duration of compulsory treatment, safeguard the rights and dignity of people