Ongoing Need for Effective Mental Health Care Grows

Posted on November 29, 2022

I’ve had the occasion lately to be reminded of the stigma around mental health . When someone with a mental illness is called. . .weak, . . .dangerous, . . . incompetent. Often treated differently, even marginalized as a result being excluded from those things in life, we take for granted. Quietly this person often lives in fear of getting through the day - losing a job, becoming estranged from family, and/or distrust of the system and providers. Eventually, without access to the right

I’ve had the occasion lately to be reminded of the stigma around mental health . When someone with a mental illness is called. . .weak, . . .dangerous, . . . incompetent. Often treated differently, even marginalized as a result being excluded from those things in life, we take for granted.[i]

Quietly this person often lives in fear of getting through the day - losing a job, becoming estranged from family, and/or distrust of the system and providers. Eventually, without access to the right mental health care, some became so distressed turning to drugs and alcohol to cope, is not uncommon.

Even for those fortunate to enter a treatment program, the risk of relapsing within months without easy access to ongoing care and therapy after discharge is real. It becomes a cycle – lack of trust, not taking meds, failure to follow up with care appointments, eventually an acute episode requiring hospitalization and treatment; going back to old habits - lack of or the inability to continue care, until tragically, s/he eventually succumbs to an overdose.

During these last few years, we have seen almost everyone touched by the physical, social and financial impact of mental illness. There’s been a huge uptick in mental health conditions worldwide, including work anxiety and burnout; stress from social injustice, gun violence, and climate change; loss of connection due to the pandemic; pressures from caring for a loved one; grief from a COVID death, suicide, or overdose; and increased substance use and suicidal ideation.

Nearly one billion people worldwide suffer from a mental health disorder. In the U.S. alone:

· 1 in 5 adults (about 52.9 million people) experience a mental illness.

· In 2020, 1 in 20 adults experienced serious a mental health disorder (14.2 million people).

· Yet just 46.2 percent of U.S. adults with mental illness receive treatment.

· 16.5% of U.S. youth aged 6-17 a mental health disorder in 2016 (7.7 million people.

· 17 million people – 6.7% of U.S. adults experienced a co-occurring substance use disorder and mental illness in 2020.[ii]

The costs of poor mental health and its related consequences are projected to reach $6 trillion globally by 2030, up from $2.5 trillion in 2010. That’s more than the costs associated with cancer, diabetes, and respiratory ailments combined.

Everyone suffers

As difficult, painful and devastating as it is for those with a mental illness diagnosis, it is also difficult for those who love the person with mental illness. For patients with mental illness, the family unit plays a crucial role. Care partner support for advocacy and navigation is paramount to success, particularly for the individual to know how, or unable to access needed care due to failure to seek health care. Particularly for people with dual diagnosis, severe depression, chronic physical illness, fear of coercive treatment, private insurance, and no insurance.

Even once the right mental health care provider has been identified, wait times can be several weeks (which can have devastating effects for someone in crisis) and negative experience (bad rapport with a provider, scheduling problems, or unchanged symptoms).

The family advocate/care partner goal is to identify easy access to the right provider and care experience. This can be a challenge given unfamiliarly with the mental health care space. The following guidelines are offered:

1. Identify the type (specializing in depression, substance misuse, etc.) of licensed mental health provider needed. The most common are: psychiatrist, psychologist, psychiatric mental health nurse, physician assistant and clinical social worker or professional counselor).

2. The ability to immediately schedule appointments, flexibility to choose in-person or online, support between sessions, and check-ins all combine to create a personalized

3. Ideality you’re looking for top-tier providers who have availability and proven treatment methodologies that achieve real results through referrals provided by primary care provider(s), trusted friends, family or clergy. Consider:

a. Education, training, licensing and years in practice.

b. Area of specialization and specific services offered.

c. Evidenced-based treatments with proven outcomes (evidence of success)

d. Treatment approach and philosophy.

e. High improvement and recovery rates (data on measurable clinical improvement).

f. The insurance providers they work with.

g. The right fit (providing the condition and support of the family).

4. Contact a local or national mental health organization such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

5. Internet search for professional associations that have directories such as the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association or the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.

The key to keeping your loved one engaged in care is matching them to a provider who specializes in treatment that is tailored to their needs and fits their preferences, schedules, and location. Also important is offering an engaging experience where the patient will benefit from receiving clinically proven digital tools from their provider that help them improve faster, with longer lasting results.