Question

Do you think the mental health system in our country today functions well, or is it broken? Why or why not?

Support your choice with at least two examples and one credible resource.

Answer 1

From my perspective, I feel mental health in our country is broken . To support this statement I would like to put forward the following examples.

1. Appropriate interventions for and prevention, treatment, and management of mental illnesses are not “us versus them” problems. Rather, they encompass a myriad of concerns that affect us and our parents, spouses, siblings, children, friends, and colleagues. The stigma surrounding mental health must be eradicated as soon as possible so that we can actually aim at treating the person going through a mental breakdown. More stigma about it makes the whole situation go downhill
2. Despite the mandates of the 1996 Mental Health Parity Act, our mental health systems are plagued with barriers to equal access and treatment for persons with mental illness. Factors contributing to the dilemma include the fragile safety net of local and state programs; lack of adequate insurance coverage for mental health; limited access to and utilization of quality mental health services; high costs of psychotropic medications, psychotherapeutic treatments, and behavioral rehabilitation; poor coordination of mental health services with primary health care; limited integration of services for co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders; lack of attention to the specific needs of vulnerable populations; and a dearth of mental health professionals who are members of racial/ethnic minorities.

Resource:(http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/home.html) ; (http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/cre)