...Mental Healthcare The American Psychological Association recently stated, “An overwhelming majority of americans remain unaware that health insurers are required to provide coverage for mental health” (American Psychological). The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 made it required by law to cover metal and behavioral health; even with this act in place there are still limits in the amount of coverage and benefits given by each provider. Though the government does not pay much attention to people’s psychological conditions, this was to try and help those who are struggling psychologically receive the help they so desperately need. Despite the mental healthcare system being barely acknowledged and underfunded, there are numerous...
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...situation. Without question, changes in the availability of insurance need to be made. Without any modifications, the health care industry will cease to exist. This crisis will not go away on its own. Overall, the insurance unavailability crisis deserves urgent attention...
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...report you will learn about wellness in the workplace. The Government of Canada says that Canadians are becoming less well each year, this has resulted in more missed time at work and more money being spent by employers. This report will inform employers on the current wellness programs within other organizations, and how to implement their own wellness plan using some beginner strategies. If implemented correctly, these changes could impact the lives of their employees greatly. The health of Canadians is deteriorating at an alarming rate. 52.5% of Canadians are considered overweight or obese, only 53.9% of Canadians consider themselves physically active. Nova Scotia is the only province that reports a higher percentage of residents with diabetes than the national average, at 8.6% (The Government of Canada, 2013). Health related diseases are on the rise, as are insurance rates to compensate. It’s not just the physical health of Canadians that is deteriorating, it’s also our mental health. The number of Canadians suffering from depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder is intensifying. Having an employee wellness plan in place may sound expensive or difficult, but not having one in place is far more damaging. In this report, I will explain why every Canadian company should have an employee wellness program, provide examples of companies who have one in place, and how to get started. DEFINING WELLNESS Employee wellness Merriam Webster defines wellness as...
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...World health organisation defines mental health as “a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community” (BMC 2010). As per the statement, the absence of any kind of mental problem doesn’t necessarily mean the existence of sound mental health however this can be looked in another way, I.e., people living with mental disorder can also achieve good levels of wellbeing where they are living a satisfying, meaningful, contributing life even though suffering from the painful or devastating symptoms (WHO 2014). In Horizon, more than 47% of government funded mental community services...
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...United States Department of Health and Human Services: As our country struggles through tough times there is no doubt we, as a whole nation, have had to make some compromises. One of the biggest, broadest issues our country has been facing is the recent budget cuts in numerous different categories including mental health care. Mental health care has gotten the short end of the stick in the last few years, and it has become a spiraling problem in the United States. Between 2009 and 2011 the United States witnessed some of the largest state budget cuts in history, and we are still suffering from the consequences of doing so. Where does a majority of homelessness, suicide, substance abuse and jail overcrowding stem from? If you take a closer look it will become very clear that cutting the funding for mental health research and treatment has left these mentally ill patients with very few options suitable enough for their varying conditions. Due to the lack of appropriate facilities needed to properly diagnose and treat mentally ill patients, jails are becoming overcrowded and homelessness is at an all-time high. The importance of mental health care is being put on the back burner while, instead, it needs to be a priority and that is why President Obama’s proposition to increase funding to aid the mentally ill in 2014 is extremely necessary. As states cut mental health care funding, prisons are becoming an asylum. There is a very common misconception among the general public...
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...resources. This paper details the risk factors that lead to poor mental health in the residents of the state as well as areas of weakness in the state. Using statistics from various sources, the author breaks down population data to form a needs assessment and summarize the state’s condition. Mississippi Needs Assessment The state of Mississippi is located in the southern portion of the United States and gets its name from the Mississippi River, which flows next to the state’s western border (Mississippi, 2011). The capitol of Mississippi is Jackson. It has a subtropical climate with the southern part of the state being at risk for seasonal hurricanes. Thunderstorms are also very common in Mississippi with about 30 tornadoes annually (Mississippi, 2011). Mississippi is blessed with very fertile soil. It is especially rich in the Black Belt and Delta areas. The landscape of Mississippi is flat with little variation across the state (Mississippi, 2011). Mississippi has a rich history rooted in cotton farming that began in the early 1800’s. The cotton industry made Mississippi one of the wealthiest states in the Union before the Civil War and necessitated the use of hundreds thousands of slaves. Because of this, Mississippi was the second state to join the Confederacy during the Civil War (StateMaster, 2012). After the Civil War, slaves were given their freedom and the cotton industry floundered. Mississippi’s economy never recovered (Mississippi, 2011). The economic condition...
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...to investigate the work experiences of people with mental illness in Malaysia. Six females and four males (aged 30-70) from a residential home for the mentally ill participated in semi-structured interviews. Three inter-relating themes emerged, namely the experience of self at work, perception of work, and experience of others at work. All participants reported problems in either work or family relationships; most of which interfered with their work. In addition, findings suggest that the participants’ self experience may be related to the extent of one’s illness integration, experience of psychosis, attitude towards illness, locus of control, and self-efficacy. Limitations and implications of the study are also discussed. Key Words: Work Experience, Mental Illness, Mental Health, and Qualitative Research Work is a major part of people’s lives, as most of our prime adult years (between ages of 25-50 years) are spent in the workplace. Besides enabling one to enjoy a higher standard of living, work is also a source of social support (Rüesch, Graf, Meyer, Rössler, & Hell, 2004). These benefits, however, may not be available to everyone, especially those with mental health problems. Four national surveys conducted from 1989 to 1998 in the United States revealed that the employment rate of people with disabling mental disorders, like schizophrenia, was between 22 and 40 percent, as compared to people without mental illness (76 to 87 percent; Mechanic, Bilder, & McAlpine...
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...incarceration cause considerable disadvantages to society (16). Policies derived from the War on Drugs influenced the widespread of mental and substance abuse disorders among populations of incarceration (16). In order to accomplish the goal of preventing incarceration, evidence based treatments within corrections focus on prevention strategies (16). Evidence supports the idea of healthcare interventions aiding in the reduction of crime, and recidivism rates (16). These types of interventions can reduce costs to society, and improve the therapeutic outcomes of individuals who suffer from substance abuse and mental disorders (16). Mental health courts (MHC) offer a promising alternative to incarceration. Crime can produce inevitable effects, and cause society to experience considerable economic costs (1). The combination of correctional and drug policies in the United States have contributed to the rise in prison populations across the country, resulting in billions of dollars in economic losses (1). Programs such as problem-solving courts can generate benefits by reducing costs caused by crime. The objective of many MHC studies is to provide evidence that...
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...SAMHSA Headquarters Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 1 Choke Cherry Road Rockville, MD 20857 SAMHSA Headquarters: I am writing to you in regards to The Mental Health Parity. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 25% of American adults (those ages 18 and older) and about 13% of American children (those ages 8 to 15) are diagnosed with a mental illness during a given year. Mental health disorders account for four of the top 10 causes of disability in established market economies, such as the US, worldwide, and include: major depression (also called clinical depression), manic depression (also called bipolar disorder), schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. With that being said, millions of Americans with mental health disorders do not have adequate insurance protection against the costs of treatment for their mental disorders. With the rise on Mental Health I strongly feel that The Mental Health Parity needs to be firmly imposed from state to state. According to an authoritative 2005 survey Americans will experience a major psychiatric or substance disorder at some point. For instance, the survey shown that only about 50 percent of Americans with a mood disorder had psychiatric treatment in the past year — leaving the rest at high risk of suicide. Approximately 90% of people with serious mental illnesses are unemployed. This means they do not have an employer-based health insurance plan. If they try to purchase...
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...core of many persons’ beliefs and concerns. Many believe that a fetus is a human and as such the taking of like is potentially murder while others believe that a fetus in not yet a human. The various laws that have been passed placing some restrictions on abortionists have been met with resistance. There are a number of options now available to persons that would result in no pregnancies in the first place that I find it difficult to understand the necessity of abortion this wide scale that we now see in many economies. The cost to healthcare and the various health risks both physically and psychologically that often result due to an abortion and the cost of the effects of an abortion on the productivity of a nation causes me to believe that the disadvantages of an abortion far outweigh the benefits. Therefore it is my belief that Abortion is a luxury that we can do without. Psychological Effects of Abortion • The Mental effects on women of abortion • The mental effects on...
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...Health Marijuana Legalization 11-2-15 People say that marijuana is a helpful medical drug, similar in significance to chemotherapy. It helps people calm down and sleep better, in some cases. It has been helpful in suppressing nausea in chemo patients, and even helps with seizures. There may be a place for marijuana use in medicine, although that use is different than recreational marijuana use. Some say that recreational use it isn’t as harmful or bad for you as alcohol and other hard drugs. Maybe legalizing it will even help the economy. Those are some reasons why many might want to legalize recreational marijuana use. I disagree, recreational marijuana should stay illegal in the United States because if it is legalized it will cause negative effects on physical and mental health. Marijuana is a gateway drug....
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...Picture 9: Mental Health Mental health has been described as the most pressing public health issue of our time with the mental health of youths becoming an increasingly important issue to address (Abraham, n.d.). A 2013-14 national survey conducted on the mental health and wellbeing of Australian children and adolescents showed that one in seven young Australians aged 4-17 were assessed as having a mental disorder in the past 12 months. Children under 17 are more likely to suffer from ADHD and anxiety disorders (7.4% and 6.9% being affected respectively) and the most debilitating disorder for this age group was found to be major depressive disorder, affecting 2.8%. Schools play a major role in providing education and support regarding mental...
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...Labor: Threatening the economy and well-being of children Child labor has existed throughout American history and throughout the world for many years. A quote from Lewis Hine in 1980 states: "There is work that profits children, and there is work that brings profits only to employers. The object of employing children is not to train them, but to get high profits from their work.” As factories started to assemble, most owners preferred children as their workers because the owners thought them as “more manageable, cheaper and less likely to strike.” The industries children usually worked for were mines, glass factories, textiles, agriculture, canneries, home industries, newsboys, messengers, bootblack and peddlers. During the Industrial Revolution, children at four years old were employed and dealing with dangerous and sometimes fatal working conditions. Now, because of new child labor laws in the United States, industries are going overseas to produce their product in countries that still use child labor. Developed countries consider these actions to be human rights violations and are illegal, while some undeveloped countries will allow or tolerate child labor. These children who are in these factories in different countries are costing the company less because of their wages, when they could have their factories in the States, producing jobs and cash flow in our economy. Child labor violates the common good by threatening the long-term growth of the economy and the well-being of...
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...Traverse City State Hospital Known for its architecture is The Traverse City State Hospital. Built in 1885, in Northern Michigan, this breathtaking property now stands today “as mute witness to a therapeutic movement that once flourished in the United States”. The hospital’s original theme was "beauty is therapy." This mental institution was part of Michigan's mental health department, which had other institutions at places including Kalamazoo, Pontiac, Newberry, Northville, Caro, and other cities. The hospitals first superintendent, Dr. James Decker Munson, felt that if people were surrounded by beauty and tranquility, a lot of their mental problems would cease to exist. The use of straightjackets wasn’t even allowed. Also, as part of the “work is therapy” philosophy, the asylum provided opportunities for patients to gain a sense of purpose through farming, furniture construction, fruit canning, and other trades that kept the institution fully self-sufficient. The asylum also produced its own electricity and heat. Dr. James Decker Munson believed that mental asylums should be for the treatment of the patients, not just for storing the mentally ill. It was this belief that led the way for the natural environment of care he created for his patients, and originated the idea of therapeutic work for the mentally ill, who worked on the hospital farm. In 1881, the state chose Traverse City as the site for the Northern Michigan Asylum, where Dr. Munson was selected as...
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...Student Number: 44105096 Module: Community and Health Psychology Course Code: PYC4811 Assignment number: 1 Unique number: 657794 Name: Deshni Naidoo Student number :44105096 Community Psychology Vs Public Health Which approach would you choose to promote healthy living.................... Although the main focus of Community Psychology and Public Health centres around ‘prevention’ in order to promote health and wellness, there are also some visible differences as mention in Tutorial Letter 102 for PYC4811 (2015) between the two approaches. Community Psychology originated from mental reform units in the United States of America (Guerina, 1995). There were three influential movements that led to the development of particular types of institutions namely the moral treatment movements (Therapeutic mental hospitals) in the 1800s, the ‘mental hygiene movement’ (Child Guidance Clinics) in the 1900s and deinstitutionalisation (community health centres) in the 1960s (Guerina). Whereas ‘Public health’ is based on the biomedical model of illness, and is practised in most industrialised countries that is South Africa and many other post colonial societies as mentioned in Tutorial Letter 102 for PYC4811 (2015). The ‘New Public Health’ was set in place between 1914-1918, it recognised the importance of social aspects of health problems caused by lifestyles (Hattingh et al ., 2008). As defined by Hattingh et al (2008,P.5) “Public health is the science and art of preventing disease...
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