Mental health is a critical area of healthcare delivery in the United States.
As much as a lot of emphasis has been given in other segments of health, there is urgent need to transform the mental health program among the affected population.
For instance, war veterans coming back home often require mental health redress especially after undergoing several episodes of traumatic events.
They need to be treated and taken through therapeutic psychological counseling. This presentation describes the roles of various stakeholders in the health care industry and who are also involved in mental health care programs.
The Public Mental Health
The public mental health largely depends on workforce participation as the main component.
In addition, the global social inclusion policies are instrumental towards offering therapeutic treatment to victims of mental health (Richardson, Morgenstern, Crider & Gonzalez, 2013).
As it stands now, there is no adequate research methods that can conclusively address mental health challenges being faced by various segments of the population.
For this reason, medical researchers in mental health programs are supposed to carry out valid and updated empirical research on this continuum of care. There is need for latest research data that can be used to formulate healthcare policies on mental health programs.
Policy makers in Mental Health
Secondly, it is the role of policy makers to devise policy guidelines that can be used to curb the challenge of mental health.
Key policy areas should include funding for mental health as well as capacity building and training for mental health professions.
The establishment of rehabilitation centers for mental health victims is also one of the roles.
Such centers can indeed assist in alleviating unemployment due to the manpower to be employed as well as professionals to be hired (Richards, Rafferty & Gibb, 2013).
The Role of Mental Health Courts
The mental health courts also play vital roles in the management of challenges posed by individuals experiencing mental disturbances.
A viable and fruitful partnership can be established between the criminal justice system and mental health courts (Olesen et al., 2013).
One of the outstanding roles of the mental health courts is to interpret the legislations adopted by the Congress in regards to mental health cases.
Therefore, evidence based practice in mental health is prudent in the sense that it enables full redress of mental health cases. In other words, patients who are mentally challenged are in a position to seek medical help and thereafter receive the much needed treatment (Hughes & Peak, 2012).
References
Hughes, S., & Peak, T. (2012). Evaluating Mental Health Courts as an Ideal Mental Health Intervention. Best Practice In Mental Health, 8(2), 20-37.
Olesen, S. C., Butterworth, P., Leach, L. S., Kelaher, M., & Pirkis, J. (2013). Mental health affects future employment as job loss affects mental health: findings from a longitudinal population study. BMC Psychiatry, 13(1), 1-9.
Richards, C., Rafferty, L., & Gibb, A. (2013). The value of mental health nurses working in primary care mental health teams. Mental Health Practice, 16(10), 19-23.
Richardson, J., Morgenstern, H., Crider, R., & Gonzalez, O. (2013). The influence of state mental health perceptions and spending on an individual’s use of mental health services. Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology, 48(4), 673-683.
The current public health crisis that was caused by COVID-19 is a threat to various areas of human life, including social, economic, and political ones. Mental distress is one of the key issues that can be taken into account to evaluate the impact of this pandemic (Shevlin et al., 2020). It affects individuals, families, and communities because of uncertainty, fear, and anxiety. People have little information about this rapidly spreading disease, and it promotes the development of mental health problems. While people are afraid of the coronavirus, medical staff is at the forefront of the combat against this pandemic, and their mental health changes are also examined. This paper is expected to provide a literature review of the recent studies that focus on COVID-19 and mental health. Namely, attention is paid to mental distress expressions and consequences, vulnerable populations that are at high risk, and the impact of the pandemic on medical students.
Main body
COVID-19 increases the level of mental health distress, especially in people who have depression and/or anxiety history. As stated by Holingue et al. (2020), the participants of their study were afraid of being infected, which was strengthened by the fear of dying because of the coronavirus. The steps that were taken by the US government to prevent the pandemic, such as social isolation, wearing masks, and others, were noted as another anxiety factor. Bridgland et al. (2021) add that the current pandemic is associated with traumatic stress since it stimulates post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-like symptoms. Namely, direct exposure to such traumatic events as sexual violation or severe injury was found to affect the occurrence of PTSD-like symptoms (Bridgland et al., 2021). More to the point, the anticipated exposure to the coronavirus was identified as a threatening factor, when people develop mental distress and traumatic responses.
The participants of the studies that pursue the understanding of how COVID-19 leads to the emergence of mental stress reported their concerns about the potential infection that has not yet happened. Based on a pathogenic event memory model, Bridgland et al. (2021) argue that one’s perception of the future and imagination of the upcoming events is significantly affected by the coronavirus. For example, those who were not diagnosed with this disease, but were indirectly impacted by the media, imagined their worst possible scenario. It led to the identification of PTSD-like symptoms, which were caused by subjective emotional evaluations of participants. In this connection, the authors suggest that the emotional impact can be a more important factor compared to exposure and demographic variables (Bridgland et al., 2021). The review of the collected literature shows that social and demographic factors play a role in COVID-19 spread in the US.
The increase in mental health issues can be predicted by the level of income, age, race, and family structure. Demographic characteristics, such as the presence of children, younger age, and personal risks, predicted depression, anxiety, and trauma symptoms. Shevlin et al. (2020) claim that the loss of income and overall financial problems were associated with higher anxiety, while those with a lower income reported similar feelings. In addition, these authors revealed that despite the expected outcomes, older adults did not mention the greater fear of COVID-19. It is noteworthy that people of younger age, on the contrary, had higher perceived risks and fear (Shevlin et al., 2020). The estimated personal risks, as well as the presence of children, are two more factors of the anticipated depression and traumatic symptoms. As could be expected, people with preexisting health complications and chronic conditions are more likely to have a fear of the pandemic. While the identified study explores social and demographic factors, the geographical variable is researched in others.
Race and nationality serve as two more determining factors that are involved in mental health problems from COVID-19. As argued by Fitzpatrick et al. (2020), researchers analyzed the death rates from coronavirus among various categories of the US population and found that African-Americans die from the infection more often than white citizens of the country. The study also shows that the social vulnerabilities that are faced by African-Americans, Asians, and Hispanics are higher (Fitzpatrick et al., 2020). These populations are found to have greater fear because of personal perceived risks, along with social and economic problems, which leads to increased depression and anxiety levels. According to Holingue et al. (2020), high COVID-19 count states included more Asians, African-Americans, and multiracial families, which indicates that research is homogenous regarding the issue of race and ethnicity.
Coronavirus fear is greater in the regions of the US that report the highest occurrence of the disease cases. According to Fitzpatrick et al. (2020), there are significant differences in fear in the regions that have higher cases of COVID-19. At the time of data collection, the South-South Atlantic, Northeast Mid-Atlantic, West Pacific, and the Northeast New England regions reported the greatest densities of mortality. Holingue et al. (2020) also mention that the states with high-count cases are more likely to have higher proportions of moderate and mild mental distress. The above authors also state that the rates of mental distress are likely to increase with the spread of the pandemic across the country. This tendency can be explained by the fact that people see how their close ones are affected by the disease, and how the media sources report the recent news, which is associated with fear (Holingue et al., 2020). The majority of the studies are conducted about the population and potential patients, while it is also essential to clarify the role COVID-19 plays in mental issues that occur in medical staff, and people who are witnesses of the pandemic.
COVID-19 negatively impacts undergraduate medical students’ mental health by causing stress, depression, and anxiety. In the study by Saraswathi et al. (2020), it is found that there is an increase in both prevalence and extent of stress and anxiety compared to pre-COVID-19. However, the authors note the level of depression remained unchanged, while these tendencies are present regardless of gender, age, and residence place. The deterioration in the mental health of undergraduate medical students is found to be associated with coronavirus-related issues and subsequent outcomes. Namely, poor sleep and more intense training were identified by the study participants, based on which Saraswathi et al. (2020) assume that these are key determining factors. In addition, a lack of schedule, lockdown measures, remote education, and reduced physical activity seem to affect students’ cognitive skills and emotional well-being. To better realize the value of the gathered articles, it is critical to reveal their strengths and limitations.
To make this literature review more comprehensive, it seems to be useful to pay attention to the strengths and limitations of the included studies. First, they focus on the US and the UK, which is important to synthesize data regarding these countries. Second, these studies are published in peer-reviewed journals, which is a guarantee of their reliability and credibility. However, it is critical to state that they collected subjective data from participants, which limits the generalizability of conclusions. Anxiety and depression, as well as PTSD-like symptoms and fear, were mainly evaluated through self-reports (Holingue et al., 2020; Fitzpatrick et al., 2020). Nevertheless, the review of the studies allows for making relevant conclusions to understand the connection between COVID-19 and mental distress.
Conclusion
To conclude, COVID-19 is a threat to the mental health of people as it causes fear, depression, anxiety, PTSD-like symptoms, and other related symptoms. This paper presents a review of the factors, outcomes, and risks of mental distress caused by COVID-19. It was found that those who have a history of mental distress, lost their income, and anticipated the worst scenario is more likely to develop mental distress. People living in the states with higher mortality and those of younger age also compose vulnerable populations. It can be stressed that four out of five studies focus on the first months of the pandemic, which limits their findings. Therefore, it is important to continue research and integrate the early data with the recent results. As for the practical use of the discussed knowledge, one can use it better understand how people react to direct and indirect exposure. A greater level of awareness seems to help in preventing mental distress or, at least, minimize the impact of the media.
References
Bridgland, V. M. E., Moeck, E. K., Green, D. M., Swain, T. L., Nayda, D. M., Matson, L. A., Hutchison, N. P., & Takarangi, M. K. T. (2021). Why the COVID-19 pandemic is a traumatic stressor.PloS One, 16(1), 1-15. Web.
Holingue, Calliope, M.P.H., Kalb, L. G., Riehm, K. E., M.Sc, Bennett, D., Kapteyn, A., PhD., Veldhuis, C. B., & Thrul, J. (2020). Mental distress in the united states at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. American Journal of Public Health, 110(11), 1628-1634. Web.
Shevlin, M., McBride, O., Murphy, J., Jilly, G. M., Hartman, T. K., Levita, L., Bentall, R. P. (2020). Anxiety, depression, traumatic stress and COVID-19-related anxiety in the UK general population during the COVID-19 pandemic. BJPsych Open, 6(6), 1-9. Web.
A progressive self-stigma model claims that mental health issues result in four phases that lead to reduced self-esteem and hope: awareness of associated stereotypes, acknowledging them, stereotyping, and self-confidence. There is no aid for many people who are mentally ill. Individuals often eschew treatment or defer because they worry about different treatments or fear that their employment and livelihood will be lost. This scenario follows the fact that there are still many problems with stigma and negative stereotypes against people with mental illness. Brain disorders stereotypes, exclusion may or may not be obvious, but can cause harm irrespective of their magnitude. Mentally ill people constitute a comparatively small population and are treated unfairly in different ways, but it can be vital to consider what it is and how to deal with it and eradicate it (Corrigan, 2007). Consequently, the enlightened physiatrist adds that both types of stigma exacerbate the adversities associated with mental health conditions.
Diagnostic dementia and mild impaired cognitive stigma can affect interpersonal connections, interactions with the healthcare community, service-usage attitudes, and involvement in clinical research in a significant adverse way. Interestingly, Corrigan (2007) adds that diagnostic labels are also used to indicate stigma and stereotyping, despite their clear advantages. The effect of stereotyping also stretches to the families who care for people with such labels. Thus, the entrusted mental health specialists and other key stakeholders need to collaborate to identify the underlying factors associated with prejudice against mentally challenged individuals, among other undesirable social injustices. Notably, the proposed diagnosis and treatment assume that all group members have shared traits and have definable boundaries (Corrigan, 2007). Additionally, one method of supporting this same progressive model is to determine if the early stages of awareness are unique to the independent measurements of stigma, which focus only on the individual’s perception.
Most people suffering from mental issues are unaware and fear opening up to those within their social circles. Specifically, Delle’s experience follows the model; he acknowledged the fact that society had a negative perception of people with psychological issues (TED Conferences, LLC, 2017). Such people find it difficult to visit health facilities because of the perceived prejudice against them. Although Delle asserts that he faced a difficult time in Nigeria, he could not buy his medical specialist’s advice about visiting a psychiatrist for diagnosis and treatment. However, Delle is in the final stage of recovery (self-confidence). Having interacted with his friend who also had schizophrenia and witnessed the community’s ignorance regarding mental health, Delle started the mental health special interest alumni group at his college. This community was to help African students overcome the undesirable consequences associated with mental health issues (TED Conferences, LLC, 2017). Thus, he endeavors to support the unfortunate society members with psychological problems.
Delle experienced both types of stigma; for self-stigma, the narrator displayed undermined self-awareness. He was unable to lead a productive and quality life following the psychological disturbances he was undergoing. Afterward, he understood the concept and opted to recommend the need for the suffering people to share their traumatic events and experiences with their peers and qualified mental health professionals (Pillay, 2010). On the same note, Delle highlights the ignorance of society about people with psychological issues. Like any other person with the condition, he feared to share his adversities because of the existing prejudice against the mentally challenged persons (TED Conferences, LLC, 2017). However, although Delle enlightens his audience about both types of stigma, he emphasizes the adversities associated with public stigma. Although he admits that the failure of diagnosis depends on self-stigma, a crucial determinant of successful diagnosis, the prejudice against the mentally challenged people worsens the adversities associated with self-stigma.
Importantly, Delle’s internalization about his mental health condition and help-seeking challenged his description of an African man. The Nigerian society discourages men from sharing their problems with others. Instead, they need to display enhanced emotional intelligence despite their situation (TED Conferences, LLC, 2017). Thus, he was angry at his health advisor for recommending a mental health specialist for him. Nonetheless, he argued that Africans perceived the White men as weak following their tendencies of reporting the various forms of mental illnesses, including depressions and anxiety, among others (Campbell & Mowbray, 2016). However, Delle’s interaction with his schizophrenic friend made him interested in understanding the complex mental health condition (Pillay, 2010). He developed the much-needed self-awareness that makes it possible for him to help fight against the mental health burden known to undermine the productivity of individuals residing within a society.
In conclusion, Sangu Delle’s diagnosis positively influenced society’s understanding of mental health conditions, including their distinct roles in safeguarding themselves from the allied negative impacts. Specifically, his medical journey and experiences made him value the need to educate the public about the complex issue. Confidently, I think Delle’s experience would remain the same if his culture were different because the issue is a global issue. The mentally challenged people continue being victims of social injustices despite the efforts by the entrusted stakeholders to counter the undesirable incidents.
References
Campbell, R. D., & Mowbray, O. (2016). The stigma of depression: Black American experiences. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 25(4), 253-269.
Corrigan, P. W. (2007). How clinical diagnosis might exacerbate the stigma of mental illness. Social Work, 52(1), 31-39. Web.
Pillay, S. (2010). The dangers of self-diagnosis: How self-diagnosis can lead you down the wrong path [Blog post]. Web.
TED Conferences, LLC (Producer). (2017). There’s no shame in taking care of your mental health [Video]. Web.
The purpose of this study was to describe the impacts of COVID-19 on mental, neurological, and substance use (MNS) services in 130 WHO Member States, ahead of World Mental Health Day on Oct 10.
Research Questions
The study had no clearly stated questions or hypotheses in the article. However, using the statement of the study’s purpose, the research question appears to be the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental, neurological, and substance use (MNS) services in 130 WHO Member States. Additionally, the study’s hypothesis appears to be COVID-19 has a considerable effect on the mental, neurological, and substance use (MNS) services in 130 WHO member nations.
Significance
There was no particular statement of significance found in this report. However, the article is important because it describes the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the MNS services in 130 WHO Member States. This article also describes the psychological effects of the non-pharmaceutical interventions to manage the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of the affected persons due to physical isolation, closure of schools, and widespread loss of employment (The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2020).
Background
The peer-reviewed articles used in this research study are current and address all the study variables. The article presents the survey results on the impact of COVID-19 on the MNS services in 130 Member States of the WHO. The analysis revealed significant disruptions on the community-based MNS preventive and promotive strategies. These impairments were demonstrated by the inadequate supply of personal protective equipment and the utilization of mental health facilities in some countries as centers for COVID-19 isolation (The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2020). Although several countries acknowledged the importance of putting measures to address the MNS services, few have committed these initiatives’ funding.
Theoretical Framework
There are no explicitly stated theoretical frameworks in the research article. However, the authors give a detailed history of the variables under study. There is a clear link between the relationship of the independent and dependent variables.
Sample
The samples under study were from 130 WHO Member States. The study aimed to determine the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental, neurological, and substance use (MNS) services. No inclusion or exclusion criteria for the sample participants were identified from the article. However, it appears that the countries in the study were selected based on their membership to the WHO.
Setting
This study was conducted in 130 WHO Member States on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the MNS services in these countries. This article provides an analysis of the summary of the research findings from these studies. The sampling techniques used are not clearly stated, although the probability sampling technique appears to be utilized for sampling.
Design
This report was a secondary analysis of the results of a survey conducted in 130 WHO Member States ahead of World Mental Health Day on October 10. These reports’ findings can be used to provide an overview of the disruptions on the MNS services in 130 Member States.
The Independent Variable
The independent variable is the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Dependent Variable
The mental, neurological, and substance use (MNS) services in 130 WHO Member States.
Human Subject’s Issues/Ethics
The study was conducted in 130 WHO Member States; therefore, the approval of the institutional review boards was sought by the researchers. Informed consent and consent were required before the human subjects’ recruitment to identify the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on their mental wellbeing. The participants were given the freedom to discontinue the study at any time without repercussions. The analysis of the survey respected the client’s right to confidentiality and privacy of their identity.
Research Design
The research design was an analysis of the results of a survey of the impact of COVID-19 on MNS services in 130 WHO Member States, ahead of World Mental Health Day on October 10.
Measures
The article has not elaborated on the methods used to collect data and analyze the survey results. However, the data on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the MNS services appears to have been collected using preset questionnaires and interviews congruent to the research question. The authors do not clearly state the reliability and the validity of the research data. The use of interviews and questionnaires effectively collects information on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the MNS services.
Methods
The study techniques were fairly presented in the article, survey was the main method outlined in data collection. It was utilized mainly because it can gather information through populations as it involved questionnaires and interviews.
Operational Definitions
The operational definitions of the terms used in the review are not provided. However, the definition of the terms mental, neurological and substance abuse services includes the services for promoting individuals’ psychological wellbeing, including diagnostic and treatment services. The COVID-19 is a respiratory infection by the coronaviruses that result in fever, dry cough, muscle aches and fevers.
Limitations
No limitations for the survey were stated by the authors. One of the limitations to this survey could be the limited sample size because it is a secondary analysis of the survey results. Another limitation in the study could be the lack of reliability and validity of data or standardized data collection methods. Furthermore, the data from the other countries, not members of the WHO, are not provided for a comprehensive generalization of the findings.
Threats to Internal Validity
The management of the research findings’ extraneous values are promoted through the countries’ inclusion based on their membership to the WHO.
Threats to Extraneous Variables
The study indicates strategic planning and measures to be undertaken by all stakeholders in controlling the confounding variables that may situationary or unintentionally affect the findings.
Analysis/Results
19 percent of the participating countries had disruptions in the MNS services due to the utilization of mental health facilities as centers for the isolation or the management of the COVID-19 patients. In 30 percent of the countries, insufficient deployment of healthcare personnel was the root of the MNS services’ disruptions (The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2020). In contrast, in 17 percent of the sample, the lack of personal protective gear was the major problem. Eighty-nine percent of the countries stated that mental health and psychological support initiatives were part of their COVID-19 management plan. Despite these considerations, only 17 percent of these countries had allocated funds to finance the support plans (The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2020). Additionally, this survey by the WHO found that disruptions in the MNS services limit people’s access to mental health support systems, resulting in an increased burden of mental illnesses. People who work in the informal sector in low-income countries are significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Frontline healthcare workers have increased workload due to the rising numbers of people diagnosed with the COVID-19 disease.
Discussion/ Practice Implications
the research article addressed the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the MNS services. The authors discussed the effects of the other pandemics like severe acute syndrome or Middle East respiratory syndrome on the admitted patients. 33 to 42 percent of these participants suffered from impaired memory, sad mood and anxiety (The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2020). The authors also presented the influence of the non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) on COVID-19 in contributing to loss of employment, disruptions in learning, and physical isolations. Other effects of the disease on the unemployed and the frontline caregivers are also described in this survey. The authors suggest that there is a need to develop effective treatments and vaccines against the COVID-19 for success in fighting this pandemic. It is also imperative to reduce the lack of treatment of the at-risk populations’ mental health conditions, for instance, through increased funding (The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2020).
Conclusion
A generalized critique of the research shows that it was well done with few major limitations. The survey used data from 130 Member States of the WHO to develop recommendations for future practice. The large sample size is a strength of this article. The review also clearly outlined some of the reasons why there is impairment in the provision of the MNS services due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The utilization of the MNS facilities as isolation centers, the lack of PPEs and the poor deployment of healthcare providers to address MNS services during this pandemic are some of the reasons attributable to poor psychological care (The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2020). However, a larger sample size comprising of all the nations in the world would effectively get the complete picture of the pandemic for generalizations. Furthermore, the survey needs to provide the data collection methods utilized to determine the validity and the reliability of the result.
References
The information on the sources of the data utilized in the article is clearly stated. Therefore, the survey was well referenced by the authors due to the ease of accessing the sources of the review’s information.
There is an increase in the elderly population in Australia, and they require significant medical care. At the same time, according to the Royal Commission’s Final Report into Aged Care Quality and Safety, mental health care is of the lowest quality, which signals the need for change (Searle, 2021). Access to psychological care, the role and responsibilities of service providers, and the management of mental health care are among the gaps and challenges in the field (Searle, 2021). Reform of the existing care system for the aged population can solve these problems.
Inadequate quality of care is associated with widespread mental health problems in the older population. According to a review by Better Place Australia (n.d.), 30-50% of people in this age group suffer from depression. At the same time, studies by Creighton et al. (2018) indicate that the prevalence of “threshold and subthreshold anxiety disorders was 19.4% and 11.7% respectively” (as cited in Better Place Australia, n.d., para. 7). The pandemic COVID-19 suggests growth in anxiety levels and increased risks of mental health problems in the older generation (Goh & Dow, 2020). An essential factor is that it is difficult for more aged people to discuss mental issues with health care providers due to the stigma of the mental problems. These facts point to the importance of providing quality services to the older generation in maintaining their mental health.
Based on the presented background, the study aims to determine healthcare providers’ readiness to work with mental problems in the older generation. Thus, population (P) is patients of the aged care sector, intervention (I) is personnel’s equipment and training, and outcome (O) is caring for patients with mental health problems, with nothing for comparison (C). Therefore, the PICO question: ‘for patients of the aged care sector, is current personnel’s equipment and training enough to care for people with mental health problems?’.
Method
The study begins with the search for the literature necessary to achieve the goal and reveal the topic. Databases such as PubMed and PubMed Central (PMC) were the primary sites for searching for literature on the issue. Additional sources for the search were Google and Google Scholar search engines, and publications dates were limited to 2017-2021 years. Search terms included: aged care sector patients, mental health problem, mental health, Australian aged care sector, staff and nurses training, staff and nurses’ equipment, care for elderly patients’ mental health. The total number of literature for selection also included sources found through other articles and references in them.
Initially, 67 records were found from all sources using key terms, of which 63 were left after duplicates removal. Screening of 63 articles allowed an additional 42 papers to be excluded, which meant that 21 sources remained for thorough verification with the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP). CASP checklists (n.d.) provide tools for evaluating different types of research, such as qualitative, review, cohort study, and other papers. Through the questions, checklists helped select the most reliable and suitable sources, and the final result includes ten articles.
The main inclusion criteria are:
publication in a peer-reviewed journal;
English language;
be published within the last five years;
the appropriate age of the groups studied – the older generation;
the studying patients with mental health conditions or the desire to contact mental health specialists;
the disclosure of the topic of quality of health services;
having significant implications for practice.
Sources that focused on the treatment process (rather than quality) or described only factors causing the condition or complications were excluded.
Figure 1. Literature review flow chart.
Results
Author, Year, Country
Methodology and Participants
CASP Scores
Key Findings
Amare et al., 2020, Australia
This retrospective cross-sectional study included 430,862 older Australians over 65 years old living in permanent residential aged care (PRAC). To determine the causes and factors affecting the appearance of mental disorders in a given sample, the authors applied stepwise multivariate logistic regression modeling.
11/12
Of the sample studied, more than half of older Australians, namely 57.8%, had at least one mental disorder, the most frequent of which was depression. This finding indicates a high prevalence of the problem in the country. At the same time, people with disorders were younger than other participants. Important factors affecting the emergence of the issues were limited physical activity, physical diseases, in particular, their comorbidities.
Benjenk et al., 2019, USA
The qualitative study includes 14 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with undergraduate psychiatric nursing instructors and professors who train nursing students. The participants for the interview were selected by convenience and snowball sampling. The authors elucidated students’ attitudes toward patients with mental disorders and older patients. The researchers encoded transcripts of the interview using the thematic analysis approach.
9/10
Educators have identified biases towards geropsychiatric as a significant issue in the training of future nurses. Most students are negative and biased about both psychiatric and geriatric specialties. This attitude affects the choice of future work, creating a shortage of personnel in the areas under discussion. Moreover, other problems were discovered: little time in the program for psychiatric-mental health nursing and stigma maintained among all nurses against patients with mental disorders.
Christensen et al., 2020, Denmark
The paper’s authors conducted a review of articles focusing on the effectiveness of using videoconferences in the treatment of depression in older people. After searching eight databases, out of 3537 pieces, 21 sources were selected. The authors divided the results obtained in the articles for analysis into quantitative and qualitative. Among them, “The quantitative data included gender, age, diagnosis, satisfaction, usability and acceptability” (Christensen et al., 2020, p. 260). For qualitative studies, the authors applied thematic analysis and an inductive approach.
8/10
The use of videoconferencing in treating depression in the older generation is effective when face-to-face appointments are not available. Participants’ concerns and biases quickly disappeared after several videoconferencing sessions.
Dawson et al., 2017, Australia
With the help of purposive sampling, 11 participants were selected. They were carers for the elderly, 67-94 years old, with mental problems in rural areas of South Australia. Pathways Interview Schedule and broad questions were used to gather information about the availability of medical, psychological services for older adults. Later, for analysis, interview transcripts were encoded and divided into themes.
10/10
The interviews were divided into six main topics describing obstacles and difficulties in accessing professional psychological care for older people with mental problems. Among the factors of influence are the knowledge of caregivers and the ability of employees to involve them in the planning of psychological interventions. The main barriers to accessing psychological services were lack of knowledge among carers, unwillingness to use these services, and difficulties for employees to inform about confidentiality.
Lyons et al., 2017, Australia
2,119 Australians aged from 60 to 94 years were surveyed across the country using various recruitment strategies. The authors analyzed the data with “a hierarchical multiple regression for each of the dependent variables: depression, anxiety, stress, and positive mental health” (Lyons et al., 2017, p. 1458). The analysis purpose was to identify the influence of the experience of ageism on these variables and their dependence on socio-demographic indicators.
10/10
The experience of ageism is closely related to the deterioration of the mental states of the older generation. At the same time, there is not only an increase in depression and stress but also a decrease in the likelihood of a positive experience. The high negative impact is more noticeable for younger women than other survey participants. Differences in influence depended on the sexual orientation of participants. Among heterosexuals, the adverse effects of ageism manifested themselves more strongly, probably because non-heterosexual participants experience constant stress due to the stigma of their orientation.
Rush et al., 2017, Canada
The paper’s authors applied a systematic integral review process to examine the sources researching nurses’ attitudes towards older generation care. Of the 1,690 articles over 12 years, eight were selected for review.
7/10
Seven of the eight articles studied identified negative attitudes towards aged care as prevailing among nurses. Factors of influence on attitudes were education, experience, demography, and the working environment. Nurses prepared for work in the geriatric direction expressed more benevolence than nurses in other specialties.
Smith et al., 2019, USA
57 long-term care (LTC) resident service providers completed online surveys to identify their experience and willingness to work with LGBT individuals among the older generation. Providers included “63% psychologists, 16% social workers, 14% psychiatrists, and 5% nurses” (Smith et al., 2019, p. 198). For analysis, specialist responses were encoded, and topics were distributed according to the frequency.
8/10
Most of the providers participating in the survey had experience working with at least one LGBT representative. They noted that they did not have proper preparation for such work but were ready to study. Among the obstacles to improving work processes, they also note the lack of evidence-based practices for LTC and the existing stigma directed at the LGBT community. At the same time, the last obstacle forces part of the older generation not to report their LGBT affiliation.
Stargatt et al., 2017, Australia
The researchers conducted a questionnaire for 90 employees of Australian residential aged care facilities (RACFs) to seek their views on the availability of psychological services to residents. The institutions where the survey invitations were sent were randomly selected. The questionnaire was divided into several parts to elucidate the presence of symptoms of mental conditions in residents, the availability of treatment, and barriers to it.
10/10
While all participants responded affirmatively about the presence of symptoms of mental disorders, only 14% indicated that the facility hired a professional psychologist. Overall, access to psychological treatment for RACFs residents was assessed as insufficient. For example, few people received referrals to specialists. The barriers were lack of funding, staff unprepared for symptoms identification, and inaccessibility of specialists.
Tabatabaei-Jafari et al., 2020, Australia
The study uses the healthcare ecosystem approach for descriptive assessment of the provision of psychological care in various areas of Australia. The analysis included 11 regions, 9 of which are urban and 2 are rural. The authors used The Description and Evaluation of Services and DirectoriEs for Long Term Care (DESDE-LTC) to describe the processes of providing psychological care to the older generation. The assessment included the availability of care, the possibility of placement for treatment, the diversity of care, and balance.
8/10
The authors found significant differences between urban and rural areas and between care availability to the older population and children and adolescents. Psychological care for the elderly is less accessible and diverse. In rural areas, these rates are even lower than in urban areas.
Temple et al., 2021, Australia
The article analyzed the secondary data of the earlier General Social Survey (GSS). The analysis did not include all respondents, but only over 55 years old – a total of 4,967 out of 18,574. The authors sought associations of discrimination against people with mental health conditions and barriers to healthcare through multivariable logistic regression.
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Compared to 10% of people without mental disorders, about 25% with mental disorders reported discrimination. A significant part of the older generation with conditions associated discrimination with their health. Discrimination was manifested in critical social circumstances such as a working environment or health care, limiting the group’s access to care.
Discussion
This review includes ten studies to understand better how modern health care providers are ready to work with older adults with mental problems. The study by Amare et al. (2020) provides an idea of the prevalence of mental disorders in the Australian older generation – in the cohort studied, almost 58% had various conditions. Currently, access for the older generation to professional psychological care is insignificant (Dawson et al., 2017; Stargatt et al., 2017; Tabatabaei-Jafari et al., 2020). However, current technologies allow increasing access, as demonstrated by Christensen et al. (2020). There is considerable prejudice against both older people and people with mental problems, which manifests itself in discrimination, ageism and negatively affects the group’s quality of life (Benjenk et al., 2019; Lyons et al., 2017; Rush et al., 2017; Smith et al., 2019; Temple et al., 2021). Thus, most studies indicate a lack of knowledge and training among professionals.
Discrimination and prejudice against the older generation and mental problems limit access to health care. Benjenk et al. (2019) and Rush et al. (2017) note significant negative beliefs in nursing students against both groups, affecting their choice of work direction. As a result, the area of psychological assistance for the older generation has a staff shortage, which is also noted in research by Dawson et al. (2017) and Stargatt et al. (2017). At the same time, studies reporting negative relationships focus mainly on nurses. Participants of Smith et al. (2019) survey, in turn, also included psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers. Although these professionals were more friendly to the older population, particularly LGBT representatives, they also noted a lack of knowledge (Smith et al., 2019). These facts suggest gaps in the training of various professionals.
Conclusion
Mental health problems carry the risk of physical health problems for the older generation up to early death, which justifies the need to study the issue carefully. This survey points to significant problems in providing professional psychological assistance to the elderly. Politicians and representatives of medical services should pay attention to training and expand their programs with themes of care for older adults with mental health disorders. Given the nation’s aging and the increase in the number of older populations, there is the urgency of drawing attention to the problem.
The current review has limitations since a small amount of literature is devoted to preparing staff to work with older people with mental problems. Although the sources studied are relevant to the topic, future studies may concentrate on physicians as more focus has been shifted to nursing training. Moreover, attention should be paid to studying methods to make psychological services more accessible for the older generation and allow better education of employees of various specialties. Nevertheless, the significance of the review is in demonstrating gaps and drawing attention to the complexity and multilateralism of the issue.
Anxiety is considered one of the most common mental illnesses among the US population. Hence, anxiety affects people’s emotional state and prevents them from functioning normally in society and interacting with the outside world. Undoubtedly, several factors contribute to the formation and development of these ailments. However, a competent specialist will help identify the symptoms and the causes that affect an individual with a sense of anxiety and select competent treatment methods. A comprehensive study and analysis of the specific situation and the case regarding a 23-year-old Native American male will be covered in this essay.
A Discussion of the Situation: The Specific Factors
Several specific socio-economic, spiritual, lifestyle and other cultural factors are associated with the patient. Firstly, it has been proven that people with lower socio-economic status are more vulnerable to mental health problems, which are subsequently forced to “drown them out” with alcohol and various substances (Kim et al., 2020). For instance, such moments as an unfavorable environment, problems at work and home, instability, and high-income gaps would cause mental disorders, stress, panic, and anxiety in the patient.
Secondly, based on the man’s story, it is necessary to outline a clear relationship between spirituality, morality, and the desire to eradicate the existing health problem. There is a possibility that the client also turned to a specialist for help due to faith in certain higher concepts. Thus, stress and anxiety caused such “spiritual symptoms” as fear of the consequences of “sins” and “bad” behavior. This American strives to “get on the right path” to get to heaven, and, most probably, the patient adheres to Christian motives and believes in the afterlife and God.
Thirdly, the use of psychoactive substances and alcohol caused negative consequences in the patients’ mental health. Thus, a hedonistic lifestyle, frequent use of alcohol and “pots,” poor nutrition, and low mobility could provoke the presence of anxiety and stress (Velten et al., 2018). However, in this context, it is essential to clarify more information about the client’s lifestyle and verify the authenticity of the indicated factors.
Fourthly, there is a possibility that the environment and the people who interact with the man influenced his lifestyle, which subsequently provoked a feeling of anxiety. For example, the patient’s tests indicate that diabetes, hypertension, and alcoholism are genetic. According to Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development, parents and relatives could provoke an image and a model of behavior in a man, which smoothly flowed into adulthood (Lumen Learning). Thus, already being independent and of legal age, the client could acquire a lot of friends, in whose company it is customary to drink and smoke.
The Challenges
There are several problems that I, as a medic, need to pay attention to when working with this client. For instance, it is necessary to discuss topics related to drugs, alcohol and a personal nature delicately. Making some mistakes in a conversation on these topics can cause negative emotions and feelings in the client who is afraid because of branding and stigma (Crapanzano et al., 2019). Indeed, these moments will determine the outcome of further actions, the type of communication, and treatment methods.
The Questions
There are the following targeted questions I would ask the patient:
Does it happen that you drink, or use “pots” more than you planned?
Do you find it interesting to spend time without alcohol and “pots”?
How are you with your memory? Have there ever been situations when memory failed, especially in the morning?
What is your job? What do you do?
Do you maintain relationships with your family and loved ones?
Do you belong to any religious organization?
Conclusion
Anxiety is a special emotional state that prevents a person from living a full life, functioning in society, and performing work duties efficiently. Since the man is part of the social system and American society, many external and personal factors influence the current situation. Indeed, a more comprehensive approach is needed to study the client’s problems and identify ways that can improve the patient’s well-being.
Barnett, M. L., Gonzalez, A., Miranda, J., Chavira, D. A., & Lau, S. A. (2018). Mobilizing community health workers to address mental health disparities for underserved populations: A systematic review. Administration and policy in mental health and mental health services research, 45(1), 195–211. Web.
Low-income adults are now a major factor in the lack of access to mental health services. As a solution for people without access to psychological services, this article suggests the involvement of community health workers. Forty-three articles representing 39 independent studies were selected for analysis, each of which presented a profile of community health workers’ work with people with mental disorders. The literature review also provided an examination of the role of community health workers in providing interventions and support for implementation. According to this review, interventions by such staff have resulted in symptom reduction. Thus, training community health workers to support the implementation of evidence-based practices can help reduce mental health inequalities.
Borson S., Korpak, A., Carbajal-Madrid, P., Likar, D., Brown, G. A, & Batra, R. (2019). Reducing barriers to mental health care: Bringing evidence-based psychotherapy home. Journal of the American geriatric society, 67(10), 2174-2179. Web.
The authors of this article developed and implemented an evidence-based psychotherapy program to reduce barriers to treatment for adults. It consists of providing free in-home mental health care in the native language of clients who do not have access to mental health services. The study site was a SCAN Health Plan community service facility in Southern California called Independence at Home. The participants were older adults and adult caregivers of seniors with age-related disabilities. According to the study, the proposed program can successfully be of help to clients of multiple social and ethnic backgrounds that need mental health care.
Moore, K. L. (2018). Mental health service engagement among underserved minority adolescents and young adults: A systematic review. Journal Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities 5(1), 1063–1076. Web.
This article offers a literature review to study the methods that can engage more young adults in mental health services. Specific criteria were established for this study, namely sample age 17 to 27, sufficient ethnic/racial representation, and a goal of improving access to mental health services. According to the study, there were multiple crucial elements of interventions to address the needs of young adults. Namely, those included involvement of family and other appropriate natural supports, consideration of cultural context, and the promotion of independence.
Mongelli, F., Georgakopoulos, P., & Pato, M. T. (2020). Challenges and opportunities to meet the mental health needs of underserved and disenfranchised populations in the United States. Focus: Diversity, equity, and inclusion in psychiatry, 18(1), 16-24. Web.
The authors of this article explore ways to address psychological problems in adults arising from the gap in access and quality of mental health care in the United States. Researchers primarily cite the use of the collaborative care model, namely the involvement of the patient’s family in their rehabilitation, as a solution to these problems. The article also mentions telemedicine and improved mental health nursing training as practical interventions for bridging the patient care gap.
Roberts, T., Miguel Esponda, G., Krupchanka, D. et al. (2018). Factors associated with health service utilization for common mental disorders: A systematic review. BMC Psychiatry 18(1), 262. Web.
There is a significant treatment gap for common psychiatric disorders among adults, which varies across regions of the world. In this literature review, researchers identify factors associated with the use of formal health services to treat such disorders in the adult population. Of the entire database reviewed, 52 studies met the inclusion criteria. According to the study results provided, there was evidence of an association between service use and self-reported health status and symptom duration. Thus, in order to regularize psychologist visits to specialists, patient education about self-diagnosis should be conducted.
Steinman, L., Parrish, A., Mayotte, C., Bravo, P., Torres, E., Markova, M., Boddie, M., Lachenmayr, S., Montoya, C. N., Parker, L., Conton-Pelaez, E., Silsby, J., & Snowden, M. (2021). Increasing social connectedness for underserved older adults living with depression: A pre-post evaluation of PEARLS. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry, 29(8), 828-842. Web.
The purpose of this article is to evaluate the effectiveness of PEARLS in increasing social engagement among underserved older adults with depression. The research methodology used was a multisite, pretest single-group evaluation conducted at a community-based social service organization in the United States. According to the results, PEARLS can be used effectively to fill the gap in mental health care for older adults, although additional support may be needed for people facing multiple social determinants of health. These conclusions were primarily drawn from improved scores of the participants of the study program. The areas of improvement were the constructs of social connectedness: loneliness, perceived isolation, social interactions and satisfaction with them. All these improvements occurred six months after enrollment in the program. On this basis, it can be argued that PEARLS helps people better socialize in the medical field and thus receive more regular care.
Tirintica, A. R., Andjelkovic, I., Sota, O., Pirlog, M. C., Stoyanova, M., Mihai, A., & Wallace, N. (2018). Factors that influence access to mental health services in South-Eastern Europe. International journal of mental health systems, 12(1), 1-8.
In this article, Trintica et al. (2018) investigated factors that influence access to mental health services. The purpose of the study was to identify the causes of the first psychiatry consult and investigate patients’ perspectives on conditions that influence the reluctance in seeking mental health services and access in general. The results from the study indicated that the average profile of people who sought mental health services was: “married female older than 40 years, with an average economic status and no mental health history.” (Trinica et al., 2018, par. 4) The researchers identified three factors as the main influencers of delay and put the mean delay at three months. Causes of delay identified included stigmas surrounding the issue of mental health, lack of awareness in regards to mental health, and concerns about practices and remedies towards mental health problems.
Study Sample
The sample of this study comprised three different groups: patients, caregivers, and mental health professionals. The data was collected by the use of questionnaires: Two different types of questionnaires were issued to each participant. The first questionnaire collected information on demographics, decision-making processes, and reluctance, specifically for patients. The second questionnaire was comprised of questions aimed to find information on possible factors that influenced delay for the first psychiatric consult. Candidates for the study were required to meet the following conditions: attained the majority age and admitted to any psychiatric facility or accessed services within two years from the date when the study was conducted. In addition, have the ability to read, understand the contents of the questionnaire and respond appropriately. The estimated sample population of participants was 400 subjects, comprising of 100 “new cases.”
Inferential Statistics Used
For this study, the researchers used Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) as a preferred inferential statistical method. The use of ANOVA as an inferential statistics method instills a factor of generalization of findings (Jadcherl et al.,2010). The main reason for this is that the study investigated three sample populations which included patients, caregivers mental health professionals. Apart from that, the subject study is correlational with no dependent and independent variables. The selected inferential method is consistent with the recommendations of clinical research principles. They affirm the viability of ANOVA as a preferred inferential statistical method when dealing with more than three groups of samples (Gray et al., 2017; Shin, 2009; Surbhi, 2017). ANOVA was used to investigate the relationship between different factors (age, level of knowledge, demographics) and the period of the first consultation. The results of the study established that stigma and attitude towards available mental health issues as the most dominant factors influencing delay. However, the researchers noted that ANOVA did not indicate substantial statistical differences between identified factors.
Impact of Inferential Statistics (ANOVA) on the Research Study
The use of ANOVA as an inferential statistical method for this study strengthened its application to evidence-based practice. According to Surbhi (2017), the use of ANOVA reduces inferential errors hence its preference to other methods such as t-test when dealing with more than two sample populations. ANOVA does this research on finding the relationship between different factors and the delay in seeking services for mental health treatment viable and applicable. ANOVA as an inferential statistic method makes it possible for the results of this study to fit for generalization and broad conclusions beyond its immediate components
References
Gray, J.R., Grove, S.K., & Sutherland, S. (2021). Burns and Grove’s the practice of nursing research: Appraisal, synthesis, and generation of evidence (9th ed.). Saunders Elsevier.
Jadcherla, S. R., Wang, M., Vijayapal, A. S., & Leuthner, S. R. (2010). Impact of prematurity and co-morbidities on feeding milestones in neonates: A retrospective study. Journal of Perinatology, 30(3), 201-208.
Tirintica, A. R., Andjelkovic, I., Sota, O., Pirlog, M. C., Stoyanova, M., Mihai, A., & Wallace, N. (2018). Factors that influence access to mental health services in South-Eastern Europe. International Journal of mental Health Systems, 12(1), 1-8.
Shin, J. H. (2009). Application of repeated-measures analysis of variance and hierarchical linear model in nursing research. Nursing Research, 58(3), 211–217.
Existing service methods and treatment options fall short of addressing the worldwide mental health epidemic appropriately. Mental disorder contributes to roughly one-third of full-grown persons’ health-connected psychiatric disorders, stemming from significant human anguish and communal outlays. Primary depressing illness, schizophrenia, and bipolar ailments impact people of all ages and are found in all nations, including the United States, European Union, Canada, and advanced as well as emerging nations (Okpaku, 2021). Mental ailment is linked to poverty, conflicts, and philanthropical disasters. It can lead to suicide, among the most prevalent preventable triggers of mortality among teenagers and fledgling grown-ups. Psychological disease is the twenty-first-century pandemic and will be the world’s next big health problem. Although depressant drugs have become more extensively accessible in recent times, associated limited effectiveness, expensive medication expenses, and welfare concerns have contributed to a substantial unaddressed prerequisite for depressed state therapy.
How Common Is the Problem?
Every year, it is estimated that approximately three hundred and fifty million people suffer from depression. The standard years are almost ten to get therapy for depressed mood indications, and far over sixty-eight percent of depressed individuals never get the help they need. Psychiatric conditions have vast social, work-related, and other related emotional costs. They are the most ranking disability cause in the United States for persons between fifteen to forty-four years of age, accompanied by a productivity deficit of about thirty-one billion dollars (Lake, 2017). Suicide is the second-ranked cause of mortality among fifteen to twenty-nine years individuals, causing significant societal upheaval and productivity deficits. Annually, between ten and twenty million depressed people attempt suicide, with about one million succeedings. In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated melancholy as the largest debilitating illness due to these frightening situations.
How Important Is the Problem in the Nursing Arena?
The problem has brought attention to the WHO as well as the nursing arena to implement strategies to address the unmet needs in mental care, especially in the United States metropolitan areas. Some of the strategies included in the mental health action plan are better effective therapeutic management and administration, and society psychiatric community care programs that are comprehensive and integrated. Others include advocacy and mitigation initiatives that are being implemented, computational modeling, evidence, and investigation (Lake, 2017). Similarly, to solve the challenge of enhanced mental health care access, relying solely on specialty mental health practitioners is certainly not the finest or best viable solution.
Articles That Discuss Potential Solutions
Based on one scholar’s article, diverse categories of services are in the research. During Multisystemic treatment (MST) at home, therapists treat both the kid and the family in the same location. The second service was Intensive home treatment, which permitted young children to get therapy within their residence to put forward circumstances that have connected them to their families, improving their psychological symptoms (McDougall, 2019). Based on other studies, day hospitalization was implemented to aid individuals with mental problems instead of hospitalization. Day hospitalization fills the gap between regular and full-fledged inpatient hospitalization (Heekeren et al., 2020). Aside from thorough therapy, the patient will improve through continual treatment in their normal social setting (Heekeren et al., 2020). Also, the patient can incorporate existing conflicts and difficulties in the known environment into the treatment. Concurrently, other studies concentrated on the inpatient hospitalization of patients with acute mental ailments, especially adults and seniors (Bloch, 2021). The program will provide acute treatments for short-term, mood-related disorders, suicidal preoccupation, functioning failures, psychosis, and behavioral changes related to mental ailment.
Are Solutions supported by the Research?
In the first studies related to the PubMed central survey, the various alternatives to inpatient care, multisystemic therapy (MST) are closely linked to the research. It is a cost-effective method as the advantages accruing are promising based on the statistics carried out instead of other proposed alternatives. The other alternatives have huge costs since the individual progress is minimal, requiring more involvement in other treatment methods. On the other hand, day hospitalization is cost-saving if only the direct costs are considered (Heekeren et al., 2020). Costs attributable to the treatment are less than when the patient could have been fully hospitalized and residing within the hospital premises.
Disadvantages to the Potential Solutions
Some of the solutions proposed, for instance, MST alternative and the cost-effectiveness of the research, were omitted. Therefore, we can say it is cheaper than inpatients in general terms. The reason is that the evidence absence results from incomplete evidence from monetary assessments of early involvement amenities for psychosis. Similarly, the advantage of day hospitalization is the indirect costs associated with the service. Day hospitalization is cheaper if the direct costs are taken into consideration. The indirect costs include costs associated with transport, recreation, and meals. On the other hand, the disadvantage of fully-fledged inpatient hospitalization is the high costs associated with it (Bloch, 2021). Every treatment or exercise undertaken requires payments as the staff work as a team, from experienced psychiatrists to recreation therapists.
How to Implement the Research to Solve the Clinical Problem
Contemporary nursing should take advantage of the problem and implement new strategies to address the problem. The current healthcare model does not address all the members’ needs involving mental health attention. This has brought the need to refine the existing model of care to accommodate the unmet issues. The research will enable nurses to collaborate with the existing models to achieve a better patient outcome and take into consideration the funds attributable to the patients. The gaps in the psychiatry field shown by this research ought to be filled by experienced nurses in the same field.
The Stakeholders
The key stakeholder in collaborative care is the care manager, who maintains information regarding the integrative care received and patient practices and keeps the information regarding mental care in detail. Similarly, we have healthcare practitioners, including specialists, workers, nurses, doctors, and the health workforce. They play an important role in health care provision to the concerned mental individuals. They are the pivot in the health care systems, recovery process, and treatment of the concerned individuals. Concurrently, the family members related to the mentally related play a significant role as they are involved in the healing process of the patients (Batka et al., 2021). They are regarded as part of the medical team as they play a bigger role in the recovery process of the patients as they are their mentors, advisers, and healers.
Possible Approaches to Making this Change in Practice
Patients with psychiatric illnesses have elevated levels and unmet therapeutic options in advanced economies. This highlights the deficiencies of both conventional biomedicine and complementary and alternative medicine treatments and the drawbacks of mental health care designs. The existing circumstances necessitate the expansion of more efficient, secure, and cost-effective integrative therapeutic options that incorporate proof of conventional biomedical and complementary and alternative medicine modalities. In addition, there will be the establishment of an incorporated model of psychological healthcare provision in which therapeutic and rational health issues are solved in one clinic (Lake, 2017). Scientific discoveries, societal developments, and accessibility of secure, cheap nonpharmacologic therapies have contributed to the growing acceptability of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments in the United States and other advanced global countries.
Methods to Overcome the Disadvantage or Barriers
Psychiatry desperately needs a more diverse research program that gradually builds upon prospective CAM and integrative treatments utilizing current research methodologies and a larger spectrum of treatment options that incorporates evidence-based complementary therapy. For decades, the traditional psychiatric study has prioritized the creation of new medications, with psychotherapy playing a considerably smaller role. Both therapy modalities are cost-heavy, although they are helpful in reducing distress associated with the disorder. Expanding psychiatry study goals to incorporate analysis of integrative and CAM techniques will aid in elucidating the multifaceted origins of psychological disorders varying from social, artistic, and cognitive to biological heights (Lake, 2017). Several corresponding CAM involvements, such as the role of lifestyle adjustments on emotional and expressive health, cognizance-body treatments, and convinced natural product accompaniments, have currently proven to be effective.
Conclusion
To address the unmet needs in the maternal health care systems resulting from financial problems on the part of patients, the maternal systems ought to collaborate in their systems the integrative care. This is cost-effective and takes into consideration the social, economic, psychological and regional aspects of the affected. Similarly, since it is evidence-based, better patient outcomes and satisfaction are met. To curd the high-cost perspective, complementary and alternative medicines need to be taken into consideration. They represent lifestyle-changing mechanisms for improving psychological well-being. In this case, the use of natural products as opposed to medications and body-mind treatments is necessary. Mental ailments are preventable and treatable in case of occurrence instead of attempting suicidal acts to solve the problem.
References
Batka, C., Tanielian ,T., Woldetsadik, MA., Farmer C., & Jaycox, LH. (2021). Stakeholder experiences in a stepped collaborative care study within U.S. Army Clinics. Psychosomatics. Web.
Bloch, B. A. (2021, December 30). Brief inpatient psychiatric treatment: Designing social work education to enhance clinical practice. Behavioral Health News.
