When it comes to mental health, it is important to expand resources needed, not only in research but also to help raise awareness. Creating environments that encourage dialogues surrounding mental health allow more people to open up about their struggles. Here are four ways that mental health issues can be added to the overall healthcare conversation.
1. Talk about Mental Health Where You’d Least Expect It
The conversation about mental health disorders and wellbeing shouldn’t be just for organization that provide services or advocacy groups. Starting to discuss it at schools, in private sector businesses, government workplaces and other places can be helpful. For example, gym and recess are usually part of a school’s curriculum—the physical part of students’ health is covered. So a curriculum that focuses on mental wellbeing and building self-esteem might be something to inject into the school program because it’s just as important. The same idea could be applied in the workplace, where companies carve out time to cover topics such as avoiding burnout or coping skills to refocus on different tasks.
2. Prioritize Mental Health at a Routine Checkup
Another way to add mental health to the overall healthcare conversation is adding it to the usual questionnaire of a general practitioner. The topic of mental health could seem like an afterthought—just adding a “How are you feeling right now?” at the top of such questionnaires could help reveal more information about a patient, prompting a doctor to ask more questions about their mental wellbeing.
3. Access to Mental Healthcare
Successful mental health treatment should incorporate behavioral and psychological interventions with other medical ones whenever appropriate. However, many of those who need treatment do not receive it because they live in low access areas or they cannot afford the treatments. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), even in an advanced economy like the United States, one in five adults with a mental illness cannot get the treatment they need. This number only includes individuals who are seeking treatment but facing barriers to get it.
Additionally, there has been significant divestment from brain research in the fast few years and the number of drugs being developed for brain disorders has been cut in half since 2010 (NCBI). The efforts to continue research on the brain to develop pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies is essential. Not only could research now help reduce the cost for treatment in years to come but it can also effectively provide care to low-resource and low-access communities.
4. Increase the Number of Mental Health Specialists
There is a lack of qualified mental health workers, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers, occupational therapists and other paid mental health workers. This is true in both emerging and mature economies. In 2017, the World Health Organization calculated that the global median for qualified mental healthcare workers is nine per 100,000 people. This statistic shows that mental health care needs to happen on the community level. Training non-specialists to deliver basic care can greatly benefit many who need it. Building on communities’ strength to deliver mental health services in the patient’s home environment could sustain and improve lives.
Continuing to have conversations about mental health disorders and wellbeing can help normalize it by showing others that we all endure some mental health hardship at one point or another. If you are concerned about your mental health, DiscoveryMD can help you. We offer a range of treatments and therapies provided by a trained, professional staff in person or via online telehealth. Contact us today.