Don’t Just Integrate, Innovate—When It Comes to Mental Health

The sheer number of people living unsupported with some form of psychological or emotional pain suggests that the traditional laws of supply and demand are not working in the mental health arena. As we close on May, as Mental Health Awareness Month, it is important that we raise public awareness of individuals struggling alone with poor mental health and acknowledge the need for a new paradigm that aligns society’s needs with widely available technological and social connectivity. Today, nearly one in every five adults – over 40 million Americans – experience some form of mental illness in any given year. This is a diverse population. There are those with major psychiatric illnesses, such as schizophrenia, who may require professional in-person care, medication or even hospitalization. But there are also millions dealing with less acute conditions including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, panic disorders, seasonal affective mood swings, substance abuse or even troubled feelings that can be driven by work, school, relationship and financial issues. Around half of these individuals never seek help and around three quarters never receive any form of treatment of support. For those that do, the main response is medication. There are multiple structural reasons why the majority of those with poor mental health suffer alone. First, we don’t have enough mental health providers to help the number of people in distress. As a study by Mental Health America points ou...
Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Mental Health Source Type: blogs