Book Review: Breakdown:  A Clinician ’ s Experience in a  Broken System

There is no such thing as a perfect system and in the case of the mentally ill, nothing could be truer. The mentally ill face an uphill battle to secure appropriate services, avoid being caught up in the criminal justice system, and most of all, steer clear of the revolving door that has become our mental health system. Lynn Nanos, a mobile emergency psychiatric clinician, believes it is time for a change. Her new book, Breakdown: A Clinicians Experience in a Broken System of Emergency Psychiatry, reads like a clarion call to all involved in mental health care in this country. Drawing on her rich experience, Nanos highlights the epic failures of a system that was designed, after all, to help and not hinder. “One factor that has contributed to the decrease in length of stays on inpatient units and the elimination of inpatient beds over the last several years is the lack of adequate reimbursement to hospitals by health insurance companies — private and public,” writes Nanos. While the purpose of inpatient treatment is to reduce the risk of harm to and by the patient, crisis units occupy a need somewhere in between — where the patient is not safe to return home yet doesn’t meet the criteria for admission to an inpatient setting. Nanos explains, “Although the crisis unit is staffed continuously, it is significantly less supervised and structured than an inpatient unit.” However, as a society we often hesitate to acknowledge both the prevalence and th...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Book Reviews Disorders Ethics & Morality General Health Insurance Medications Policy and Advocacy Psychiatry Psychological Assessment Psychology Psychotherapy Schizophrenia Treatment Violence & Aggression books on mental illnes Source Type: news