The topic of mental health has and continues to be at the forefront of concern across the world. Mental health refers to psychological, social, and emotional wellness. The well-being (or lack of it) in persons influences other aspects of life like behavior, feelings, and thoughts among others. Decision-making, association with others, and establishing relationships are day-to-day activities that rely on the well-being of the mind. Mental health affects almost every aspect of life, and for this reason, the need to promote good mental health should not be taken lightly. Previous and present trends indicate a worse future regarding the status of mental wellness. Therefore, all-round discussions on different dimensions of mental health like objectives, strategies, relation with other aspects of health, and care options are inevitable.
Objectives
To reduce the proportion of persons who experience major depressive episodes (MDEs).
The statistical depiction of MDEs in the US is alarming. Health institutions such as ADAA report that depression is the most common mental illness America is experiencing with at least 40 million adult Americans and close to 8.3 percent adolescents aged between 12 and 17 years old experience MDE at some instances in their lives. The current status of the problem makes it a national health issue. Genetics, life events, personality, and brain chemistry are all risk factors for MDEs. Although MDEs are manageable and treatable, less than 35 percent of people with the conditions receive treatment. The relevance of this objective is that mental illness is evident across the US and the reality that America can attain a state of the mental illness-free country makes it essential to focus on accomplishing this objective.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
To increase the proportion of primary care facilities that provide mental health treatment onsite or by paid referral
Numerous communities in the US lack centers and facilities that handle mental health issues. Even those that have are not well-equipped in terms of resources and competent practitioners. With the growing pressure to address mental disorders in the country as a whole, there is also rising demand to introduce effective healthcare facilities sufficiently distributed across all communities and designed to handle a diverse range of mental disorders. Working towards this goal will ensure the prevalence of the illnesses is substantially reduced by a margin of up to 87 percent as the government estimates. This calls for the need for involvement of every stakeholder to actualize the objective.
The contribution of a Nurse towards the Goals
Nurses make up the most significant portion of healthcare actors in the US. Therefore, their contribution to better health is undeniable. Nurses have more personal and close contact and interaction with patients than physicians and other key stakeholders. With this close interaction, nurses can draw vital data and information from patients concerning their health and treatment preferences and pass this information to other stakeholders such as doctors, administrators, and policymakers for developing more suitable methods, places and times for attending to patients and their needs. This type of information can assist or facilitate in establishing points of primary care facilities in different communities. Secondly, one of the responsibilities of nurses is to provide patients with the necessary information to manage and improve their overall health. In this sense, nurses have a role to play in promoting better mental health outcomes. They can accomplish this by educating patients they come in contact with the importance of good mental health and what practices lead to good mental health.
The relationship between Mental and Physical health
Numerous studies produce a significant amount of evidence that suggests a fundamental connection between mental health and physical health. According to WHO’s definition of health, there can never be health without good mental health. An analysis by Kemp and Quintana (2013) demonstrates the correlation of the two by saying the status of mental health implicates physical health and vice versa. The scholars summarize the relationship by pointing out that: poor mental health acts a risk factor for severe physical health; persons with severe mental disorders stand high chances of suffering from chronic physical conditions, and persistent physical illnesses can lead to the development of mental disorders. The relationship between the two types of diseases affects a person’s quality of life their health demands, and to some degree, affects the society in general.
A variety of examples can be used to illustrate how mental health correlates with physical health; one such example is eating disorder. An eating disorder is a psychological problem characterized by irregular – excessive or inadequate – eating habits — people with chronic cases of eating disorder exhibit damaged physical well-being. For instance, research studies like Brownell and Walsh’s (2017) associate binge eating disorder with clinical obesity. Binge eating disorder (BED) is an example of an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of eating huge amounts of food. Possible health outcomes linked with obesity BED-based obesity include high blood pressure, heart diseases, and diabetes among others. If not treated or well-managed, extreme cases of BED can lead to death, and the same goes for most of the other serious mental conditions.
Trauma Informed Care
Trauma-informed care is a compelling medical instrument for trauma treatment. It refers to a well-structured treatment framework that approaches trauma treatment by recognizing, understanding, and effectively responding to the consequences of a diverse range of traumas. The framework acknowledges the reality of no one being immune to trauma and recognizing the impact of trauma on not only the individual but also families and communities (Brezing, Ferrara, & Freudenreich, 2015). The approach focuses on overall psychological, emotional, and physical safety for both its consumers and providers and assists survivors of traumatic events gain a sense of empowerment and control. In simpler terms, it involves taking into account past traumas and consequential coping mechanisms in an attempt to understand a patient while treating them.
Trauma-informed care differs from the traditional models of addressing traumas in various ways including the types of questions asked and how pediatrics ask them. It calls for greater sensitivity and deepening of understanding making it ideal for patients of all types including children. For the case of a child with traumatic experiences, the approach would involve realizing the potential impact of these events on a child and possible recovery, recognize the symptoms of trauma. The next step would involve integrating trauma-based knowledge into clinical procedures and practices and seek to treat the child and restore them to healthy mental conditions.
Conclusion
Mental health remains a serious issue and possibly a root cause for other types of health illnesses at personal and societal levels. As long as the lack of information on mental health and stigma surrounding most of the disorders, the fight for mental wellness will prove futile. Mental issues have been on the rise for the past decades and projects consistently show the world, as a whole, heading for the worse if not appropriate actions are taken. Growing concern for addressing the problem requires the participation of every individual and not rely on government alone to address the issue. Having goals towards achieving a healthy society is one thing and having mechanisms in place to arrive at this goal is another.
References
Brezing, C., Ferrara, M., & Freudenreich, O. (2015). The syndemic illness of HIV and trauma: implications for a trauma-informed model of care. Psychosomatics , 56 (2), 107-118.
Brownell, K. D., & Walsh, B. T. (Eds.). (2017). Eating disorders and obesity: A comprehensive handbook . Guilford Publications.
Kemp, A. H., & Quintana, D. S. (2013). The relationship between mental and physical health: insights from the study of heart rate variability. International Journal of Psychophysiology , 89 (3), 288-296.
Smolowitz, J., Speakman, E., Wojnar, D., Whelan, E. M., Ulrich, S., Hayes, C., & Wood, L. (2015). Role of the registered nurse in primary health care: meeting health care needs in the 21st century. Nursing Outlook , 63 (2), 130-136.
