Vulnerability of the Mentally Ill
Vulnerability of the Mentally Ill
Eva Morris
American Sentinel University
Vulnerability of the Mentally Ill
Evaluation and treatment of the mentally ill population has developed from confinement of the mad during colonial times, into the biomedical balancing of neurological impairment seen in these modern times. There were eras of mental health reform, medicalization, and deinstitutionalization sandwiched in between (Nies & McEwen, 2011). Regardless of the stage of understanding and development, communities have not been completely successful in dealing with and treating persons who are mentally unwell. Fortunately, treatment has become more compassionate; social and professional attitudes have morphed into more humanistic and neuro-scientific approaches. Throughout the history of mental health management, the cause for most mental illnesses is still not well understood.
National and Community Statistics and Comparisons
It is estimated that more than 26% of the American adult population has a diagnosable mental disorder ("NIMH," 2013). In Louisiana, 25%, or more than 650,000 adults, have a diagnosable mental condition. In Ouachita parish, which is home for this student, an estimated 3,702 adults live with a severe psychiatric disorder, which includes schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorder and major depression. It is estimated that only one in three of those with psychiatric disorders receive appropriate treatment ("DHH," 2005). At the time of the most recent census, Ouachita parish had 142 people in halfway houses, 71 people in homes for the mentally retarded, 51 people in schools, hospitals or wards for the mentally retarded, 35 people in psychiatric hospitals, and 14 people in homes and halfway houses for drug and alcohol abuse ("City Data," 2012).
Federal and State Policies
As part of his plan to eliminate inequality for disabled Americans, President Bush implemented the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. The
Eva Morris
American Sentinel University
Vulnerability of the Mentally Ill
Evaluation and treatment of the mentally ill population has developed from confinement of the mad during colonial times, into the biomedical balancing of neurological impairment seen in these modern times. There were eras of mental health reform, medicalization, and deinstitutionalization sandwiched in between (Nies & McEwen, 2011). Regardless of the stage of understanding and development, communities have not been completely successful in dealing with and treating persons who are mentally unwell. Fortunately, treatment has become more compassionate; social and professional attitudes have morphed into more humanistic and neuro-scientific approaches. Throughout the history of mental health management, the cause for most mental illnesses is still not well understood.
National and Community Statistics and Comparisons
It is estimated that more than 26% of the American adult population has a diagnosable mental disorder ("NIMH," 2013). In Louisiana, 25%, or more than 650,000 adults, have a diagnosable mental condition. In Ouachita parish, which is home for this student, an estimated 3,702 adults live with a severe psychiatric disorder, which includes schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorder and major depression. It is estimated that only one in three of those with psychiatric disorders receive appropriate treatment ("DHH," 2005). At the time of the most recent census, Ouachita parish had 142 people in halfway houses, 71 people in homes for the mentally retarded, 51 people in schools, hospitals or wards for the mentally retarded, 35 people in psychiatric hospitals, and 14 people in homes and halfway houses for drug and alcohol abuse ("City Data," 2012).
Federal and State Policies
As part of his plan to eliminate inequality for disabled Americans, President Bush implemented the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. The
References: About healthy people. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/about/default.aspx City Data. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.city-data.com/city/West-Monroe-Louisiana.html Goals identified in the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health report. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nami.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Inform_Yourself/About_Public_Policy/New_Freedom_Commission/Default1169.htm Hunt, P., & Osher, T. (2006). Transforming mental health care in America through advocacy. Retrieved from http://gucchdgeorgetown.net/data/documents/A%20Family%20Guide%20to%20Achieving%20the%20Promise.pdf Nies, M. A., & McEwen, M. (2011). Community/public health nursing: Promoting the health of populations (5th ed.). St. Louis, Mo Parish health profiles: A tool for community health planning. (2005). Retrieved from http://new.dhh.louisiana.gov/assets/docs/SurveillanceReports/php/PHP2005/PDF/Ouachita/PHPOuachita.pdf State laws mandating or regulating mental health benefits. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/issues-research/health/mental-health-benefits-state-mandates.aspx The numbers count: Mental disorders in America. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-numbers-count-mental-disorders-in-america/index.shtml