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COBH4030Chp11.pptx

Chapter 11

Community Mental Health

Chapter Objectives (1 of 2)

After studying this chapter, you will be able to:

Define mental health and mental disorders, and explain the prevalence of mental disorders in the United States.

Explain what the DSM-5 is, and give an example of its limitations.

Give an example of how cultural differences can impact the diagnosis of mental disorder.

Cite specific examples of the causes of mental disorders.

Define stress and explain its relationship to physical and mental health.

Briefly trace the history of mental health care in America, highlighting the major changes both before and after World War II.

Define the term deinstitutionalization and list and discuss the forces that brought it about.

Describe community mental health centers as alternatives to state psychiatric hospitals.

Identify the major problems faced by people with mental illness who are homeless.

Describe some legal and practical issues affecting how society should deal with the problem of mental illness and violence.

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Chapter Objectives (2 of 2)

Describe mental health courts, outpatient commitment, and the use of “legal leverage” to compel treatment.

Describe the challenges facing law enforcement personnel when dealing with community residents who are struggling with acute symptoms of severe mental illness.

Define primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention as they relate to mental disorders, and give an example of each.

List and briefly describe the basic approaches to treating mental disorders.

Define self-help groups, give examples, and explain how they are helpful to their members.

Describe what “recovery” means for people with mental illness in the U.S., and for those in less developed countries such as India or Tanzania.

Explain what is meant by psychiatric rehabilitation and list the kinds of services provided by effective programs.

Identify key clinical, multicultural, practical, and political challenges faced by the community mental health care system today.

Explain the federal government’s role in supporting healthcare services to people with mental illness with respect to “parity” in insurance coverage, the Affordable Care Act, and integrative care.

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Introduction (1 of 2)

Mental illness – leading cause of disability in North America and Europe

~20% of American adults have diagnosable mental disorders during a given year

Only 38% receive treatment

Needs of people with mental illnesses diverse

Services required to meet needs include therapeutic and social services

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President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health (2003). Achieving the Promise: Transforming Mental Health Care in America. Rockville, MD: Author, 20.

Introduction (2 of 2)

Causes of disability for all ages combined: United States, Canada, and Western Europe, 2000.

Definitions

Mental health

Emotional and social well-being

Mental illness

All diagnosable mental disorders

Mental disorders

Health conditions characterized by alterations in thinking, mood, or behavior associated with distress and/or impaired functioning

Good Mental Health

Adults with good mental health are able to:

Function under adversity

Change or adapt to changes around them

Maintain control over their tension and anxiety

Find more satisfaction in giving than receiving

Show consideration for others

Curb hate and guilt

Love others

Classification of Mental Disorders

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5)

Published by American Psychiatric Association

Most influential book in mental health

Classifies disorders based on behavioral signs and symptoms rather than definitive tests or measurements of brain or another body system

Challenges to diagnosis include comorbidity and lack of cultural competence

Causes of Mental Disorders

Symptoms can arise from various causes:

Poor prenatal care, postnatal environment, genetics, environmental factors, brain function impairment, substance abuse, maladaptive family functioning, stress

PTSD

Stress: A Contemporary Mental Health Problem

Stress – one’s psychological and physiological response to stressors

Stressors

General adaptation syndrome

Fight or flight reaction

Diseases of adaptation

Experts recommend combination of physical, social, environmental, and psychological approaches to managing stress

Courtesy of Cpl. Brian Reimers/U.S. Marines

Suicide and Substance Abuse

Led to an unexpected rise in death rates among middle-aged white Americans between 1999 and 2014

Prevalence of alcohol and other drug abuse a social indicator of mental illness problems

History of Mental Health Care in the United States

Response to mental illness characterized by periods of enthusiastic reform followed by periods of widespread ambivalence

Mental Health Care before World War II

Colonial America – people with mental illness cared for by families or private caretakers

Institutionalization first appeared in 18th century

Population growth led to institution growth

Harsh treatments and unpleasant conditions

The Moral Treatment Era

Began in 1792

Belief that environmental changes can affect the mind and alter behavior

Move people from settings causing life stressors into rural, peaceful setting

Appeared to have success and became widely acceptable

Overcrowding due to population growth

The State Hospitals (1 of 2)

Supposed to provide therapeutic environment, based on close personal relationships between patients and well-trained staff

Deterioration of services occurred as chronic nature of mental illness was discovered; long-term or lifetime stays were the norm

Maximum capacities quickly reached; personalized care lost; restraints became more practical; staff turnover high

The State Hospitals (2 of 2)

1940, population in state mental institutions was nearly a half million

Staff case loads so large, only subsistence care possible

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) introduced in response

Lobotomies practiced

Appearance of new medications in 1950s made widespread use unnecessary

Mental Health Care after World War II

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) established

To foster and aid research related to cause, diagnosis, and treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders

To provide training and award fellowships and grants for work in mental health

To aid states in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders

Deinstitutionalization

Deinstitutionalization – discharging of thousands of patients from state mental hospitals

Propelled by economics, idealism, legal considerations, and antipsychotic drugs

Community Mental Health Centers

Mental Retardation Facilities and Community Mental Health Centers Act

Community mental health centers – fully staffed centers originally funded by the federal government providing comprehensive mental health services to local populations

Five core services

Problem of transinstitutionalization

Community Support Program

Mental Health Care Concerns in the United States Today

Experiences of people with serious mental illness have improved significantly in past 50 years

Challenges remain:

How to provide services to the homeless

Changing perception that mental illness is linked to extreme violence

Resolving problems of those with mental illness who are incarcerated

Homelessness

2.1 million adults experience homelessness over the course of a year

80% temporarily homeless, 10% episodically homeless, 10% chronically homeless

About half of all homeless adults have substance use disorders, major depression, and other co-occurring mental illness

Successful interventions include provision of housing and services they need

Mental Illness and Violence

Extreme violence relatively rare in people with mental disorders

Much of risk attributable to comorbid factors

What should be done to prevent violence is unclear

Constitutional issues related to individual freedoms, privacy, and other rights

Mental Health Care in Jails and Prisons

Rates of serious mental illness in U.S. correctional facilities are three to four times the rates in the general population

Correctional facilities designed to confine and punish, not to treat disease

Lack of space, adequate number of qualified treatment personnel, and timely access to services

Once released back into community, more likely to commit crime if untreated

Prevention

Primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention applicable to mental disorders

Primary – reduces incidence of mental illness and related problems

Secondary – reduces prevalence by shortening duration of episodes

Tertiary – treatment and rehabilitation

Treatment Approaches

Goals of treatment of mental disorders

Reduce symptoms

Improve personal and social functioning

Develop and strengthen coping skills

Promote behaviors that make a person’s life better

Psychopharmacology

Psychopharmacological therapy – treatment with medications

Conditions for which medications exist include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, anxiety, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder

Other biomedical therapy – ECT

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy – treatment through verbal communication

Numerous approaches

Cognitive-behavioral therapy

More likely to be successful in less severe cases or when used in conjunction with other approaches

Technology

Use of technology in treatment via telephone, video conferencing, Internet, email, computer software

Benefits

Delivers flexible help directly to clients’ living environments

Lowers cost to patient

Increases privacy of patient

May reduce feelings of coerciveness

Self-Help Groups

Self-help groups –concerned members of the community who are united by a shared interest, concern, or deficit not shared by other members of the community

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

Psychiatric Rehabilitation

Primary objective is most often recovery rather than cure

Psychiatric Rehabilitation – current recovery-oriented services

Services include medication, therapy, adaptive skills, changing environment through accommodations at work or school

Practices must be evidence-based

Challenges Facing Mental Health Care in the United States

Multiple services needed

Staff turnover relatively high

System is decentralized and fragmented

Lack of licensed providers in rural and low-income counties

Lack of cultural competence among providers

Government Policies and Mental Health Care

Following deinstitutionalization, government’s role in funding and policy became substantial

Medicaid

Mental Health Parity and Addiction Act of 2008

Parity – concept of equality in healthcare coverage for people with mental illness and those with other medical issues or injuries

The Affordable Care Act of 2010

Medicaid coverage for individuals with mental disorders grew

Individuals with mental disorders disproportionately benefit from coverage expansions

They tend to have lower incomes and are less likely to be insured

Communities may lack infrastructure to adequately meet needs of newly insured

Discussion Questions

How can community mental health centers work to reach 100% of their territory in need?

What role can schools play in supporting mental health in children and adolescents?