HHS 497 Health & Human Services Wk5-A

Chandra,

Thank you for your assignment. However, at minimum, your submission must include three scholarly sources (excluding the required course readings), two of which must come from the Ashford University Library (e.g., articles, professional critiques, research reports, etc.). The third source can come from either the library or from a professional website ending in .gov.

The following are recommended readings which should be excluded from your references.

Bartlem, K., Bowman, J., Ross, K., Freund, M., Wye, P., McElwaine, K., & ... Wiggers, J. (2016). Mental health clinician attitudes to the provision of preventive care for chronic disease risk behaviours and association with care provision. BMC Psychiatry, (57), doi:10.1186/s12888-016-0763-3

Website:

Right on the money: How to keep the doors of your nonprofit organization open in good times and bad (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. [PDF file]. (2010). Retrieved from http://ncfy.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/sustainability-toolkit-2010_2.pdf

It is important to provide details in your assignment about your social issue of mental health. I would recommend that you visit the AU Writing Center on how to cite in-text citations. Please read future instructions carefully and do research your topic.

Note:

You are writing assignments that will lead up to the final Capstone. So, please be specific and follow directions. Your topic on mental is broad. Shorten the topic for something specific in mental health. Try this website https://www.mentalhealth.gov/

You have a great similarity score of 6%.

Dr. Nowlin

Background Social Issues of Mental Health

Chanda Crews

HHS 497 Health & Human Services Capstone

Instructor: Sarah Nowlin

November 5, 2018

Mental health is an important part of human lives. The reason behind this is that without proper mental health, then the wellbeing and the holistic health of an individual is threated and is also not fulfilled. Mental health issues are many. They appear in different forms and fall under various categories (Bartlem et al., 2016). Some are permanent issues while others are but temporary ones. Notable, various social factors influence the wellbeing of a person’s mental health. In addition, it is important to understand that risk factors also exist that makes individuals susceptible to mental health illnesses (Gov, 2010). This paper focuses on providing insight into the history of mental health over the years and in the United States as well as providing insight into the social determinants that make individuals susceptible to having mental health illnesses and the responses geared towards meeting this social issue.

Notably, the history of mental health illnesses tracks back centuries ago. Nevertheless, this history only goes back as far as it was recorded through writing among other ways. In the year 400 B.C, mental health illnesses took their first primary leap forward. This occurred when the Hippocrates and the Greek physicians started to offer treatment for mental health illnesses together with other physiological illnesses. They stopped offering or rather, putting more focus on mental health illnesses as evidence of gods being displeased with the mentally ill individuals as well as the evidence of being possessed by the demons. This had been the major belief over the years. During the 8th century, Muslim Arabs established asylums for those who were mentally ill.

These laps helped in establishing the current insight of mental health illnesses. Nevertheless, over the years, mental health illnesses history has taken not only many turns but also many leaps as well, more so, in the United States (Bartlem et al., 2016). One of the major leaps or rather changes that have been seen over the centuries is the accommodation of those who are mentally ill. Consequently, mentally ill individuals were firstly institutionalized to ensure that they do not harm others or even themselves. Nevertheless, current mental health practices have seen these individuals being moved into communities, which are the modern day housing of these people (Collins, Garlington, Cooney, 2015).

Besides this, during the middle Ages, the mentally ill in Europe were given their freedom in various places. Nevertheless, this freedom depended on them being depicted as not a danger to the community as well as to themselves. However, this was not the case everywhere. In other places, they were not only treated poorly but they were also considered to be practicing witchcraft.

During the 1600s, isolation began to occur in Europe. The implication of this was that those who were mentally ill were isolated. Moreover, they were treated in the most inhumane way. They were not only being chained to the walls but they were also being kept away in dungeons. In addition, they were also being housed among the delinquents, vagrants as well as the disabled.

In the 1700s that many concerns trickled in concerning the treatment of those who were mentally ill, this resulted in the enactment of positive reforms. This resulted in the forbidding of chaining those who were mentally ill. Besides this, it contributed to them being allowed to stay in rooms that had sun penetration. Additionally, they also received encouragement to exercise. Nevertheless, many other places still allowed serious mistreatment of those who are mentally ill.

Currently, there have been introductions of numerous new psychiatric medications (Bartlem et al., 2016). Besides this, there have been successful treatment for most people with mental health illnesses. Very few individuals have been institutionalized in mental hospitals for longer periods primarily due to the lack of proper funding mainly from private insurance. Nevertheless, many individuals have been treated successfully in the community.

Some of the social determinants of mental health illnesses include life courses, family building years, old age, parenting behaviors as well as attitudes, income access as well as access to resources, water, sanitation, food and nutrition, employment and housing. Others include employment conditions, parental mental and physical health, the community, neighborhood safety and trust, violence, crime as well as community based engagement. Besides this, the welfare and the nature of the country also influence or rather, determines mental health illnesses. Some of the factors falling under this category include inequalities, poverty reduction, human rights, governance, discrimination, conflicts, and access to health care, education and services. In addition, national policies, proportionate to need as well as social protection policies in place are also other social determinants of mental health. Consequently, incarceration and homelessness of the mentally ill individuals are the primary problems that these individuals face, more so, because of the lack of treatment resources and lack of beds.

Conclusively, many things or rather, efforts have been input to ensure that these individuals not only receive the best treatment but also care that will facilitate their recovery. Some of these include policies as well as programs such as community programs geared towards integrating mentally health individuals into the community. Ultimately, mental health has come a long way.

References

Bartlem, K., Bowman, J., Ross, K., Freund, M., Wye, P., McElwaine, K., & ... Wiggers, J. (2016). Mental health clinician attitudes to the provision of preventive care for chronic disease risk behaviours and association with care provision. BMC Psychiatry, (57), doi:10.1186/s12888-016-0763-3

Collins, M., Garlington, S., Cooney, K., (2015). Relieving human suffering: Compassion in social policy (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. . Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 42 (1) , 95-120. Retrieved from http://www.wmich.edu/socialworkjournal/

Gov. (2010). Right on the money: How to keep the doors of your nonprofit organization open in good times and bad (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. [PDF file]. Retrieved from  http://ncfy.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/sustainability-toolkit-2010_2.pdf