Annotated Bibliography- public health class

MY TOPIC IS MENTAL HEALTH- CONCERNING PUBLIC HEALTH.

TARGET POPULATION IS: THE STATE OF MAINE.

PREVIOUS ASSIGNMENT (3 SOURCES):

  My topic, mental health, can be kind of broad, but a quote I read in one of the articles I chose, sums it up for me: “There is no health without mental health”.

            The first article is focused on why mental health was in fact a public health issue; it defined it, gave scientific research and study to back it, and talked about the rights of the patients and even cost. It was a well-rounded article and will offer me a lot of incite as I work on my project.  (http://www.publichealthreviews.eu/upload/pdf_files/12/00_MH_Editorial.pdf)

            The second article is all about the importance of community education, the screening process, and even policy changes that happen on a federal level that deal with all of this. I will have to reread this article more in-depth, but there is a lot of useful information, especially pertaining to how the government has a say in all of this.  The sad truth is that every year, hundreds of people with mental health issues are arrested because they can’t even function properly, and that is why the government needs to be involved on a deeper level- because most of these people need mental help before they can even deal with their crimes. (http://naapimha.org/wordpress/media/Integration-of-Mental-Health-in-the-public-health-arena.pdf)

            The third article talks about the role that public health plays when dealing with mental health in schools; it talks about prevention, intervention, collaboration, and where we are headed in the future. Our children are our future, so this is a very important issue that needs to stay a main focus of public health organization. For instance; diagnosable mental disorders suggest that

between 12% and 22% of all youngsters under age 18 are in need of services for mental, emotional, or behavioral problems, that is a large percent. (http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/publications/56%20mental%20health%20in%20schools%20and%20public%20health.pdf)