Mental Health in United States

Posted: January 4th, 2023

Mental Health in United States

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Mental Health in United States

            Mental health is defined as the psychological, emotional, and social wellbeing of an individual (Auerbach et al. 2018). Individual wellbeing is vital as it establishes the relationship between one and the other people and influences the individual’s impact on the community and society (Ohrnberger et al. 2017). This is because mental effects personal decision-making, determine the relationship with others, and influence stress management. Mental disorders are conditions that interfere with one’s thinking, feelings, and behavior. Mental disorders can be a single type of disease or a combination of various types of illness. Mental disorders can be influenced by; unemployment, heavy social responsibility, stress, and discrimination. Ultimately, mental disorders lead to multiple problems such as pain, disability even resulting in death.

Mental Disorders

There has been a rising concern about mental disorders in the United States over the past. A record of about forty-three million adult residents above eighteen years who have any mental illness and nine million, eight hundred thousand individuals suffering from devastating mental disorders has been reported in 2018(Auerbach et al. 2018). Neuropsychiatric is the leading mental disorder in the United States, with a mortality rate of 18.7%. It is also one of the mortalities leading contributors at position ten (Auerbach et al. 2018). With the facts mentioned above, there is a need for a study to be carried in the United States of America with the following objectives.

MHMD- 1: Reduce suicide rates in United States.

MHMD-8: Increase the proportion of persons with serious mental illness who are employed in United States.

The aim of reducing the suicide rates is pioneered by the recently released data that 11.3 suicides per every 100,000 population subject to an increase with population increase. This is shown by a clear trend from 11.3 suicides per 100,000 people in 2009 to 19.6 per 100,000 people at 45-64 years old in 2017. There has been a disparity in gender, with men committing suicides more than women (Auerbach et al. 2018). This can be attributed to society’s higher expectations and burden over to the man unlike their counterparts. The objective will be to acquire 10.2 suicides per 100,000 populations (Auerbach et al. 2018). As a nurse, this can be done through peer discussion with the various groups of people on better ways of solving the different puzzles they come across in life other than committing suicide. Also, interactive sessions where people are allowed to share their common past problems and how they have maneuvered acts as encouragement, thereby changing the people’s mindset as they are equipped with better ways of solving different problems and ultimately reducing depression and suicide cases (Ohrnberger et al. 2017).

There has been an increase in the proportions of individuals with serious mental illness employed in the United States (Ohrnberger et al., 2017). This allows for higher expectations than the released data released, showing that 56% of the reported mental disorders to be employed individuals. The study will target a higher population since there have been approximations that 61.6% of the reported cases are employed. This could be true due to some of the employed individuals do not go for testing. The whites are highest among the employed mentally ill individuals compared to the other races like the blacks (Auerbach et al. 2018). The metropolitan areas account for a higher number of employed sick mentally persons than in rural areas. Citizens born in the United States account for the higher employed mentally ill individual than immigrants with a percentage level of 59% and 56.1%, respectively (Auerbach et al. 2018). The aim will be to increase the number of mentally ill individuals employed to reduce the increased depression of the mentally ill individuals within the society, which could lead to higher death rates. Sharing with Government officials the importance of providing employment opportunities to some post-traumatized individuals helps increase more post-mentally ill employed individuals. As a nurse, discussion also with the various legislators can help tackle this puzzle as they can sponsor my motion in two chambers of the congress. This motion can be on employment opportunity creation to those post-mentally ill individuals especially those who can concentrate and contribute to society. The Government can also provide support programs like the unemployed with food aid and setting particular drama and festival activities within the calendar to relax off from the routine. In addition, my engagement with the private sector with a proof of the cooperation and medication record might land some of the previous or semi-mentally ill individuals causal jobs.

Physical and Mental Health

Ohrnberger, Fichera, and Sutton (2017) found that physical and mental health are interrelated. Excellent mental health contributes to higher productive physical activities like good interpersonal relationships among individuals and society-building activities like social program participation. A mental disorder like stress and anxiety reduces individual involvement in community programs or even interpersonal relationships with other individuals (Ohrnberger et al. 2017). Physical health also affects mental health. For instance, health complications exemplified by chronic diseases such as Cancer contributes to depression among the individuals concerned (Prescott 2020). Cancer-diagnosed individuals view the condition as the end of life, leading to depression and reduced interactions to cater to personal medication. At times some even commit suicide or engage in immoral behaviors. The connected individuals to the cancer patient become depressed financially if the infected cancer individual was the breadwinner. There is also fear of losing their beloved one, which comes with withdrawing consequences like reduced social interactions to cater to the sick and maybe spent some of the last moments with the ill individual. In some societies, there is the stigmatization of the ailing individual and the immediate family being sidelined, affecting their mental health of the close individuals (Prescott 2020). Some family members also discriminate against the ailing person by viewing them as a bad omen to society, which affects the mental health of the diseased.

Trauma Informed Care

Trauma-informed care is an assumption approach that individuals are more likely to have a history of trauma in the human service field (Bartlett and Steber 2019). It has six basic principles in its application. These principles include; safety, trustworthiness, and transparency between the parties involved, peer support of the traumatized individual, collaboration and mutuality among the parties involved, empowerment of the traumatized individual by choice and cultural, gender, and historical concerns. Trauma-informed care recognizes the trauma symptoms and the devastating effects in one’s life. Trauma-informed care transforms the organizational culture in recognition and respect of the trauma effects at all levels (Prescott 2020). Trauma-informed care practice has thus become an immediate and universal order in the public service response. However, it requires a shift in how one asks a question like one asks a problem to determine what happened to a particular individual rather than finding out what could be wrong with that specific individual. This service aims to provide support services in a more accessible way to post-traumatized individuals appropriately. Failure to use the trauma-informed approach in related public services increases the chances of onset of trauma symptoms and individuals’ re-traumatization. Trauma-informed care is applied in the medical field, particularly the psychiatric department, since it encourages infected individuals to engage in medication (Bartlett and Steber 2019). This is because consistent re-traumatization reduces the infected individual’s willingness to accept cure as a therapy and the nature of the individuals who have been traumatized severally to have escalated trauma-related symptoms. Prescott (2020) proved that trauma-informed care in prisons aids in the culprit’s reformation, with some instances, some individuals committing suicide due to re-traumatization by some of the management and fellow culprits.

Bartlett and Steber (2019) argued that trauma among children is a common issue in the United States, significantly attributed to neglect, the demise of a loved one, or social violence across the streets. The traumatic event fades away in some children. In contrast, others experience posttraumatic stress, which leads to major significant impairments in both mental and physical health when not approached wisely by adults or their fellow peers (Prescott 2020). In some cases, it leads to suicides among children. The recovery roadmap among children from posttraumatic stress revolves around a particular order. First, I will need to recognize the extent of trauma’s impact on that individual and the available options for recovery on that child. There will be the need to understand the signs and symptoms of trauma. I will integrate fully the knowledge acquired about trauma, policies, procedures, and practices with greater caution of avoiding re-traumatization.

In conclusion, the mental health is the psychological, emotional and social well-being. It is closely related to the physical health with physical health causing mental problem and vice versa. Mental disorders can lead to traumatization. Trauma informed care is the new order of day in public relations with its application in medicine and prisoners reforms.

References

Auerbach, R. P., Mortier, P., Bruffaerts, R., Alonso, J., Benjet, C., Cuijpers, P. and Murray, E. (2018). WHO World Mental Health Surveys International College Student Project: Prevalence and distribution of mental disorders. Journal of abnormal psychology, 127(7), 623.

Bartlett, J. D., & Steber, K. (2019). How to implement trauma-informed care to build resilience to childhood trauma. Bethesda, MD: American Psychiatric publishers.

Ohrnberger, J., Fichera, E., & Sutton, M. (2017). The relationship between physical and mental health: A mediation analysis. Social Science & Medicine, 195, 42-49.

Prescott, D. S. (2020). Trauma-Informed Care in Secure Settings: The Whys, Hows and Challenges Associated. In Sexual Crime and Trauma (pp. 33-55). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham publishers.