Skagit Valley Breach Summary

Trauma informed care is also used because traumatic stress is widely experienced by those with mental illness. Trauma awareness helps clients build resiliency in an environment that is safe and welcoming to all. Peer Delivered Services are also provided because sometimes the most valuable supports are provided by someone who has been there. Peers help navigate recovery through the perspective of shared experience. Luke-Dorf has two fully peer-driven programs and employs peer counselors at most sites. Lastly Luke-Dorf believes in integrated care, coordinating primary and preventive care. Providing many health and wellness services, such as smoking cessation and an in-house Healthy Eating and Active Lifestyle (HEAL) program. Ultimately, our vision as a mental health program is to embrace diverse populations and diverse practices to develop a high quality, fully integrated system of service and support that responds to the needs of those affected by mental illness in our community.

To build a treatment and prevention plan, we need to know what stops people from seeking treatment. This knowledge will help to create programs that will be more effective in informing individuals of their options, bring more attention to the topic of mental health. Through this maybe we can remove the stigma attached to mental health so that people are no longer resigned to suffering in silence. Individuals need to become comfortable talking about mental health issues to ensure effective treatment.

As discussed in class, little advancement has been made in the field of mental health care over the past two decades. Rates of mental illness continue to be high especially among certain subgroups, but progress has been stunted by stigma and social environmental issues. Mental health disparities, like many other health disparities, are embedded within a trend of socioeconomic differences (Miranda, McGuire, Williams, & Wang, 2008). Racial and class disparities exist among those afflicted

Access to mental health care is not as good as than other forms of medical services. Some Americans have reduced access to mental health care amenities because they are living in a countryside setting. Others cannot get to treatment for the reason of shortage of transportation or vast work and household tasks. In some areas, when a

In today’s society there is a greater awareness of mental illnesses. With this greater awareness one might assume that there would be a substantial increase in government involvement or funding in the area of mental illness treatment. Unfortunately this isn’t the case in the U.S. today. There are hundreds of thousands of people with mental illness that go untreated. These potential patients go untreated for many reasons. These reasons are discussed in the Time article “Mental Health Reform: What Would it Really Take.

Addressing barriers at an individual level will require an emphasis on educating the public on mental health issues. To address systemic barriers that exist at the macro-level, the following policy interventions have been advanced to deal with the treatment gap problem: (i) implementing a ‘life course’ perspective with prime attention to early detection and treatment, (ii) developing mental health literacy programs and campaigns, and (iii) delivering comprehensive, integrated, and responsive mental health and social care services in community-based settings. Each of these are discussed

Throughout this semester I completed an internship in psychology at Jefferson Center for Mental Health. Specifically I spent my time in a short term Hospital Alternative Facility (HAF). HAF is a residential facility that aids in transitioning home from the hospital, another Jefferson Center for Mental Health facility or a crisis situation. All of our clients have current mental health diagnoses, the most common of which are depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, personality disorders, and schizophrenia. Clients stay for only a short time and the main objectives for their stay normally revolve around stabilizing meds and finalizing housing and living plans for the future. HAF provides services that are vital in that clients can have a stable residence so they can focus on managing symptoms and figuring out the best strategy to integrate themselves, with new goals back into their life. However, with all of HAF’s outstanding and vital qualities, there are also areas that I would suggest for improvement given what I have learned through my undergraduate education in psychology.

The lack of treatment for mental illnesses — due partly from the stigma with which it is associated with — comes with a number of public issues: economically,

The current policies put into place to prevent crime have not been as effective as they should be when it comes to treating individuals with mental illnesses. Access to treatments and extending programs are an important part of decreasing the amount of crime associated with mental health and preventing recidivism. Statistically, those who suffer from mental health issues and seek treatment do not receive it (Kopel, 2015). In addition, those who attempt to seek treatment may not have the ability to afford it and, consequently, cannot access it. Social disorganization theory describes these circumstances as a means of “informal social control as a result economic conditions” (Olaghere, 2017).

The barriers that face individuals with mental illness are many, physical illnesses and conditions are recognizable therefore are easily treatable. This is not the case with mental illness, of the 44 million adults in the US with a known mental illness only 40% are able to access care. I strongly believe that one of the biggest factors is the disease itself, individuals suffer for years undiagnosed and it is the lack of the known need that stops them from seeking treatment. The symptoms are not always apparent and they are taken as some other condition or

The community mental health population is one that is comprised of individuals of different ethnicities, backgrounds, cultures, diagnoses, worldviews, and many other diversity variables. Unfortunately, working with this population often occurs in short-term care settings whereby the clinician may only have several days or weeks to work with a client. Similarly, the following conceptualization will be based off of a client who the writer treated in a residential program whereby clients can stay for up to 25 days. At this site, most clients are homeless, have a serious mental illness (SMI) determination, and suffer from substance abuse, severe depression and/or anxiety, and psychotic disorders. Therefore, an in-depth analysis of this client’s

The negative stigma of mental health has lightened slightly over the years, however, it has not rescinded entirely. People still have an unmanageable time admitting that they may have a mental disorder and that they require assistance. Human beings struggle with these hindrances openly and also hidden on a daily basis. Therefore, our civilization needs to remove the shame associated with the treatment of mental disorders and work on devising a progressive suitable mental healthcare plan in order to ensure that many live a healthy, happy, and prosperous

During a mental health event the First Lady, Michelle Obama said, “At the root of this dilemma is the way we view mental health in this country. [...] Whether an illness affects your heart, your leg or your brain, it’s still an illness, and there should be no distinction.” This shows that mental illness stigma in society is based on mental illness being perceived more negatively than other physical illness when it should actually be seen as the same. Stigma around mental illness has had very immense adverse effects on the willingness of undiagnosed suffers to not seek treatment when they need it. As a result of this one in five people with a mental illness will not get the treatment they need which has the effect of high suicide rates among the untreated sufferers. In an effort to reduce stigma around mental illness, so that more undiagnosed sufferers seek treatment, schools should devote more time to increasing awareness of mental illness and its effects.

Navigation of life is not void of challenges; however, in the presence of a mental disorder, these normal life challenges are exacerbated. Because of this continued mental health services are of fundamental importance for the suffer given they can ease the burden of the disorder. Unfortunately, numerous barriers interrupt the path to care and treatment, which many suffers cannot navigate, thereby severing their link to these vital services. Barriers are either attitudinal (stigma and adverse perception about mental health efficiency) or structural (e.g. location, distance, accessibility, inadequate health coverage) both of which appear to have an impact in this particular case (Eaton, 2012). Ms. Jones unwillingness to accept her diagnosis with paranoid schizophrenia is indicative of the power of stigmas, as well as their ability to obstruct treatment.

It is no secret that mental health is a topic that comes with stigmas. After all, it was not too long ago that mental health patients often found themselves living in state hospitals that were underfunded and understaffed, and many human rights violations followed (Unite for Sight, 2015).. Some may argue that not much has changed considering mental health care is a topic that is often ignored, at least until some national tragedy happens by the hand of someone mentally ill. While recent policy is supposed to improve mental health care, many of the hoped for improvements remain to be seen, and access is one of those needed improvements. In order to understand the need for better mental health care access, one must understand the issue’s background,