Inflation, abortion, Ukraine and the midterm elections are on the minds of many citizens these days, but another issue, mental health, has long deservedly received serious attention. .
Growing interest in mental health and illness can result from a confluence of events. The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed people’s lives, lead to increased mental stress. particularly affected was a woman young personlow-income earners, essential workers, and people in communities of color.
Significant increase in deaths from suicide, alcohol and drugs during a pandemic. As told by her daughter, actress Ashley Juddcountry recording artist Naomi Judd committed suicide last spring.[ing] Her mental illness only gets worse, never better. ”
In addition, famous celebrities and athletesDemi Lovato, Michael Phelps, Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Osaka and others have reported various types of mental illness.
Even before COVID arrived, one in three high school students and half of female students reported persistent sadness or hopelessness, a 40% increase overall since 2009. Adolescent Mental Health Recommendations It was issued last December by the US Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murphy.
There is a long list of factors that contribute to emotional distress that should not be ignored.had social media Negative effects on teenage girlsThe outrage industry, especially right-wing media, MAGA Republicans, and hate groups, keep people in a constant state of terror. donald trumpneedless to say, and red state policy.
corresponds to what 90% of Americans say mental health crisis, President Biden Announces New Mental Health Measures In the 2022 State of the Union Address. Not since Jimmy Carter got the president to give this issue such high-level attention.
As session draws to a close, Pennsylvania counties ask legislatures to work on mental health funding
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): 1 in 5 US adults in 2020or 52.9 million people were living with a “mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder” of any kind or effect.Nearly 15 million Americans suffer from severe mental illness. increase. It is defined as “a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder that results in a severe impairment of functioning and that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities.”
Nearly half of adults with some form of mental illness and 65% of adults with severe mental illness received treatment, counseling, or prescription drugs in 2020, according to the NIMH. Unfortunately, Young adults are less likely to receive mental health services than older age groups.
Government efforts to address mental health have a long and tragic history. Prior to 1955, people with severe mental illness were incarcerated in state hospitals, reformists, and prisons for treatmentOfficial reports and horror stories depicted in works such as over the cuckoo’s nestblamed the type of care the patient received.
The emerging deinstitutionalization movement received official approval from President John F. Kennedy. President Kennedy’s sister Rosemary was diagnosed with a mental disorder, underwent a lobotomy, and spent the rest of her life in a private hospital.A secret my family has kept for decades).
Pennsylvania Rep. Schlossberg among lawmakers at White House Summit on Mental Health Issues
On October 31, 1963, JFK Community Mental Health Act (CMHA), The last bill he signed into law. CMHA has provided state funding for the construction of community mental health centers. Designed as an alternative to institutionalization, community-based care allows patients to live in their own homes while working and receiving treatment at local centers.
However, the government has not funded community mental health center programs for decades. Less than half of 1,500 centers Kennedy was built as planned 60 years ago.Meanwhile, most State long-term or psychiatric facility closed.
as a result, Hundreds of thousands of psychotic patientsNow either released from the facility or integrated with the community homeless Also be readmitted to prison.
It is estimated that more than 40% of the US prison population has a diagnosed mental illness, and between 15% and 20% of inmates suffer from serious mental illness.Small percentage of prisoners diagnosed get professional treatmentin the meantime Disproportionate use of force by prison guards.
School districts can receive mental health funding in Pennsylvania’s new budget.Here’s How | Opinion
In the midst of these challenges, mental health policies made progress.of Olmsted vs LC (1999)the United States Supreme Court ruled that the unfair segregation of persons with mental disabilities constitutes unlawful discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
launched by the Obama administration A demonstration project to revive CMHC, Pay mental health clinics all costs for providing care under Medicaid. The results are promising, Increased State Participation in Projects.
In Pennsylvania, the 2022-23 budget increased funding for county mental health programs by $43 million or 5%. first rise in 10 yearsThe General Assembly has secured an additional $100 million from American Rescue Plan funds to strengthen mental health infrastructure, but specific spending bills have yet to be passed. Capital-Star pointed out last week.
The recent focus on mental health is never too early. This begs the bigger question: How can we live a less stressful life?
self care There is certainly one answer. But there is more to be done.
write for new york times, UCLA’s Daniel Kerr Societies face structural inequalities that cause stress, including “housing, food security, education, childcare, job security, the right to organize for more humane workplaces, and substantive action against the impending climate apocalypse.” argues that we must deal with
In other words, mental health depends on healthy lifestyles, active politics, and responsive policies.
