Mental health issues are often overlooked in general medicine. This creates a number of concerns, including the inability of many affected patients to reach care until it is too late, the failure to limit interference to their daily lives, and the lack of alternate or home support in regards to their concerns. Illnesses such as colds, broken bones, or cancer do not go ignored or claimed as fake, but issues stemming from mental health often do. However, they can impact an individual’s life as severely as many physical illnesses.
Mental illness is cited as being common among most populations, but the care they receive is lacking especially when contrasted to the care provided to physical illnesses. A statistic in 2019 showed that 60% of individuals affected by mental illness did not seek treatment in the year prior (Jett, 2019). Though such behavior is affected by a variety of internal and external factors, there is evidence that a lack of accessibility and information regarding mental care is a contributing element. This is primarily because the majority of medical policies and guidelines only begin to see mental illness as a detrimental health concern when it reaches certain severities, such as harm to oneself or others. As a result, a large proportion of those affected by mental illness remain untreated and in difficult conditions as they lack professional options in the current system of health care.
Mental illness can cause significant and often highly negative interferences in the daily lives of those affected. Choice, stress handling, and relationships and interactions with others are dictated by our emotions which can be adversely affected by mental issues and illnesses. As such, many individuals that are not informed of the specifics of certain illnesses or disorders may not understand the behaviors of those affected by mental health concerns. Additionally, mental health issues have the potential to become obstacles for daily tasks, work, interactions with friends and family, and a number of other activities that individuals find essential to complete or take part in. Without appropriate intervention or resources, those affected are likely to continue behaviors that may be concerning or even detrimental to themselves.
Most individuals cannot attain support and care from healthcare institutions or settings and may be affected by households that do not consider mental health concerns as serious as other illnesses. This is a recurring theme, especially among younger individuals that struggle with mental health issues. While certain homes may be supportive and informed regarding common mental illnesses, this is not always the case. As such, the already occurring issues may be even more adversely affected by a lack of support, successful intervention, and information and resources. Unfortunately, prior and incomplete or even mistaken understandings of mental health often inform older generations, which directly limits their own or their children’s mental health improvement. There is currently no universal method that could allow such individuals to seek help, whether it is at work or in an educational facility though efforts are being made to better inform individuals regarding mental health risks.
The current status of mental health in overall health care presents a variety of concerns. However, they are usually focused on the fact that there is a large disparity in mental and physical care provided to individuals. In order to notice an improvement, it is vital for leaders in healthcare to acknowledge the current detriment caused by mental illness to the lives of patients and ways in which support can be more accessible. With these changes, it is likely that the physical health and lives of these individuals may be improved as well.
Work Cited
Jett, L. (2019). Mental Illnesses are Common, but Care is Lacking. Harvard Medical School. Web.