Barriers to mental health care access and treatment

¶ … Health and Well-Being of a Chosen Group:

Diagnosed mental disorders

Barriers

Barriers to assistance for diagnosed mental disorders exist on the individual, community, and social level. On an individual level, people are often reluctant to admit to themselves that they are mentally ill, or a refusal to recognize that they are ill is actually part of the pathology of their illness. On a social level, discomfort in dealing with people who are mentally ill, a lack of financial resources for treatment (particularly for the poor but even for members of the middle class that lack enough insurance for extensive mental health coverage) can also create barriers to care. A lack of financial resources in general can prevent a full, expansive treatment option being offered combining necessary psychopharmacology and therapy even for patients who are able to afford some types of care.

Solutions

Although mental health patients cannot always be relied upon to seek out appropriate care for themselves, there is a role for mental health advocacy organizations to actively disseminate knowledge about the symptoms of mental illnesses, versus pharmaceutical companies which only do so with a very slanted 'bias.' Educating friends, teachers, and relatives about the symptoms of mental illness is also needed. Expanding coverage for lower-cost mental health clinics via Medicaid funding might be one way to expand outreach for treatment to poorer communities, breaking down barriers to access due to a lack of financing and transportation. However, systemic reform of health insurance practices are still critically needed so 'talk' therapy is equally available on a mass level and in conjunction with pharmaceutical treatments for mental illnesses. Patients must be seen by providers who genuinely understand their condition and receive supportive therapy in a meaningful, extended fashion.