Importance of Treatment of Mental Illnesses

Mental Illness

In recent years, mental illnesses have been the focus of considerable attention from medical professionals. These are conditions that can cause disruptions in individual's moods, feelings, thinking, daily functioning, and the ability to relate with other people and things. Mental illness is a condition of the brain which results in different symptoms, as well as affecting the day-to-day life of that person and the people around him or her in different ways. The mental illnesses include borderline personality disorder, post-traumatic stress, obsessive compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety to name a few. More than sixty million people in America, i.e. one out of four adults, are going through mental illnesses in a given year. One out of seventeen people experiences disorders such as bipolar disorder, depression, and schizophrenia while one out of ten million children are going through emotional disorders and mental illnesses. Every person who is going through a mental illness requires a personal treatment plan, according to the diagnosis that is determined, and the situation that has caused them that illness (NAMI, 2013).

An effective psychiatric and medical treatment is the first priority for the people who are diagnosed with a mental illness. However, once the treatment starts, the patient and the family generally learn that this illness not only affects the individual suffering form it but also the family. So, the family is advised by the medical professionals to provide full involvement and support, and work on different strategies to help the patient. It is still unfortunate that only one third of the older people and one half of the children with mental illnesses do not receive any treatment at all. When a person is diagnosed with a mental illness, he or she becomes highly disabled and requires immediate help and care (NAMI, 2013).

Medical Model and Mental Illness

The medical model is the oldest treatment model and is used in mental diseases and illness. It uses physical therapy, laboratory studies, and medication as treatment. In the 1930s, the emphasis of the medical model shifted to treatment from punishment, and the concept of rehabilitation was adopted. In relation with mental illness, the model saw the illness as organic, and its treatment and diagnosis was a matter of medical treatment; therefore people suffering through mental illnesses were considered to be patients. The Medical Model consisted of the patient sharing thoughts, after which the therapist diagnosed and interpreted the information to advise proper treatment. Another therapy, 'electroshock', was also introduced and used for treating depression. Furthermore, psychotropic medications were introduced, which acted on the brain to treat the illness (Models of Human Service Delivery, n.d.).

Public Health Model and Mental Illness

The Medical model was further extended to form the Public Heath Model, which focuses on the groups in a population identified by characteristics, problems, or geography. The illnesses were evaluated for their effects on society and the individual. This model generally focuses on the population, emphasizes prevention and promotion, addresses the health determinants and engages in different processes involving actions and steps to overcome mental illness. These steps include assessment, assurance, and policy development (Miles, Espiritu, Horen, Sebian, & Waetzig, 2007).

Human Services Model and Mental Illness

This model focuses on the relationship and interaction between the environment and the individual. The model gives importance to the balance required for the individual suffering from mental illness. It also focuses on environmental and interpersonal conflicts, and has a problem-solving treatment approach that includes general orientation, identification of the problem(s), generating the alternatives, decision making, and then evaluating the problem (Models of Human Service Delivery, n.d.).

Strengths and Weaknesses

Medical Model and Mental Illness

Mental illness is not a disease to be treated harshly or one that should be neglected. The symptom-disease-treatment approach is one of the strengths of this model, as it believes in acting on the symptoms in order to diagnose a problem. At first the model included punishment as part of the treatment; this was certainly a weakness. However, punishment was shifted towards rehabilitation, which gives a chance for the individual to look forward to the treatment without any pressure. One of the weaknesses of the model is that it requires considerable financial support, from paying the therapist's bills, to medications, which might be a barrier for people who cannot afford to pay. Furthermore, the rehabilitation centers also require a lot of money to initiate and setup; then planning treatments and the facility setup for the patients is a difficult task to achieve without funding (Models of Human Service Delivery, n.d.).

Public Health Model and Mental Illness

Mental illness is experienced by more than sixty million people in America. The main strength of this model is that it has a public health approach, which focuses on the entire population's health. This means that a nationwide awareness campaign, or actions are taken in order to prevent the population from being diagnosed with mental illnesses. The main weakness of this model is that every patient suffering from mental illness has to have a different treatment plan according to the situation they are in and the reason behind their illness. This means that the entire population cannot follow a "one size fits all" approach, as it would be inappropriate, and would not fulfill the treatment requirements of the patients (Miles, Espiritu, Horen, Sebian, & Waetzig, 2007).

Human Service Model and Mental Illness

This model itself is based on finding out the strengths of the patient, and working on them to overcome the mental illness. It has a problem solving approach and focuses on generics which mean that the treatment is coordinated, comprehensive, and accessible. The main strength of this model is that it allows the interpersonal interaction of the patient, as well as his or her interaction with the environment (Models of Human Service Delivery, n.d.).

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

1. NAMI is a very large organization that works on the grassroots level and is dedicated to building a better life for the people of America who are affected by different mental illnesses. The organization works to provide access to different services, support, treatment, and new researches for creating awareness among the community (NAMI, 2013).

2. Every individual diagnosed with mental illnesses requires diagnosis plans that are solely based on the requirements of that particular individual, because every situation is different. NAMI provides recommendations to the patients to consider the combination of psychotherapy, medication, and a different choice of lifestyle along with the support of the community to facilitate quick recovery. NAMI also promotes family support systems, which is very important for a person's quick recovery. The organization is trying to spread awareness to the families and how they can help the patient to overcome their illness through love and support (NAMI, 2013).