The Big Girl Chronicles:
Mental Health Awareness Month 2014
Millions of people in this country depend daily upon the
mental health system for treatment and to advocate on their behalf. However as with any other service, sometimes
you find yourself surrounded by a system that is in dire need of repair itself
before it can provide adequate and effective services to its consumers. Some systems seem more enabling than
operating with the intention of encouraging independence. The reason this is allowed to continue I
imagine is because the voice of a person diagnosed with mental illness is
quickly silenced among the general “healthy” population, being disregarded as
having the potential to exaggerate more than others or is less credible. Also, no psychiatrist wants his decisions
questioned and some tend to take offense when patients challenge them. There are also instances when complacency is
favored above creating a rift in schedules, routines and services that most
employees would rather not be altered.
And let’s not overlook the fact that a long list of clients is always much more
fruitful.
Why is revamping the mental health system of such
importance? The answer is simple. Of however many millions of citizens that
reportedly endure mental illness, there are however many more who have watched
a relative, friend or loved one get trapped in the system to the extent that
they themselves shirk from getting help that could be necessary to assist with
day to day living and/or prevent a personal catastrophe that could have
unintended victims. Additionally, we are
bombarded with commercials advertising drugs that come with warnings of bodily
harm while attempting to treat your mood or other psychosis that can also seem
intimidating for someone wanting to engage in mental health treatment. Areas
where some clients can seem to feel their mental health is being “held hostage”
more so than being adequately treated include diagnosis, treatment and therapy
(which pretty much encompasses the entire system).
Diagnosis
It would be ideal to believe that most people who have
mental illness are insightful enough to identify need for intervention and seek
treatment. Unfortunately that isn’t the
case often times and it becomes necessary for someone else to assist in getting
that person the help (s)he needs. There
are those who enjoy every moment of psychotic perceptions so much so that it
has become a world within itself. In
those cases the need to “convince” the client that there is a need for treatment
can (and often does) interfere with accurately identifying symptoms and
behavior that support the correct diagnosis.
However, those who are
insightful enough to identify need for intervention and seek treatment can -and
sometimes sadly are- blindly thrown into a system that treats a diagnosis
rather than the person. For this reason,
it could be more effective to consider more of the client’s personality and
background in naming a diagnosis so that the client isn’t being robbed of those
characteristics that make him or her the person (s)he is. Someone who has always been lively, talkative
and humorous with a bright personality could become lost in a bipolar diagnosis
that could’ve been avoided had the doctor have been more aware of the client’s
personality to differentiate what symptoms and behaviors have become
problematic versus those that are part of the client’s persona. Also, a client that has had such a bright
personality would more than likely experience some degree of sadness and should
be given a fair amount of time to adjust rather than immediately bombarded with
diagnoses and meds, depending upon severity of illness.
Treatment
As with any health concern, helping the client understand
his/her symptoms and diagnosis is key to gaining full participation in mental
health treatment and curbing regression.
After all, compliance is the single most important element in sustaining
quality of life. There are some clients
that enter the mental health system eagerly hoping to begin an end to whatever
form of psychosis has held their life captive for however long. But remember the presumption mentioned above
about those managing mental illness seemingly considered less credible? How can the client feel comfortable enough to
openly discuss their concerns if (s)he doesn’t expect those concerns will be
taken seriously? Or that those concerns
are conjured up in attempt to avoid medication?
It seems unfortunate that the mental health system has a tendency to
stereotype those it is intended to serve.
Therapy
Ideally each client is to receive individualized
care. Individualized care is inclusive
of not only access to those therapies that are easily available but also new
therapeutic interventions and activities that could prove beneficial to clients. What
can be most therapeutic sometimes is to allow the client to lead rather than
continuously layering information upon information and employing various
techniques that can seem tiresome and draining to the client rather than
therapeutic. Also there can be a tendency to provide
treatment and interventions based upon what a client might do. Unless there is some absurd intention on
behalf of the client or (s)he has shown potential to be a danger to self or
others, it is counter therapeutic to
prevent clients from opportunities, ventures and interests that could be
considered a form of therapy because of unfounded and unsubstantiated
“maybes.”
Media campaigns encouraging the removal of stigma from
mental illness often describe life while managing mental illness as something
that doesn’t have to interfere with quality of life. To remain credible, it is imperative that the
mental health system – or rather those that are employed within it- begin to
advocate for and provide services to clients with the fewest restrictions
necessary for treatment. This being
understood, if you or someone you know are experiencing a disruption in mental
status that impedes your capacity for daily functioning talk to someone about
it immediately. You can contact your
physician or local mental health facility to schedule an appointment and speak
with a professional. Early detection and
treatment is essential to managing the deteriorating effects of mental illness
and sustaining a desirable quality of life.
You can click the following links for more information:
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