Populations and Treatment

Posted: August 13th, 2013

POPULATIONS AND TREATMENT

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Populations and Treatment

According to the world health organization, mental heath is a state of normal functioning whereby everyone knows and can achieve their full potential without any limits to their productivity. The said persons therefore have no mental disorders or illnesses and reflect emotional and social maturity. Mental disorders affect one’s ability to function normally by inhibiting their potential and eventual productivity in one or more aspects of their lives. Such disorders can affect anyone regardless of their social, economic or even political background. Statistically, a high percentage of Americans suffer from issues of mental health in any given year. The affected persons vary with age and severity of the illness. While good mental health depicts a state of well being, there are dire consequences of poor mental health.

Some of the effects of poor mental health include low productivity in areas such as academics and work, general poor health, social impairment for instance through isolation and economically through the accumulation of medical bills. The people at risk in any given population varies, although not greatly. As indicated in one of the largest epidemiological survey conducted by the world health organization in seventeen countries, the prevalence of mental disorders among respondents was common (Levin 2004, 124). Also similar, was the age of onset of these disorders with the earliest being between the ages of seven and nine. The United States is one of the countries in which the survey was conducted. With the age of those affected beginning at such an early stage and the prevalence of mental disorders increasing yearly, many questions arise on what is being done to provide treatment to those affected.

With the diagnosis of these disorders being made early, many patients delay seeking treatment for various reasons. The type of disorder, its severity and services available are known to influence delay for treatment. In terms of service delivery, awareness and budgetary concerns contribute heavily to treatment. Studies reveal that even highly developed countries are often faced with financial limitations when it comes to offering the much-needed services to patients of mental disorders. Alot of money is required to set up the necessary hospitals together with appropriate equipment that deal with mental disorders. This implies that resources play a crucial role in service delivery and the more developed the country the better the services. In a monetary perspective, it is obvious that developed nations are more advantaged than the under developed ones.

Mental health policy refers to strategies employed to govern the treatment of mental disorders within certain populations. They are measures undertaken to improve the delivery of services to patients of psychological disorders. Most countries do not have established mental health policies that guide the management of mental illnesses. This is despite the importance of these policies in containing these disorders. If drafted and implemented properly they go a long way in helping patients suffering from mental disorders. They are often constructed within other social policies, which influence their performance. This is through consideration of the social and physical environment within which these policies are to be implemented. These policies are also determined by the resource endowment of various countries.

The public has varying conceptions of the causes of mental illnesses and the means used to manage it. The environment for instance affects an individual’s mental health be it cultural or social (Mechanic 2008, 118). Culturally, mental health is affected by how the people of a given culture perceive it. Understanding a people’s concept of mental health can go a long way in cultivating the means used to contain it. For instance, one thing that affects a person’s mental state an overall health is alcohol abuse. In a society where it is culturally acceptable to overindulge in alcohol, the approach to treatment will vary from that of a society that does not embrace alcoholism.

In a social environment, factors to be considered include the social determinants of mental health. It examines the extent to which social aspects such as behavior can affect a person’s mental health. Some of the suggested approaches to management of mental health are behavioral therapy, reduction of social stresses and collective responsibility. Social behavior of a person has to be considered when studying or evaluating their mental health. If guidance in the form of therapy is offered, many mental illnesses could be averted. Different societies have different behaviors that they condone some of which can lead to the deterioration of a person’s mental health. All societies aware of the importance of mental health should put it upon themselves to ensure that they do not contribute in any way to causing poor mental health to their members.

As a manager, I have learnt the importance of mental health policies in helping to promote mental health. As an issue that is becoming more prevalent each year, it is crucial to ensure that the affected persons are well cared for (Dentzer 2009, 28). Regardless of a country’s economic status, mental health should be managed through the administration of the required health services. There are policies groomed for different economic statuses, meaning that any country can afford to provide mental health services but within their means. Awareness of environmental factors can help in the early diagnosis and treatment of mental health. This will help prevent the severity of mental illnesses and decrease their prevalence among populations.