Mental Health Treatment Goals

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), mental illnesses affect one in four adults in the United States each year. These staggering numbers (approximately 57 million people) display the need for effective, comprehensive and accessible mental health care. Mental health professionals focus on preventing the development of mental illness, treating mental illness and educating the populace about mental illness.

Prevention

• According to a study published by the World Health Organization (WHO) a number of mental illnesses can be treated or at least reduced in populations by implementing comprehensive educational programs for caregivers, parents, educators, doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists and individuals. Mood disorders, anxiety disorders, conduct disorders, eating disorders, psychoses and drug abuse can be prevented at various life stages by medical, psychiatric, nutritional, social and educational interventions. For example, WHO suggests that high schools could offer courses on the development of positive thinking skills, coping strategies and setting realistic goals to prevent the development of depression in teenagers. Taking these steps could prevent larger mental issues from occurring while teaching students skills and strategies that will help them throughout their lives.

Treatment

• Mental health treatments range from various therapies (cognitive behavioral therapy or interpersonal therapy), self-help techniques (exercise and reliance on social support networks), alternative medical practices (meditation and aromatherapy), group therapies, medications and medical interventions using technology such as electroconvulsive therapy for the treatment of medication-resistant depression.

  According to an article published on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website, the Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities reports that of adults suffering from a diagnosed mental illness, only half get help. Barriers to mental health help include stigma, finances, managed care, ineffective treatment and lack of education. Stigma can be prevented and reduced by people speaking out about the facts of mental illness--explaining that many who suffer and get treatment recover completely--and by organizations and policymakers offering funding to facilitate treatment of mental illnesses. Financial restrictions can be prevented by the development of comprehensive health care plans that do not limit access to people with pre-existing mental conditions. Managed care plans could consider the long-term cost effectiveness of treating mental illnesses. Ineffective treatment is often the result of a lack of understanding between the mental health care provider and the client. Providers and clients can be educated on the wide variety of treatment options available and utilize those options effectively. Lack of education can be treated with public health policies that foster education and understanding of mental disorders, their treatments and their prevention.

Education

• Education is perhaps the first step in the prevention and treatment of mental illness. The NIMH Strategic Mental Health Plan states, in part, "we must find ways to ensure that the interventions and information we generate can be used by patients, families, health care providers, and the wider community involved in mental health care." Community involvement requires neighbors, friends and family to be educated about mental illnesses, their treatment and chances of recovery. Education can help prevent the development of certain conditions and determine the type of treatment someone receives.