Mental Health Care vs. Medical Care, OT Can Help Bridge The Gap!

Issue: Mental Health Care vs. Medical Care, OT Can Help Bridge The Gap!

It is imperative that individuals are viewed holistically, which makes this policy so important. A person’s physical health and mental health are often related. For example, there is a significant correlation between chronic illness and depression. Individuals are seeking health care for certain issues, while ignoring other issues that they may also be having simultaneously. Often people push mental health issues to the side and focus more on their physical health issues. The stigma of mental health being uncomfortable and something that should be hidden can often exacerbate the situation. Something must be done to ensure that individuals are receiving the care that they need in order to live their best life possible. Occupational therapists help individuals do just that and therefore are interested in bridging the gap between mental and physical health.

You can find the article here:

http://californiahealthline.org/news/bridging-the-gap-between-medical-and-mental-health-care/?utm_campaign=KFF-2016-The-Latest&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=26607055&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_keWriX2qvetCP9DYOr5IkrnADIJjn1odPAUii35R53527_8SXZ44px_V2pwFYHI4lLCgUhHXuu2w52GaA2Bdo42DfTg&_hsmi=26607056

Service Delivery:

            The service delivery to address this issue will involve both the health care and educational systems. Educating the public on warning signs, risk factors and treatment options for mental health issues is very important! In addition, reducing the stigma of mental health and educating the public that mental health issues should not be looked at differently than physical health issues.

            The health care system is also involved in the service delivery of the proposed policy because we would want physicians to be performing in depth annual checkups. The health care and education systems would collide because it would be paramount that the physicians performing the check-ups are educated on the signs, symptoms, and risk factors of a variety of mental health issues. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, Anxiety is the most prevalent mental illness in the United States affecting 40 million adults in the country. The physicians should be aware of all mental illnesses, but it is clear than anxiety is one that should be on the forefront of their minds.

Policy:

            There should be a policy made so that all individuals are required to get a annual check-up that includes a mental health screening. Although this may not be a catch all fix, it will help to bring mental health to the forefront while bridging the gap between the mental health and physical health sectors. In addition, there should be a policy made that facilitates and encourages communication between mental health practitioners and primary care physicians. This collaboration would help to bridge the gap between mental health and primary care practitioners. In order to make this policy nationwide, all insurance would be required to pay for an annual check up that includes the mental health screening. This screening would be helpful in identifying individuals who may be at risk for mental health issues and get a jump start on referring them to a mental health practitioner. In addition, when a physician identifies an individual as having a mental illness or that they are at risk, they should provide them with information on mental health. This education with the individuals may help them to seek help sooner or may even help them realize someone in their life that may need help. Incorporating the mental health screening into the annual checkup could help to reduce the stigma of mental health. If each physician educates their patients on these mental health signs and symptoms, people will become more aware and hopefully less judgmental.

Integration of physical health care and behavioral health care

Data:

            The data that would be needed to support this policy would be statistics showing that mental health issues are on the rise and that many people have delayed diagnoses. The delayed diagnoses would help to demonstrate the need for annual check-ups that incorporate mental health screenings. Data showing that mental health screenings are effective in identifying mental illness and warning signs would also be important.  Adding the mental health-screening component will not be affective unless it is accurate in assessing for mental illness. The physicians performing this screening must be educated on the signs and symptoms in order to start the process of addressing the issues.

Implications for OT:

            Occupational therapy would be affected, as we would begin to see more individuals referred to OT services for mental health issues than we currently do. Occupational therapists have a holistic view of their patients and are always thinking about one's physical and mental health. However, this would be a great opportunity for our profession to return to our roots in mental health. We would need to advocate to physicians our importance in the role of mental health. Physicians should be aware of what mental health services occupational therapy can provide so that when it is appropriate for a patient, the physician can refer them to OT. Furthermore, we would hopefully be seeing patients with newer mental health diagnoses and will be able to provide intervention much sooner than we currently are able to. As occupational therapists, it will be important that we are aware of a variety of resources that we can give to our patients. Providing information on organizations such as NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Health).

Resources

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/prevalence/any-anxiety-disorder-among-adults.shtml

https://www.nami.org/stigmafree