Flipping the Script on Mental Health
Mental Health: A Crisis So Calm We Forget It is One
Another day, another suicide in the headlines. Mental health care is a crisis situation, but based on how it’s being addressed, it’s the calmest crisis we’ve ever seen. No emergency legislation is being passed. No national emergency is being called. People are dying, and we just sit back and watch it like entertainment news.
The facts are there. Life expectancy has dropped, and the two primary reasons are mental health and addiction (a subsection of mental health). It’s a dramatic enough difference that it’s impacting the life expectancy averages. People aren’t living as long because they’re dying in droves from suicide and overdose. It’s not limited to a particular demographic or socioeconomic status; we are all impacted by the state of mental health.
What if we flipped the script on mental health in our country? What if we began treating mental health the same way we do with our physical health? And what would that look like if we did?
It might look like:
Annual covered mental health care checks
Preventative services to address common mental health-related issues
Standard counseling coverage for individuals, couples, and families
Wellness and health fairs that focus on mental health as a part of standard care
Early childhood education on common mental health issues and possible coping strategies
Mental health days included as acceptable sick days
Mental health included as a standard part of well checks
Removing the stigma surrounding mental health to increase access to care
Addressing cultural considerations when it comes to mental health the way we do with culture/religion and medical care
Addressing substance abuse with more accurate education and more available treatment options
Every life lost to suicide or substance abuse is one that could be saved if we treated the mental health crisis like an actual crisis with an overhaul of our healthcare system to be inclusive of mental health and the treatments available for it.
When we remove the elements of shame and blame from mental health and substance abuse, we are more able to offer treatment to individuals in the same way that we do with physical care. We don’t shame people for going in for a check-up at the doctor. Why would we shame them for attending group therapy or having a mental health evaluation?
As long as we continue to treat mental health like it’s outside the norm, there will be people who need help who will be too afraid or ashamed to access it.
Depression, anxiety, eating disorders, ADHD, personality disorders, mood disorders, and substance abuse are all prevalent aspects of holistic healthcare, and yet the classification as mental health is standing in the way of adequate access to treatment. The fact that we’re seeing a spike in suicides and deaths related to addiction, a large enough spike to lower the overall life expectancy, should be putting us into crisis mode. This is a crisis.
We should be doing more than sending out our thoughts and prayers or updating our social media status to indicate our concern. We should be pushing for legislation from our representatives that adequately reflects the crisis we’re facing.
We should also start normalizing mental health treatment. This requires that we’re (a) able to openly discuss our own experiences with mental health issues, and (b) not be penalized in our schools, homes, and workforces for openly seeking care and treatment for those issues.
Mental health care should not be seen as an impediment to our career advancement or relationship happiness. It should be seen as a normal part of our overall health.
Until we can normalize discussions around mental health and addiction, it’s going to be hard to stop the rising rate of suicide and overdoses. We can’t truly normalize mental health and provide adequate health care until we overhaul our healthcare system to provide adequate and equitable treatment for both substance abuse and the broader aspects of mental health.
We see a doctor every year for a checkup, and yet how often do we check in with a therapist on our mental state to make sure that we’re living the best lives possible and not just getting by?
Another day, another suicide in the headlines that might not have happened if we would start treating mental health like we do our physical healthcare. We’re in a crisis, and yet it’s the calmest crisis I’ve ever seen. In fact, it’s hard to tell that it’s a crisis at all.
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