Introduction
Mental health is a crucial and intricate part of humans’ overall health. In order to comprehend, regulate, and enhance one’s emotional wellness, everyone needs access to adequate mental healthcare. Due to various obstacles like few resources, inadequate information, and social stigma, many individuals with mental health problems do not get the help they require to address such conditions. For people to be healthy and productive, they need to have access to inexpensive and available mental healthcare. Various factors, such as insurance coverage and the proximity of available providers, play major roles in determining who has access to care. Besides, Individuals may be unable to get mental healthcare treatment because of cultural norms, language barriers, or other causes. Thus, people’s emotional health can only be guaranteed if they can access adequate mental healthcare and treatment options. Care for mental health issues may be made available to everyone if the accompanying stigma is reduced, everyone has access to treatment, and public policies are encouraged. This paper aims to discuss various mental healthcare policies that address issues of access to mental health services and their effectiveness. Therefore, mental healthcare policies are essential in ensuring that individuals with mental health issues can access treatment.
Lack of Provider Accountability
Getting mental healthcare in the US is a major concern. Contributing to this issue is the lack of mental healthcare provider accountability. Mental healthcare practitioners are seldom held responsible for the results of their work with patients. Therefore, various issues (such as neglect of patients’ needs, treatment delays, and service refusal) arise when these mental health providers are not held responsible for their actions (Frank & Shim, 2023). Various factors cause this issue. One of these factors is the high demand for mental healthcare services. High demand for mental healthcare services can contribute to a lack of provider accountability in a few ways. First, when there is a strong demand for services, providers may be more inclined to dispense with procedures or routine elements necessary to maintain accountability, such as properly recording patient visits. There may be increased pressure on clinicians to see many patients when there is high demand (Frank & Shim, 2023). Due to this, healthcare professionals may speed through or forget to record patient contacts, which might compromise their practice’s accountability. To satisfy the increased demand for mental health services, many providers would add more clients or extend their hours, which would degrade the quality of treatment and lessen provider responsibility.
Besides, the issue can be caused by limited access to mental healthcare providers. Because it fosters an atmosphere where clinicians feel less motivated to fulfill certain standards and ethical commitments, limited access to mental healthcare providers may result in a lack of provider accountability (Frank & Shim, 2023). Patients cannot simply switch mental healthcare providers if something does not work out when there is restricted access to such doctors. This aspect can make healthcare professionals feel less responsible for providing quality treatment. Limited access may also result in providers handling more patients, preventing them from giving each one the same degree of care or attention.
Lack of mental healthcare provider accountability might limit people’s access to mental healthcare and treatment from those unprepared or ill-equipped to provide it. This means people in need may go without the most fundamental services, such as evaluations and individualized treatment programs from clinical professionals. As a result, patients may wait longer than necessary for treatment or even go without care (Carbonell et al., 2020). Access to treatment for mental health issues may be hampered by pervasive stigma, which can be combated in part by holding providers accountable for their actions. Individuals may be less inclined to seek treatment and services if they do not have access to the resources they need, resulting in further difficulty and suffering.
Solutions to Improve Mental Healthcare Access and Accountability
Mental healthcare access and accountability can be improved in various ways. One of these ways is to increase funding for mental health programs. Funding mental healthcare programs is vital since it offers numerous services like medication management and psychological evaluation, among many others. These services are crucial for assisting people with mental health conditions, managing their symptoms, and maintaining successful and satisfying lives, especially those who may not have easy access to conventional healthcare. The other requires insurance providers to offer comprehensive mental healthcare coverage (Frank & Shim, 2023). This strategy would increase the scope of mental health treatments covered by health insurance, make them more accessible to needy people, and hold providers accountable for their actions. Thus, individuals would be able to get the help they need for their mental health if these services were accessible, available, and affordable. Also, there is an increasing number of mental healthcare providers. More experts in these domains would improve the accessibility and availability of mental healthcare treatments for patients (Frank & Shim, 2023). Additionally, a larger workforce means a more visible and accountable system. With more mental healthcare providers, quality evaluations and other compliance checks will ensure the services are of the highest caliber and adhere to industry standards.
Moreover, raising awareness of mental health issues can improve mental healthcare access and accountability. To make educated treatment choices and take charge of one’s recovery, individuals need to be aware of the significance of mental health to their total health. If they know the issues, more people will feel safe seeking assistance and speaking out for their mental health (NAMI, 2021). It helps eliminate the stigma associated with seeking treatment and prepares the path for changes in public policy around mental healthcare, leading to improved access and greater resources. Lastly, there is promoting de-stigmatization of mental illness. People will be more likely to seek assistance and communicate freely and honestly about their mental health if they are aware that mental illness is neither a sign of weakness nor anything to be embarrassed about. More effective diagnosis, easier access to treatment, wider acceptability among healthcare practitioners, and more extensive insurance coverage will all follow from removing the stigma associated with mental illness (NAMI, 2021). As a result, it may empower patients to challenge their doctors’ decisions, foster more honest dialogue with them, and hold them responsible for their actions, all of which contribute to better mental health treatment.
There may have intrusive or market-based alternatives for the issues these policies seek to solve. Equal access to mental health treatment and services may be provided by implementing free market solutions such as workplace and health insurance programs. Employers might provide additional resources, such as frequent check-ins with an on-site mental health practitioner, and promote insurance plans that lower the cost of mental health treatment alternatives. In addition, businesses may help employees dealing with mental health difficulties by providing training on identifying and handling these challenges in the workplace. Lastly, the government can provide tax breaks to encourage companies to adopt such initiatives to help people with mental health issues.
References
Carbonell, Á., Navarro‐Pérez, J., & Mestre, M. (2020). Challenges and barriers in mental healthcare systems and their impact on the family: A systematic integrative review. Health & Social Care in the Community, 28(5), 1366–1379. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.12968
Frank, R. G., & Shim, R. S. (2023). Toward Greater Accountability in Mental Health Care. Psychiatric Services, 74(2), 182-187.
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