Title: Mental Health Crisis: Millions Suffering Due to Lack of Treatment Options
Millions of individuals are left to suffer in silence due to a lack of accessible treatment options for severe mental illness, resulting in devastating consequences for both patients and their families. The testimony of a Virginia mother in her 80s, who spent her life caring for her son with severe mental illness, sheds light on the challenges faced by individuals seeking help.
According to the Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC), a national nonprofit dedicated to eliminating barriers to mental illness treatment, approximately 8.8 million people in the United States suffer from severe mental illness. Shockingly, nearly half of them go untreated in any given year. This staggering statistic highlights a profound failure in our healthcare system to address the urgent needs of those struggling with mental health issues.
Back in 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed the Community Mental Health Act with the intention of establishing local mental health care centers to decrease the number of institutionalized individuals in psychiatric hospitals. However, due to insufficient funding, most of these centers were never built, leaving many psychiatric hospitals to close down. As a result, the number of state hospital beds available for those in need of care has plummeted by 97 percent since 1955, according to TAC.
One of the major challenges is the refusal of some individuals with severe mental illness to accept treatment. The Executive Director of TAC, Lisa Dailey, points out the crucial difference between a heart attack patient and someone experiencing psychosis. While a person with a heart attack willingly seeks and desires medical care, someone in psychosis may actively resist treatment, potentially leading to a crisis. Ms. Dailey highlights the lack of recognition in the medical system that individuals refusing care may not possess the capacity to make such decisions.
Law enforcement personnel are also burdened by the mental health crisis, with 21 percent of their total time spent responding to and transporting individuals with mental illness. Tragic incidents, like the case of Ricardo Miguel Munoz in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, further underline the urgent need for proper mental health support. Mr. Munoz’s family called the police during a mental health episode, hoping to get him the help he needed. Tragically, an officer fatally shot Mr. Munoz when he charged at them with a knife, sparking debates about the adequacy of mental health services.
Ms. Dailey points out a fundamental flaw in the medical system’s approach to severe mental illness. The burden of care is primarily placed on the families, who are expected to provide support in their homes, often without any assistance or resources. This unrealistic expectation exacerbates the challenges faced by families trying to care for their loved ones and perpetuates the cycle of insufficient treatment options.
Individuals with severe mental illness, often grappling with psychosis, present unique challenges. Many of them suffer from conditions like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, which can lead to unpredictable and occasionally dangerous behaviors. They may exhibit paranoia, attempt self-harm, or pose a threat to others. Complicating matters further, approximately half of these individuals lack insight into their illness, refusing medication and treatment.
While each state has its own laws governing mental health, some common problems exist nationwide. These include limited psychiatric bed space in hospitals, a shortage of psychiatrists, stringent admission criteria for hospital treatment, and the discharge of patients with chronic mental health conditions without proper post-release plans.
To address these issues, advocates like Ms. Dailey call for the elimination of the Medicaid Institutions for Mental Disease (IMDs) Exclusion, which restricts Medicaid coverage for care provided in psychiatric hospitals or residential treatment facilities with more than 16 beds. This policy hinders the expansion of essential mental health facilities and unfairly discriminates against those in need.
The mental health crisis demands urgent action. It is imperative to allocate appropriate resources, increase funding for mental health care centers, and reform policies that impede access to treatment. By prioritizing the well-being of individuals suffering from severe mental illness, society can work towards a future where comprehensive care is available and accessible to all.
