Mental Health Treatment Of Mental Illnesses - 1195 Words

Approximately 20% of all children show at least minimal impairment from a mental health illness (Odar, C. o., Canter, K., Roberts, M. m. 2013). Around 31% of girls and 42% of boys between the ages of 9 and 16 years old meet the criteria of at least one mental health illness (Costello, E. J., Mustillo, S., Erkanli, A., Keeler, G., Angold, A. 2003). Some of these illnesses may include schizophrenia, bipolar disease, depression, etc. These illnesses may require continuous care and treatment for many years and can be very costly. There are many problems when it comes to the treatment of mental illnesses. Some of these problems are access, cost and funding, and the delivery of care. The first problem with mental health treatment is access.†¦show more content†¦The cost of outpatient treatment is expensive. Most psychiatrists’ offices and hospitals require high copayments and deductibles if the treatment is covered under the patient’s insurance plan. But according to a report done by the Center for Disease Control, people with serious mental illnesses are less likely to have health insurance, so they would be required to pay even more money out-of-pocket if they decide to receive treatment (Cohn, J. 2015). The funding required for treatment is also a big issue. In the early 20th century, insurance companies did not cover mental health care at all. Eventually, they started adding mental health coverage, and by the 1980s, managed care was introduced and was lowering costs (Cohn, J. 2015). But patients were concerned that these lower prices were compromising the quality of care. The quality and delivery of care is another mental health problem in the healthcare system. Due to the Mental Health Parity Act of 2008, insurers are required to provide the same coverage for both mental health treatment and medical/surgical treatment (Burns, J 2014). This could cause insurers to limit the length of stay for all patients in hospitals or residential care and could cause more readmissions to occur. It could also cause all patients to receive insufficient treatment. Implications Having little access to treatment or care can affect both patients and providers. It makes it harder for patients to receive