Today mental health is a hot topic on the news and within
politics. Recent tragedies and mass shootings have led to a sudden awareness in
this area.
So…what’s with all the hype?
According to the CDC, and approximately 26% of individuals
over the age of 18 suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder each year! Many
more individuals go undiagnosed due to lack of available care and the stigma
surrounding mental illness.
What does this have to do with nursing?
The correlation between mental illness (MI) and chronic
disease states are striking! Tobacco us in individuals with MI is twice as high
as those without, injury rates are 26 times higher, and there is a strong
correlation between MI and diabetes, alcohol use, asthmas, and cancer (CDC,
2011). Nursing is moving beyond the walls of acute care facilities and out into
the community. Nurses have an opportunity right now to be advocates for mental
health! “Health care policy making is highly pluralistic, with policy decisions
occurring at multiple levels of society” (Huber, 2010, p345). President Obama,
as part of his legislation on gun control, has called for a change in improving
mental health care [read full article here]. It is time to end the stigma
surrounding mental illness. It is time for nurses, patients, and policy makers
to recognize the need for change! My question to you is, how can YOU be an
advocate?
In this powerful video, Laura Bain discusses what it is
like living with Bipolar disorder and the stigma associated!
Centers for Disease
Control. (2011). Public health action plan to integrate mental health
promotion and mental illness prevention, with chronic disease prevention. Retrieved
from: http://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/docs/11_220990_Sturgis_MHMIActionPlan_FINAL-Web_tag508.pdf
Huber,
D. (2010). Leadership and
nursing care management (4th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Saunders
Elsevier
No comments:
Post a Comment