Caring for Individuals with Long Term Mental Health Needs Essay Example

Caring for Individuals with Long Term Mental Health Needs Essay Example Caring for Individuals with Long Term Mental Health Needs Paper Caring for Individuals with Long Term Mental Health Needs Paper The stigma attached to schizophrenia and ultimately all mental illness, literally ruins people’s lives. This article discusses the No Health without Mental Health strategy, released in February by the Department of Health and how it addresses stigma and discrimination and the Time to Change campaign which is led by Rethink and Mind. Recommendations are made as to how frontline healthcare professionals can actively support and educate service users who will suffer first hand from stigma and discrimination. Information about independent organizations providing support services for people with mental health problems is provided. Keywords: Stigma, discrimination, schizophrenia, Time to Change, No Health without Mental Health. The Silent Sufferers of Stigma†¦ Schizophrenics. Stigma: a mark of disgrace or infamy Oxford English Dictionary (2011). Schizophrenia: a mental illness that most mental health professionals deal with daily Mental Healthcare Professionals. Schizophrenia: a dangerous and violent, terrifying mental illness of which sufferers should be avoided The General Public. To mental healthcare professionals, schizophrenia is one of many mental illnesses that most deal with on a daily basis. To the general public, schizophrenia is a greatly misunderstood and feared mental illness that is often portrayed by the media as a dangerous, all-consuming disorder that turns human beings into murdering, abducting, raping monsters with little remorse or feelings. The type of news headlines that are seen on an almost daily basis detail shocking and horrific crimes that have been committed and frequently link it to or blame it on a mental illness, more often than not, a form of schizophrenia (Mental Health Media 2011). It is common knowledge that the accuracy of the news reported is questionable and stories are recurrently portrayed in an emotive and bias way. It is the media and society itself that has helped shape this stigma which comes as a compulsory attachment to every patient who receives a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The term schizophrenia has officially been in use since 1908 when it succeeded its previous name of dementia praecox (Weinberger Harrison 2011). The new name was introduced to update and redefine the diagnostic use and criteria of the condition it described and to try and disperse the stigma and fear that had developed surrounding the term dementia praecox. Although from a diagnostic and medical point of view the new term was a breakthrough and revolution in the treatment of this condition, the change did little to target the public’s fear of the illness itself. Over 100 years has passed and very little has improved in relation to the public’s understanding of this illness. Discrimination is rife across all aspects of life for people with schizophrenia, particularly within employment, healthcare and within one’s local community (Time to Change 2008). It is not only patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia that experience discrimination and stigma but people suffering from any mental illness. This is both surprising and puzzling as one in four people will now personally experience a mental health problem during their lifetime (Mental Health Foundation 2011) and also due to the vast amount of campaigns that have been active over the last ten years, some of which will be discussed further. Mental illness is something that will always be feared by the general public as it’s simply something most people cannot relate to (Social Care Institute for Excellence 2007). There are no instant solutions or quick fixes to end the stigma attached to mental health. Breaking down the prejudice, ignorance and fear surrounding mental health will require years of focused activity (Time to Change, 2008) and is something that has never been achieved before. The aim of this article is not to dismiss the need for educating the general public and abolishing the stigma that is currently attached to mental illness. Instead, it shall focus on enforcing the need for frontline healthcare professionals to be supporting and educating their patients in a variety of ways, helping them to cope with the stigma with which they shall inevitably suffer. Some of the current, relevant policies and campaigns surrounding and addressing these issues will be explored, as will their implications for practice. No Health without Mental Health â€Å"No health without mental health† is a cross government mental health outcomes strategy released in February 2011 that emphasizes the interconnections between mental health, housing, employment and the criminal justice system (Department of Health (DoH), 2011). It brings together a range of tools, research, policy, resources, training and services to enable practitioners and commissioners to improve interdepartmental care. It consists of six shared objectives for all departments and organisations concerned which are as follows: 1. More people will have good mental health  2. More people with mental health problems will recover 3. More people with mental health problems will have good physical health 4. More people will have a positive experience of care and support 5. Fewer people will suffer avoidable harm 6. Fewer people will experience stigma and discrimination The aim of the sixth objective relating to discrimination and stigma is, as described in the publication, to improve the public’s understanding of mental health and, as a result, decrease the negative attitudes and behaviours towards this group of the population. This type of discrimination is damaging, unlawful and costly for individuals, their families and carers and society as a whole which extends to individual communities and organisations. Discrimination and negative experiences of stigma continue to affect significant numbers of people with mental health problems, particularly the more severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bi-polar (Time to Change, 2008). People with mental health problems have worse life chances than the rest of the population, partly as a direct effect of their condition but largely in part to the stigma and discrimination they face. It’s not only the general public who can harbour these negative attitudes and behaviours, but unfortunately also medical professionals and commissioners. This can stop people from accessing help and services that they need and keep them isolated and unable to engage in ordinary life. Stigma has also developed within support services for people with mental health problems and services commonly have low expectations of this patient group which contribute to preventing service users from working, accessing education, realising their potential and ultimately contributing to society. Part six of the No Health without Mental Health strategy focuses entirely on tackling health inequalities and promoting equality, directly relating to and addressing stigma and discrimination. Many different aspects of mental health care are addressed for improving the mental health of the population as well as individuals experiences’ and outcomes of access to, and engagement with, services. It further defines the three aspects to reducing mental health inequality to: Tackle inequalities that lead to poor mental health; Tackle the inequalities that result from poor mental health – such as lower employment rates, and poorer housing, education and physical health; Tackle the inequalities in service provision. The need to improve people’s differing experiences and outcomes from mental health services are something also addressed in the strategy. A holistic approach that tackles the social, environmental and economic determinants and consequences of mental health problems is stressed as the way to progress. Approaches must also take into account peoples social circumstances and living environments which are identified as critical to the onset and course of mental health problems. Tackling stigma and discrimination is described as â€Å"at the heart of this strategy† (DoH 2011) and it is recognised that to shift public attitudes, a major and sustained social movement is required. This is consistent with the Time to Change campaign (2008) led by Rethink and Mind. As a further step towards achieving this objective, among others, the No Health without Mental Health strategy pledges to support the Time to Change campaign, as well as others with similar anticipated outcomes. Time to Change Time to Change (2008), is England’s largest public awareness campaign to date and is partnered by four well respected and influential organisations within the field of mental health: Mind and Rethink, both well-known charities supporting those with mental health problems and leaders of the campaign, the Institute of Psychiatry, the leading centre for mental health research and teaching in Europe and responsible for evaluating this campaign and by Mental Health Media, an organisation supporting mental health, the media and communications. The four year programme of 35 projects aims to enthuse people to work together to end the discrimination surrounding mental health and it is backed by international evidence on what works. The campaign includes: A website providing information and models of good practice to engage the public and stakeholders. Open-up which is a collection of 32 local and 8 national service user led projects to tackle discrimination in local communities which will develop â€Å"anti-discrimination champions† to further support other groups and service users. Legal Minds – to identify high profile discrimination cases to support in an attempt to change the way the law protects people from mental health discrimination. Get Moving – an annual mass participation event to bring people with and without mental illnesses together during physical activities. Providing anti-stigma training to training teachers and medical students to support new generations of professionals who will directly influence the way people in the future behave and think. Social marketing which will include the use of the latest proven techniques to tackle attitudes and behaviours amongst the groups who affect the lives of people with mental health problems.