Archive for Mental Health
Is There a Need For a Mental Health Hotline?
Posted by: | CommentsPeople suffering from certain mental problems may need help every now and then when faced with certain pressing mental issues like depression and suicidal thoughts. A mental health hotline that can help these people deal with the issues they have may be a good idea.
A mental health hotline is basically a phone number that people can dial, usually those who suffer from depression and other such mental problems, and these people get to talk to people who can listen to their woes and give them advice on the issues that seem to be plaguing them. Sometimes the mental health hotline is a website that lists toll free numbers of the people that they can talk to in their time of need.
Is a mental health hotline useful? Do they serve the purpose that they are there for? Some people may argue that a mental health hotline may not really help since there are a lot of mentally disturbed individuals who do not call for help or consult anyone. In reality, a mental health hotline is only one of the many avenues a person suffering from mental anguish can use to get some help and is probably the most basic of the kind of help they can get.
The most common use for a mental health hotline is for those youngsters who are troubled by the numerous issues that bother them. One of the most trying times in a person’s life, both mentally and physically, are the teen years. A mental health hotline that teens can call when they need help regarding certain teen issues can actually help a lot of teenagers avoid the different pressing problems that boggle their minds.
One of the most useful functions that a mental health hotline is dealing with these youngsters to help them deal with the depression they may sometimes feel at this age as well as the anxiety problems some of them may go through.
These mental health hotline organizations often deal with one of the most common side effects of anxiety and depression in teens, thoughts of suicide. The people who call these mental health hotline numbers are often those people who do not have anyone to tell their problems to and calling a mental health hotline gives them some hope of finding an answer to the pressing thoughts that seem to be making them think of ending it all.
Aside from these teen mental health hotline resources, there are also other mental health hotline resources for people who need to consult with professionals in the field of mental health for advice on loved ones that may be suffering from mental problems. These mental health hotline resources often help family members of such individuals distinguish whether or not their loves ones need professional help and where they can go to get it.
Calls for Reforms in the Mental Health Act
Posted by: | CommentsThe Mental Health Act of 1996, also known as the Mental Health Parity Act was created to help address the need for a more patient friendly mental health care system in the United States. This Mental Health Act basically takes into consideration the problems that many Americans face when it comes to paying for their mental health care needs and this act was specifically designed to eliminate some of the limits that certain insurance companies and government health care programs seem to have.
The Mental Health Act that was passed by Congress is, however, not in use in the whole of the United States with a certain number of states not recognizing the act. The total number of states that decided not to enact the Mental Health Act within their borders is 18, with 33 states using the act to help patients in their area. This has prompted the call for a reform of the act, not just to make it a nationwide act, but also to help cover certain areas that need to be addressed.
The Mental Health Act of 1996 has quite a few detractors, both for its entirety and for the lack of some coverage for certain mental health issues.
Those who are against the whole act argue that it is an added expense to both the government and the private companies that carry mental health insurance or have policies that also cover mental health issues. Those who are supporters of the act also have complaints that the Mental Health Act that Congress passed in 1996 lacks a few key points, like coverage for children who are afflicted by certain mental disorders and full coverage of all possible mental issues that people may experience.
The people behind the creation of a National Mental Health Act basically want the kind of mental health care that is available to those who are able to afford it be given to those people who do not have the kind of money it takes to get the kind of mental health care that is needed. The differences in the Mental Health Act guidelines of the different states of the US makes these people want a change exacted to help the people of the nation get the kind of mental health care they need.
360 organizations back the Mental Health Act of 1996 and wish to have it revised to eliminate the discrimination of the act against children and to include any and all kinds of mental disorders. To date, the act still remains as it was in 1996 and proponents for change vow to continue with their cause until such a change is realized.
