Health care policies should embrace mental health as a vital problem that requires enormous change in the country. All these result in the fact that far too many people have nowhere to turn to and receive needed care; the old paradigms for those who provide care are outdated; and the money to fund solutions is scarce. To address these challenges, changes in policies drawn and implemented have to be made, and this can no longer be an option – it is essential to the health of the public and the steady growth of society.
Policies should aim at ensuring that patients have access to quality mental health within every part of a given country. However, there is a scarcity of health care providers in the rural region, as well as in the underserved urban areas, serving millions of patients. Loan forgiveness or higher pay can motivate the professionals to take up jobs in these zones thus meeting the gaps or shortages. Telehealth must also be made available across the board to ensure the patients who are spatially challenged receive requisite care.
Insurance standards have to be increased to guarantee that mental health treatment is within patient reach. This is true with many private insurance companies that will exclude certain therapy or medication, leaving the patients to cater for the expenses. Parity policies should ensure the parity laws for every mental and physical health condition to be implemented within healthcare. This would remove the financial impediments and enhance the prompt treatment.
Education and prevention programs require adequate financial support and the inclusion in health care practices. Another reason for mental health to worsen is due to its rarity that the public may not have knowledge of when to seek assistance. Policies should enable school based counseling, workplace mental health promotion and any other health related campaigns. Prevention and prevention-related nouns like ‘anticipate’ and ‘prevent’ make it clear that appropriate organizational behavior minimizes both long-term business risks and human casualties.
Lastly, changing policies addressing mental health issues by normalizing them is a revolutionary move. Policy makers, governments, community, and leaders must move towards a positive direction by holding conversations and integrating assessments for mental health. Education appropriately directs prejudices and helps to provide patients with an opportunity to be treated when they require the assistance of trained healthcare workers. An alteration in culture supported by forceful policies will enable the country to establish a culture where individuals are unable to avoid the improvement of mental health.
Conclusion
Mental health issues require healthcare policies to make shifts, and these changes have to be strategic and fundamental at the national level. More access, insurance, funding, and eradicating the stigma of this form of ailment offer an opportunity to change lives and society. Reactionary behavior will not work anymore, what is needed now is growth and assertiveness in its approach to mental health as part of our nation's health.
