Introduction
The health of the nation is one of the major government concerns. The gradual enhancement of citizens’ well-being is the goal of numerous interventions designed by power agencies. Moreover, the healthcare sector focuses on creating the basis for the continuous improvement of people’s quality of life and providing them with the necessary care. Incentives such as Healthy People 2020 focus on outlining the main objectives that should be addressed to help communities to evolve. Mental health is also viewed as one of the important areas that should be addressed. For Florida, the problem remains relevant as the state has problematic access to this type of care and specific conditions that should be discussed.
Current State of Mental Health and Mental Disorders in Florida
In general, Florida and Palm Beach County have specific issues in the given field that should be discussed. Following the official statistics, the state ranks as one of the most problematic ones regarding mental health care. About 20% of people with mental conditions do not have access to the necessary care or the insurance to acquire the needed treatment (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2021). Moreover, Florida has one of the lowest budgets for supporting the given sphere (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2021). As a result, the state population suffers from numerous issues that should be addressed and resolved to improve the quality of life in communities and ensure people can enjoy all benefits available to them.
Mental Health Objectives
The topicality of the discussed problem is also evidenced by the fact that incentive Health People 2020 devotes much attention to it. The program’s primary goal is to improve the mental health of populations through prevention and by guaranteeing access to adequate, appropriate, and comprehensive care (Healthy People 2020, n.d.). It means that the state focuses on resolving the problem and offers specific objectives to address the problem. They include reducing the suicide rate, improving access to care, aligning the continuity of treatment and care, increasing the proportion of individuals who require the necessary treatment, and other interventions (Healthy People 2020, n.d.). The listed objectives are also relevant for Florida as their achievement might help to improve the quality of care in the area.
MHMD 6. Increase the Proportion of Children with Mental Health Problems who Receive Treatment
The health of children is one of the major concerns of the healthcare sector as they are the future of the nation. Thus, following the official statistics, only 73% of children with mental health problems receive the necessary care, while the rest of the cohort was excluded (Healthy People 2020, n.d.). In Florida, the situation is more complex because of the problematic access to care, meaning that only about 60% might acquire the necessary care (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2021). Following the objective, it is vital to ensure that 75.8% of the population group should have access to care (Healthy People 2020, n.d.). For this reason, the given goal is vital for Florida with its problems in the given sphere.
MHMD 9.2. Increase the Proportion of Adults aged 18 Years and Older with Major Depressive Episodes (MDEs) Who Receive Treatment
The importance of the given objective for Florida is also linked to the problem mentioned above. The state suffers from problematic access to mental health care, affecting people with MDEs. Statistics show that about 14.7% of adults in the state suffer from this condition (Healthy People 2020, n.d.). It deteriorates the quality of their lives and preconditions the emergence of new, severer problems. Under these conditions, it becomes critical to follow the objective and attain the 10% improvement in the given sphere. It will help to improve the quality of people’s lives and ensure Florida has better access to care for its citizens, which is vital for their well-being.
The Relationship Between Physical and Mental Health
The necessity to address mental health issues can also be explained by their influence on the health of individuals. In general, the mental and physical conditions of a person are interrelated. It means that the emergence of the problems in one sphere might precondition the corresponding change in another and the overall deterioration of the quality of life. For instance, patients with depression or anxiety more often suffer from chronic diseases, such as gastritis or high blood pressure (“Mental health myths and facts,” n.d.). At the same time, patients with chronic physical conditions are at risk of acquiring mental health issues because of negative emotions and constant stress (National Institute of Mental Health, 2022). In such a way, these two factors are closely interconnected.
Lack of Access to Mental Health Care and Traumas
The lack of access to mental health care might also promote an increased risk of trauma. For instance, the research shows that patients with untreated depression might acquire self-harming patterns. If the problem remains unaddressed, they will evolve and cause more severe harm to a person (National Institute of Mental Health, 2022). Moreover, the high anxiety and stress levels, combined with depression symptoms, might trigger the development of suicidal inclinations and the emergence of critical risks for an individual’s health, well-being, and life (National Institute of Mental Health, 2022). Under these conditions, the existing facts prove that the problematic access to mental health care might result in the gradual deterioration of the client’s condition and create the basis for the emergence of serious physical problems and diseases.
Trauma-Informed Care
Trauma-informed care is another vital incentive to improve the nation’s health. It implies that most individuals have specific traumas impacting their lives (“What is trauma-informed care?” 2021). For this reason, it is critical to provide care regarding this information and ensure the current client’s problems are addressed. The approach emphasizes physical, physiological, and emotional safety for individuals helping them to reacquire a sense of control and move forward (“What is trauma-informed care?” 2021). The given approach is critical for working with individuals who cannot control their lives because of previous psychological damage. It can also be applied to working with children to help them recover and socialize.
The approach has several vital components explaining its importance for communities. First, it focuses on regulating the individuals’ experiences and feelings linked to previous traumas (American Psychological Association, n.d.). In other words, the existing state is viewed as a result of previous impacts. For this reason, it becomes critical to reorganize the current care to boost its effectiveness, and grantee better results are acquired. Moreover, the approach is effective in working with children who experienced different types of abuse (American Psychological Association, n.d.). It also makes it a vital framework that should be used by caregivers today.
Conclusion
Altogether, the mental health of individuals is one of the major concerns of the modern healthcare sector. For this reason, the incentive Healthy People 2020 offers a set of objectives to attain improvement in this sphere. These aims are also relevant for Florida, as the state is characterized by problematic access to this type of care and a significant number of patients with specific mental health conditions. For this reason, it is vital to focus on achieving the outlined objectives to improve communities’ health in Florida.
References
American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Children and trauma. Tips for mental health professionals. Web.
Healthy People 2020. (n.d.). Mental health and mental disorders. Web.
Mental health myths and facts. (n.d.). MentalHealth. Web.
National Alliance on Mental Illness. (2021). Mental health in Florida. Web.
National Institute of Mental Health. (2022). Mental illness. Web.
What is trauma-informed care? (2021). Trauma-Informed Care Implementation Resource Center. Web.