Developments Mental Health Care and Treatment since 1950s - Literature review Example

Developments in Mental Health Care and Treatment since 1950s Developments Mental Health Care and Treatment since 1950s Introduction Mental illnesses refer to the anomalies that affect the nervous system making it hard for an individual to function properly psychologically. They can also be referred to as mental or psychiatric disorders. Mental health is very crucial to an individual given that people make rational perceptions and coordination through proper mental energy. Individuals suffering from impaired mental health are usually regarded as social misfits since the disorders changes the way the victim perceives, thinks, feels and acts. Therefore, victims of mental disorders are usually stigmatized, which has been for ages. However, many changes have occurred in this scenario since 1950s and with advancements in the medical fields, healthcare and treatment of mentally ill persons have developed to the better. These bits of functioning of anomalies occur in the particular parts of the brain and/or the nervous system. Mental disorder treatment has evolved a lot throughout the years, and especially from 1950s until present. This paper looks at the aspects of the mental illness, emphasizing the history, etiology and most importantly, developments in mental health care and treatment. Historical Context In the ancient times, mental disorders were associated with religious misconceptions and demonic possession. Consequently, it was treated as an individual’s problem and victims of mental illness faced severe stigmatization from the society. In addition, they were isolated from the rest of the society and confined in disregarding and unhygienic conditions. People would not understand the mystery of such occurrences until later in the twentieth century when scientist began making accurate establishments concerning the phenomenon. Hippocrates was the pioneer in establishing treatments for mental illness with techniques rooted to neither superstition nor religion. He concentrated in treating his patients by changing their occupations or environments. He also performed administration of substances as medications. Nevertheless, stigmatization of persons with mental disorders continued until 18th, 19th and 20th century when the new population began placing more thoughts on the existence of mental illness. Mental Health from 1950s In the last 60 years, there have been tremendous changes in the in the healthcare systems for those with mental illness, how it is financed inclusive. Unlike in the past, there have been advancements in the medical field pertaining to the understanding of the human brain and its functioning. As a result, people have come to understand the parameters of mental complications, hence, responding to them professionally and knowledgeably. To understand the treatment of mental illness, medical expertise has to understand the causes of the disorder. After establishing the causes, it is easier to have a clear problem definition that would ensure appropriate administration of effective solutions. Causes of mental illnesses are complex and they vary depending on the type of the disorder. Even though the true causes of mental disorders remain unknown, varieties of psychological and environmental stimuli have been perceived as causations of mental illnesses. Many mental disorders result from a combination of factors. Other factors leading to psychiatric disorders include dispositions such as personality and genetic inheritance. For instance, depressed parents can project such patterns down the generational course. Some mental illnesses correlate with use of drugs such as alcohol, caffeine and cannabis. The behavioral patterns can engrave in the genetic structure and become passable to the future generations. Bunney et al (2001) explains that several theories are in place attempting to explain the etiology of every mental condition. For example, in the 20th century, scientists believed that some mental disorders were a function of problematic parent-child relationships. This theory mattered to people 1990s. They believed this to be true for conditions such as schizophrenia and depression (Read et al., 2004). Currently, however, it is no longer as entrusted as in the nineties. The bio-psychological model of explaining etiology of mental illness shows that genetics accounts for up to 40 per cent of an individual’s susceptibility to a mental disorder Frank & Glied, 2006). Other factors account for 60 per cent. The psychoanalytic theory implies that relational internal conflicts are the major cause of some mental illnesses. Another theory is the attachment theory, which focuses on the role of responses to danger can result in unnecessary and awkward mental processes or paranoiac tendencies. In the theory of evolutionary psychology, medical specialists look into the dysfunction of mental modules, which are adapted to ancestral course as the cause of mental disorders. From 1957 to 2007, there have been immense changes in systems that care for patients diagnosed with mental illness as well as financing the treatment. There have been noted leaps in the science of the brain and this has caused better understanding of what metal illness entails and how to respond to it. However, regardless of the knowledge gathered on the topic, the lives of those living with mental illness have not improved much as institutions have not kept up with new discoveries and findings. In 1957, a big leap was taken in the U.S when mental health treatment was introduced in large state hospitals as well as other institutions. This was typically a function of the Mental Health Act of 1946. It was in this year that pharmaceutical treatment of mental illness began. There was no affordable community based treatment of mental health available. Patients of mental disorders were sent to such institutions where they would spend many years. Those who could not afford this kind of care would be served from home based care and treatment. In 1963, President Kennedy supported the Community Health Care Act. The piece of legislation sought to provide funding to states so they could develop community health centers. However, the centers were not well-funded and could not offer proper care for those patients that had been deinstitutionalized. Deinstitutionalization was seen to have reduced the number of people with mental illness in the population from around 560,000 in the 1950s to less than 100,000 in 1995. Despite this success, a successful community mental health program was yet to be put in place to cater for the deinstitutionalized. Therefore, a disparity between the number of people outside institutions that needed mental health care and those served by the community based programs was evident. Medicare was created in 1965 and in 1972, it was modified to cater for those with disabilities. The creation of Medicaid also occurred around that time. Medicaid, however, discriminated against those with mental health problems and did not cover them. Though deinstitutionalization was not controversial, its reality made it a polarizing issue. Experiences have shown success in deinstitutionalization and community based mental health care programs in the lines of friendships, adaptive behavior and patient satisfaction. However, contrasting studies show that those living outside institutions are lacking a significant aspect of healthcare. This includes cancer screenings, vaccinations as well as routine checkups. Another study showed that mentally ill patients living in the community experience loneliness, bad living conditions, poverty and poor healthcare in general. The development of a variety of medications for treatment of mental illness caused a reliance on pharmaceuticals to treat mental illness rather than surgical and therapeutical care. Upon failure of the national health care reform in 1992, the standard way in the organization of healthcare in general affected mental healthcare as well. By disconnecting mental health treatment from support treatment, mental health treatment was made more medicalized. The rise the use of pharmaceuticals coupled with managed care had the effect of reduced talk therapy as well as lack of support services for the deinstitutionalized. This led to the colloquialism “off meds” when a person would show symptoms of mental illness. Pharmaceutical companies began making more revenue as mental illness was mostly treated using pharmaceuticals. According to Frank et al (2006), the Disabilities Act of 1992 was able to aid parents on appropriate responses to mental illness at home and in public. Since the 1990s, there have been noted advances in brain science. These include understanding the biochemistry of the brain, brain scans, electrical brain stimulation, advances in psychological therapy and the role of genomes in development of the brain that evoked better understanding to the health care providers, the public and policy makers. In 1997, the passage of uniform mental health benefits in public health care became relevant and practicable. These advances are credited with bringing understanding and treatment of mental disorders in more appropriate measures into the 21st century (Bunney et al., 2001). Currently, the need to update public safety, health care, social service institutions and criminal justice system is crucial. This is to maximize the utilization of new insights provided by science by the aforementioned systems without creating misunderstanding on mental health. Regardless of the great advances that have been made since the 1950s, the current system of mental health care is reflective of social and political mental health injustice. Healthcare professionals report that emergency mental health care in the U.S is steadily regresses to the point it was 40 years ago. Professionals in the legal department say that between 60 and 70 percent of people in jail are mentally ill. This point insinuates that there are more people with mental disorders in prison than in all the U.S. state hospitals combined. This has been termed as “criminalization of the mentally ill.” Bunney et al (2001) explains that in the late 20th century, medical and therepeutical treatments of mental disorders were made possible. Three groups of treatment were established: electroconvulsive therapy, drug treatments and psychosurgery. In drug treatments, medicinal drugs are administered to treat mental disorders by changing amounts of neurotransmitters available in the synapse. Electroconvulsive involves application of electrodes to a patient’s brain. An electric current is then jolted until the patient experiences a convulsive fit. This method treats severe depression quite well since it increases the flow of some neurotransmitters to the brain. Psychosurgery is a brain surgery aimed at treating mental illnesses as well. This is the most invasive form of medical treatment. It involves removal of brain tissue. The method is extremely controversial and is mainly performed as a last resort. Conclusion Proper understanding of mental illness has evaded human beings for a long time. Having shown the chronological flow of events since 1950’s, it is proper to conclude that mental health care has come a long way from unhygienic quarantine of the mentally ill to the use of therapy and medicine in mental health treatment. The advancement in mental health care has been facilitated greatly by legislation aimed at establishing equal rights to the mentally ill. These pieces of legislation have facilitated the research that has led to better understanding of mental illness and treatment. This paper recommends that funding for community mental health programs should be provided. This is because not all mentally ill individuals need to be institutionalized and those outside institutions need effective programs to monitor their treatment and progress. Therefore, the key to success in mental health care and treatment in the future lies in policy and research. Policy will lay the road and foundation for people with mental illness to attain their rightful positions in the society. Research will provide information on how mental healthcare and treatment is improved. References Bunney, B. S., Charney, D. S., & Nestler, E. J. (2001). Neurobiology of mental illness. Oxford: Oxford University Press. De Young, M. (2010). Madness : An American history of medical illness and its treatment. Jefferson: McFarland & Co., Publishers. Fink, P. J., & Tasman, A. (1992). Stigma and mental illness. Washington D.C: American Psychiatric Press. Frank, R. G., & Glied, S. (2006). Better but not well : Mental health policy in the United States since 1950. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press. Read, J., Mosher, L. R., & Bentall, R. P. (2004). Models of madness : Psychological, social and biological approaches to schizophrenia. Psychology Press. Read More