Social Work: Mental health - Assignment Example

 Mental Health Mental health is a state of psychological well being. It means that one does not have any disorders in his mental state, and empowers the individual to enjoy the beauties of life and balance between psychologically resilient efforts and normal life activities. Mental health problems occur in different types and styles such as schizophrenia, depression, Bipolar Disorders and anxiety disorders. Mental health in general is a practice that priotizes improvement in mental health and achievement of equity in the entire world for all persons. A disorder occurs when one losses control of his emotions and acts as pushed or controlled by them. This is when the social workers come in to contain and help the individual control and master their emotions (Howe 2008, p.2). Social workers dealing with mental health work with such individuals to help them overcome their mental disorders. They resolve these disorders, usually associated with families that have a line of mental health illness or those with psychosocial problems. However, some social problems lead to mental disorders such as unemployment, poverty, family distress, trauma and disability. These problems usually lead to emotional imbalance resulting in suicidal thoughts, depression, relationship problems, anxiety, family conflicts, personality disorders, and trauma and adjustment issues. The social workers provide a range of interventions that are evidence-based which focus on bringing out solutions such as psycho education, detailed psychosocial assessment and narrative therapy (Adams, Dominelli & Payne 2009, p.xvi). Mental health workers play a major role in rehabilitating the life of the individual with mental disorders. This multiplies further to bring peace, harmony and relaxation in families and communities in which these individuals reside. In the end, mental health social workers create a great and positive impact in the community at large (Crawford & Walker 2007, p.20). Mental health services have three broad divisions, which a social worker can either choose to specialize exclusively in one setting or practice across the broad of the three. These health care application programs include treatment, prevention and rehabilitation. Prevention targets to reduce cases of the disorder by modifying stressful environments. Treatment targets at reducing the existing cases of dysfunction in the society, which include processes such as intervention and diagnosis. Rehabilitation main aim is to reduce the after effects caused by a disorder by retraining the individual to enable him to use maximally his residual capabilities. The social workers offer professional services to their patients such as direct services like therapy, counseling and crisis intervention to families, individuals, groups or couples (Adams 2010, p.183). They also deliver case management as a professional service by co-coordinating services in inter-disciplinary on a specified population. Others include teaching, supervision and consultation, research and evaluation, program management and teaching. Consequently, social workers help to bring harmony into the society by containing and eradicating cases of mental disorders. A person who is mentally impaired can engage unknowingly in endangering activities both on him and on the society. Mental health of an individual in the society is so important that the government sets up laws and passes legislations to protect and promote it. In 1983, the UK parliament passed the mental health act that was applicable to people living in Wales and England. It covered reception, treatment and management of mentally disordered persons. They practiced detention of persons diagnosed with mental disorders in police custody or hospital for assessment and treatment. Furthermore, they were significant amendments to the act, in the mental health act of 2007 (Healing 2005, p.160). Only approved mental health professionals attended to the persons with mental disorders detained in the hospitals. These included approved doctors, clinicians, and social workers and nearest relative approved by the country court. Social workers followed provisions of this act when administering professional assistance to the mental health patients. The act had divisions into ten parts, which included legislations such as compulsory hospitalization, admission and guardianship consent to treatment, re-incorporation of the patients, and management of his other affairs while still in confinement (Braye & Preston-shoot 2006, p.1). Confinement was for the benefit of the patient to ensure his safety through controlled activities and managed emotions. Social work in mental health brings about several challenges and opportunities during practice, thus repositioning is necessary to ensure it fully achieves its objectives (Rutter, Brown & Brown 2012, p.73). Social work is now a profession where people to train and specialize in the clinical approaches to mental health. Accredited social workers study for four years a bachelor’s degree and undertake a supervised social work practice for two year in mental health or related field. During the practice, they learn how to analyze challenges such as poverty, oppression and arrest inequality. This enables them to develop critical response towards mental health as a specialty. They practice competency-based education and master techniques response to be able to view social work as a human encounter and learn how based to carry out a psychiatric diagnosis on a patient. This brought room for health in assurance for mental health patient through conceptualization of the benefits of crisis management, which is what social health entails. The insurers focus on evidence based treatment and monitor the changes the patients make through behavioral therapy. If confirmed well, then patients get recommendation for outpatient mental health benefit (Thomas 2006, p.22). Social work aims at bringing peace and harmony in the community by containing and controlling cases of mental health in the society. Once somebody losses their mental ability, they lose the capability to control their actions. This is a very risky situation since it makes them vulnerable to dangers and adversaries posed by life. Emotionally unstable people cannot work to earn a living, they cannot hold office, and they cannot consent to any legal transactions or enter into any legal contracts. In short, they are incapacitated. They need help and this is where social workers come in. Mental disorder can bring havoc to a country’s economy especially if most of her affluent nation builders are insane. This could be fathers, mothers, parents who are sole breadwinners to their children and other dependants. Since a change in circumstances is what leads to mental disorders, the social workers seek to eliminate this situation to help the patient overcome it and be free of the disorder (Beckett 2006, p.117). They resolve to support the patient to overcome their condition. This is what makes social workers an important component in the modern society. They not only work on the mental health of the patient, but also concentrate in improving his welfare especially if it led to the mental breakdown. External support such as financial needs benefits, therapy, housing, social inclusion and referral to other professionals. If a person becomes mentally impaired, he loses touch with the environment and society. In this case, many people discriminate and disassociate themselves from him. This makes it even harder for the person to enjoin the community and reunite with his folks, once fully rehabilitated. It is the duty of social workers to ensure smooth integration of healed patients back into the society (Cree & Myers 2008, p.84). In order to achieve all the above-mentioned results, social workers collaborate with other stakeholders. A mental health disorder case entails numerous provisions, which lead to it. For this reason, one social worker cannot be able to resolve this situation on his own. He needs support from other quarters, leading to inter-agency partnerships. For example, if a person runs mad-mentally disabled, after he realizes he is a carrier of the HIV/AIDS virus, it will take both the social workers and medical professionals’ attention to treat and cure the patient. Such news lead can to depression and suicidal thoughts. The work of a social worker is to eliminate such emotions and thoughts that drove him to the state of mental disorder. After doing so, a medical practitioner comes in to treat and assure the patient that there is still hope even after infection. The patient can start using ARV drugs to boost his CD4 count and watch his lifestyle to live a normal and comfortable life (Cree 2003, p.63). Once the patient is free from this mental madness, he is at liberty to enjoin the society and take part in nation building activities. Other professional agencies that collaborate with social workers to eradicate cases of mental disorders in the society are the police force, which capture mad people and take them to confinement facilities such as the police custody or psychiatric hospitals for assessment and possible treatment. The government is also active through enacting legislations that protect cases of mental health and advocate for their care and treatment. Doctors, nurses, psychiatrists, financiers, counselors and homeowners also participate in mental health rehabilitation (Payne 2005, p.30). Despite all the benefits that social work brings to the community, they still experience many challenges that hinder them from undertaking their duties diligently (Leathard, Mac-Laren & McLaren 2007, p.110). To start with, mentally disabled people are usually violent thus feared and ostracized by the rest of the community. This rejection and pity they receive from the community is what fuels their tempers and explodes their wrath. Incidentally, a social worker has to approach and befriend such a person so that he can support or treat him. Some patients assault them physically, and they cannot complain to the authorities since the defendants are insane. Apart from physical harassment, it is difficult to penetrate the mind of a mad person to know what causes his mental disorder and assess the case to treat him. Social workers require a great deal of interpersonal skill and good communication that makes the patient to trust and confide in them. It is only after winning the trust of patient that one is able to relate freely with him and understand his motives and actions (Koprowska 2010, p.35). Finally, the social worker encounters more challenges when they seek to re-introduce a fully cured patient back to the society. Most people doubt their rehabilitation, thus hesitate to accept them, making them vulnerable to another mental breakdown due to the rejection they face. Reference List Adams, R, Dominelli, L & Payne, M 2009, Social Work: Themes, Issues and Critical Debates, Palgrave Macmillan, London. Read More