National Alliance of Mental Illness - Essay Example

National Alliance of Mental Illness Abstract This paper seeks to analyze the salient policies, programs and service needs related to the National Alliance on Mental Illnesses. There will be a brief over view of two journals that are related to NAMI. A critical analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the policies and programs will also be discussed. When making an analysis of the NAMI, there are certain ethical issues that arise; thus, they will also be highlighted in this paper. The National Alliance on Mental Illness, earlier known as the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill was founded in 1979 (“National Alliance on Mental Illness,” n.d.). This organization was established to represent people and more so the families affected by mental disorders and illnesses. Since its inception, NAMI has established many branches in each and every state in America, as well as other local communities. Its main objective is to provide timely support, awareness and conduct research for families affected by mental health problems. There are several researchers who have delved into the issues surrounding NAMI. Many views have been set forth; however, this paper will highlight two articles, which are of importance to the research. The Journal of Rural Mental Health deals with a number of issues relating to different aspects of mental health in the rural areas. Some of the topics highlighted in the article revolve around rural mental health, as well as practices that could be adopted to deal with mental illness effectively in the rural areas. One of the methods highlighted is the mental health outreach (Macfaul & Dehay, 2001). The journal also has findings of policy strategies that are not only properly outlined, but could be extremely effective. It also has suggested model programs and some barriers to mental health services in the rural areas. The other article is the “Research on child Psychotherapy.” This article focuses on how mental illnesses have affected children and the efforts that the state has made to manage them. It also airs the issues of the implications of the policies that the government has come up with, as well as their effects on the affected population (Banta & Saxe, 2002). According to the Children’s mental health problems and services, at least 12% of the children’s population suffers from mental health disorders that require proper medical attention (Banta & Saxe, 2002). Findings of this article reveal that some children who may have not been diagnosed with mental disorders may be at a risk of suffering mental disability. These risks arise due to factors such as inadequate parental care, poverty, divorce, among others. Unlike in adults, mental health in children is extremely difficult to detect. It is quite challenging for parents, physicians and even teachers to distinguish between the normal behavior of a child and mental health problems. This worsens if such conditions are not treated in time. The National Alliance on Mental Illness has certain strategic plans and policies for it to function properly. One of the policies is the need for the organization to have a positive influence on the entire community, its leaders and the government. This will in turn improve the support services in the community; promote early detection of mental problems of people in the community and proper rehabilitation and care of those affected by mental illness. Another policy that comes in handy for the NAMI is the monitoring of the mental health services (“National Alliance on Mental Illness,” n.d.). In line with this, the organization needs to pin point issues of advocacy that air state policies and effective delivery of services. This will ensure that the lives of persons living with mental disabilities gradually improve. There should be proper access to wellness and recovery programs that incorporate ethical treatment, rehabilitation, idiosyncratic education and a proper physical health for those with mental disorders. Another crucial policy that has been put in place is the enhancement of insurance for treatment of persons suffering from mental illnesses (Banta & Saxe, 2002). Persons living with mental disabilities should also be made aware of the existing laws that protect them. Therefore, the organization should identify the precise legislation that may affect such persons especially those who may get involved with the criminal justice system. NAMI should at least have the ability to influence the applicability of the laws that affect individuals with mental disorders. It is quite clear that these policies can prove to be highly effective. However, there are certain weaknesses that may arise. For example, it may be difficult to coordinate all the affiliate state organizations due to limited resources. There is also no firm guarantee that personnel and staff in these organizations are up to task in the roles, and are ensuring that persons suffering from mental illnesses are given maximum care (Barrett, Hampe, & Miller, 2007). Just like any other organization, there may be instances of misappropriation of funds and embezzlement. This will in turn slow down the process of providing help to the affected persons. Another weakness arises where state law and policies have been mentioned. Many people are unaware of the existing law as it is. This makes it difficult to curb this ignorance. In fact, many people with mental disabilities continue to suffer due to ignorance of the law. Many families continue to stigmatize members who are mentally disabled. It has thus proven difficult to reach each and every person with mental disability because some families do not want to be associated with such persons. It is quite obvious that these outcomes are aimed at getting positive outcomes or consequences. It is only in few instances that some of the policies may generate some undesired consequences. For instance, there may be a clash when the criminal justice system interferes with ethical issues such as doctor-patient confidentiality. Some patients may not want their condition to be laid openly before the public and so on (Banta & Saxe, 2002). Social work has played an extremely vital role in supporting the National Alliance of Mental Illness, especially for individuals suffering from mental disabilities. Social work makes a substantial contribution towards facilitating a holistic and just response to persons with mental illness. Social workers have a duty to ensure that social oppressions based on mental status of the people in the community are eliminated (Macfaul & Dehay, 2001). Persons with mental disabilities are vulnerable to violence and abuse, poverty and dispossession. Therefore, it is the role of the social workers to protect such people at least from the primary level. Social work should emphasize on clinical approaches; however, its role should not be restricted to clinical support roles, but the entire medical model. When dealing with the issue of persons with mental illness, it is inevitable to stumble upon some sought of ethical dilemmas. There has been the question of whether medical facilities such as asylums go against the human rights of the person (Barrett et al., 2007). These asylums are used to confine patients with mental disorders in order to prevent them from self-destruction or harming others. However, these people need to socialize with other people and their confinement tramples upon their rights of association and movement. NAMI’s policies require that patients should be made aware of their rights when caught in the net of the criminal justice system. The problem arises where the physician has to disclose some information about the patient; thus, destroying the confidence that exists between the physician and the patient. Another dilemma that may be bound to arise would be in the case of distribution of resources among the state affiliated to NAMI (“National Alliance on Mental Illness,” n.d.). This may be due to some areas requiring more attention than others due to their population, social amenities and so on. This may cause an imbalance; therefore, the organization may be forced to implement more policies and come up with strategies that will ensure this imbalance is minimal. References Banta, H. D., & Saxe, L. (2002). Reimbursement for psychotherapy: Linking efficacy research and public policy making. American Psychologist, 38(8), 919–923. Barrett, C., Hampe, E., & Miller, L. (2007). Research on child Psychotherapy. In: Handbook of. Psychotherapy and Behavior Change: An Empirical Analysis. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Macfaul, A., & Dehay, T. (2001). Mental Health Outreach. Journal of Rural Mental Health, 22(4), 344–350. National Alliance on Mental Illness. (n.d.).Center for Excellence. Retrieved November 22, 2012, from http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=NAMI_Center_for_Excellence Read More