Health insurance needs to be more affordable and available to everyone. Many suffer from mental health issues and/or substance abuse. Often, if they do have insurance, certain services may not be covered. This is detrimental to my community because it leads to a rising in untreated mental illness, substance abuse, and/or injury and death. The SUPPORT act was made law in 2018, and its focus is on prevention, recovery and treatment since the overwhelming increase in opioid overdoses. Behavioral health centers and treatment need to be available to anyone who needs it. Some psychologists and mental health centers do not even take insurance and can be very costly out of pocket. So, I feel sometimes because of this, people’s mental health is not addressed or prioritized. If we had more trained professionals and more treatment centers readily available and equipped to help those in need, we could significantly reduce the number of opioid overdose deaths and help the community to live fuller healthier lives.
Working together would be essential in making a difference and helping reduce substance abuse and substance abuse related to mental illness. Emergency responders have received training on the proper administration of life saving measures, including Narcan when someone is suffering from an opioid overdose. The use of Narcan and having this more readily available has cut down significantly on the number of deaths associated with overdoses. Nurses, physicians, as well as therapists all need to work together to achieve this goal. Community health nurses could be the resource and link between getting the person help and making sure they are aware of the resources available. The nurses that work at the addiction centers, help patients by administering them their Methadone for instance and ensuring they are sticking to the policy and maintaining sobriety. Physicians and licensed therapists help to address medical issues and mental health issues to ensure underlying problems are addressed and patient has best chance of success.
As we know, there is sometimes a stigma with mental illness and/or substance abuse. Society may view these persons differently and with judgement. There are a lot of biases and they are often viewed in a negative light. When I did a rotation at a substance abuse outpatient center, I will forever remember a quote that was said there. “They are not bad people doing bad things, they are sick people, doing sick things”. Being under the influence, as we know, can change people’s personalities. Often when patients that have a history of substance use that are admitted to the hospital, are labeled as a “drug user” or “drug seeking” even when they have underlying medical problems that need to be addressed. This topic can be emotional and many have opinions and reactions to this subject. Our job as healthcare professionals is not to judge but to treat. I have found, in my experience, that many are suffering from untreated underlying medical conditions and/or mental disorders. Often ethics come in to play when the provider may not agree with patient’s behaviors. People’s cultural beliefs need to be factored in as well, when creating a treatment plan for any patient. In this area, an ethical dilemma that was faced was regarding a patient’s competence to sign for chemotherapy. She has a severe mental health disorder that she never received treatment for. Her competence was in question on whether she actually knew what she was signing and what receiving chemotherapy entailed. We want to maintain autonomy and also need to make sure that patients have clear judgement and are able to fully comprehend the treatment plan.
#KnowYourTreatmentOptions, Don’tSufferAlone. Beacon Center can help. Beaconcenter.net #AffordableTreatmentForAll
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