Advocacy X Mental Health
Approximately 1 in 5 Americans suffer from mental health problems with a reported 46.7 million in 2017. Due to inadequate mental health services jail and prison are now the largest provider of mental health care. As mental health service shortages continue the emergency department has borne a large brunt of the burden. This has resulted in long boarding times, sub-par patient care and physician burnout. This burden costs the US approximately $300 billion a year and individuals suffering from mental health die on average 25 years earlier due to largely preventable disease.
Big News:
Depression skyrocketing during pandemic
CDC reports huge surge of mental health problems with greater than 40% of those surveyed reporting at least one mental health problem and greater than 10% reporting having seriously considered suicide
Recent News:
Advocacy Tools, Resources and Efforts:
Challenges to Emergency Medicine
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4786237/
Systematic review on screening in the ED
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30316619/
Mental Health Treatment Locator Map by SAMSHA
https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/locator
WHO Advocacy Guidebook
https://www.who.int/mental_health/policy/services/1_advocacy_WEB_07.pdf