Mental Health and Wellness Trends

The mental health industry is undergoing remarkable transformations to improve service delivery and achieve better mental health outcomes. These transformations include mental health integration into primary care and using digital technology to facilitate information sharing between patients and care providers. This paper explores telehealth and integrated healthcare systems to determine their impact on mental health and wellness. The discussion also includes the benefits of professional associations to mental health professionals.

Part 1: Mental Health and Wellness Associations

Part 1, Section A: Telehealth

Telehealth is a healthcare delivery approach whereby health professionals use digital information and communication technologies to share information. This approach increases access to healthcare for people in remote geographic locations (Hilty et al., 2019). It reduces physical contact and eradicates the need to commute long distances to visit a health provider. Telehealth encapsulates digital healthcare activities and services, including video and audio technologies, remote patient monitoring, mobile health, and digital photography.

Many people with tablets, smartphones, and other electronic gadgets have access to mobile-health apps which facilitate engagement through information sharing between patients and health professionals. mHealth apps provide a platform for patient-focused care and personalized experiences (Hilty et al., 2019). They also help patients access and monitor their health data from remote locations.

Healthcare professionals acknowledge that mHealth apps can help patients achieve their personal wellness goals and reduce the burden of diseases. For instance, developers have integrated mHealth apps into wearable devices to enhance access to personal health data. These devices allow patients to monitor their vital signs in real-time (Hilty et al., 2019).

Doctors and practitioners use mHealth apps, particularly diagnostic and clinical reference apps, to manage medical and clinical practice examinations.

Integrated Healthcare

Integrated health is a collaborative approach to care delivery whereby health professionals establish a comprehensive treatment plan addressing the physical, psychological, and behavioral elements of health. This approach aims to deliver holistic treatment to prevent chronic conditions and improve the patient’s life quality (Dawda, 2019).

Integrated health differs from traditional healthcare delivery since it employs a multidisciplinary approach that requires coordination and information sharing among health team members.

Integrated healthcare is increasingly being implemented in different settings, including primary care, social service, long-term, community-based, and specialized care sites (Shahzad et al., 2019). However, this model of care is experiencing a swing away from the organizational and acute care integration approaches at the health system level to approaches that could bring together different health system levels. For instance, community and cross-sectoral integration introduce new aspects of care, including social care and housing to healthcare. Health professionals acknowledge the need for more attention to housing and social care to achieve better care outcomes (Dawda, 2019). Recognizing and accepting these broader health determinants facilitate a focus away from healthcare facilities as the focal point for individuals seeking more robust primary healthcare. Addressing these needs has become an integral component of the population-focused and multidisciplinary team-based delivery system (Dawda, 2019).

Part 1, Section B:

Mental Health Professional Associations (MHPA) and their significance to mental health professionals

Mental health professionals can join different professional associations, including the American Counselling Association (ACA), American Mental Health Counsellors Association (AMHCA), and the American Psychiatric Association (APA). MHPA membership benefits professionals since it creates a platform for networking, thus building long-term personal and professional relationships (Astle et al., 2023). It supports professional development whereby professionals connect with other parties in the industry sharing similar perspectives of mental healthcare. For instance, AMHCA enhances the clinical mental health counseling profession through collaboration, education, and advocacy. The APA promotes maximum conditions for career growth, practice and satisfaction whereas the ACA promotes the career development of counselors, thus advancing the counseling profession.

Since mental health practitioners are bound by the ethical principles of confidentiality and privacy, they cannot discuss workplace challenges with people who are not part of the mental health fraternity. MHPAs allow members to freely discuss ideas and challenges without fear of violating ethical principles (Astle et al., 2023). MHPA also assists members with information about licensing regulations. These associations give individual professionals the voice to challenge licensing regulations that might hinder professional development and career growth (Adnan, 2023). They also improve collaborative practice between mental health professionals, thus improving primary mental health care delivery.

The benefits of professional associations to professionals and how they treat clients and maintain ethical decision-making

The benefits of joining MHPA include advocacy, professional development, publications, and peer networking. Professional organizations promote mental health practices and lobby for better working conditions for mental health professionals (Adnan, 2023). Advocacy implies that members have a robust body looking out for them and the mental health profession. Professional organizations also provide members with unique educational opportunities that prepare them to work in specific environments (Astle et al., 2023). These organizations provide members with a platform for continuous learning and improvement. Professional organizations also provide members with publications that serve as valuable resources with information about the latest research, employment opportunities, training, and practice skills.

Professional organizations help maintain ethical decision-making in the mental health industry. They provide members with written policies, frameworks, and procedures to resolve an ethical dilemma in practice (Adnan, 2023). They also create a channel for members to interact with their colleagues who provide ethics consultation services besides being members of ethics committees in their institutions. This implies that MHPAs are invaluable sources of information to guide mental health professionals and create a framework for ethical decision-making. Members are informed of the best ways to apply the code of ethics to safeguard themselves and deliver quality services to their clients.

Part 2: SAMHSA Resources and Integrated Healthcare Tools

1. A review of three resources on the SAMHSA website and how they can be applied to current or future Mental Health professional field

SAMHSA website provides many resources for mental health practitioners, patients, and interested parties. Professionals use these resources to guide treatment and health promotion plans. I have selected three resources that professionals can apply in mental health practice. The first resource highlights the needs of people with serious mental illnesses (ISMICC, 2017). This resource clarifies that mental illnesses and emotional disturbances affect patients' quality of life and increase their risk of suicide. The second article highlights the impact of substance use and mental health problems on people. The article depicts substance use and mental illness as serious health issues in the United States (SAMHSA, 2019). These disorders affect all age groups, including adolescents and adults. The third article provides information on primary and behavioral healthcare integration (SAMHSA, 2015).

Mental health professionals can apply these resources to current and future practices to improve outcomes. For instance, they can integrate primary care with mental health care to enhance care delivery for vulnerable groups with limited access to specialized mental health services. Professionals can also use these resources to increase awareness of the impact of mental illnesses and substance use on individuals, families, and society.

2. How do these resources relate to the topics in Part 1, Section A

The selected resources can influence telehealth and integrated care, thus improving mental health in society. For instance, the article on mental disorders and substance use provides valuable information about the impact of these disorders on society. SAMHSA (2019) noted that children and adults in remote regions are disproportionately affected by substance use and mental disorders due to limited access to healthcare. Therefore, mental health professionals can use this information to support telemedicine to reach remote populations. SAMHSA (2015) provides information about integrating mental health and primary healthcare. Integrated healthcare is an invaluable innovation that promotes healthcare delivery to underserved groups. It ensures that people seeking primary healthcare have access to mental health services.

Conclusion

Mental health professionals have embraced unique trends, including telemedicine and integrated healthcare systems, to improve the delivery of mental health services. These professionals join professional organizations to advocate for their rights and strengthen their personal and professional development.

References

Adnan, H., (2023). Handbook of Research on Dissecting and Dismantling Occupational Stress in Modern Organizations. IGI Global.

Astle, B. J., Duggleby, W., Potter, P., Perry, A., Stockert, P., & Hall, A. (2023). Potter and Perry's Canadian Fundamentals of Nursing-E-Book. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Balapour, A., Reychav, I., Sabherwal, R., & Azuri, J. (2019). Mobile technology identity and self-efficacy: Implications for adopting clinically supported mobile health apps.

International Journal of Information Management, 49, 58-68.

Dawda, P. (2019). Integrated healthcare: the past, present and future. Integrated Healthcare

Journal, 1(1), e000001. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/ihj-2019-000001

Hilty, D. M., Chan, S., Torous, J., Luo, J., & Boland, R. J. (2019). A telehealth framework for mobile health, smartphones, and apps: competencies, training, and faculty development. Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science, 4, 106-123.

Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee (ISMICC). (2017). The current needs of Americans with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) and Serious Emotional Disturbances https://www.samhsa.gov/about-us/advisory-councils/ismicc http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1573400514666180816112109

Riggin, B. M., & Lack, C. W. (2018). Ethical decision-making models across mental health treatment: A review and expansion. Current Psychiatry Reviews, 14(3), 171-177.

SAMHSA (2015). Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration https://www.samhsa.gov/grants/grant-announcements/sm-15-005 https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/cbhsq-reports/NSDUHNationalFindin gsReport2018/NSDUHNationalFindingsReport2018.htm

SAMHSA (2019). Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.