Specialization in Mental Health

1 Specialization in Mental Health Mental health care is a critical component of the modern healthcare system that addresses providing services to enhance individuals' emotional, social, and psychological well-being.

Mental health is crucial for proper functioning at every stage of life, from childhood through adulthood (Gabella, 2021). Remarkable developments made in the healthcare system have produced a robust mental health system. Daniels and Ritter (2018) noted that mental health care had undergone remarkable changes in the 20th and 21st centuries. However, the public mental health system is yet to achieve the ultimate system goals. These goals include integrating the system with a diverse workforce capable of utilizing evidence-based practice to address individual needs related to mental health problems. The attainment of these goals is influenced by various factors, including existing laws and regulations. This paper focuses on mental health law and its significance in delivering treatment for mental health disorders. The paper also looks at factors that impede quality mental health services and how the law can eliminate these barriers.

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Mental Health Law and its Relevance Mental health laws developed in the last seven decades have helped transform the mental health care system. These laws have dismantled the institutionalization of mentally ill persons and supported community-based interventions (Daniels & Ritter, 2018). It is indisputable that mental health care and human rights of people with mental illness need supportive policies and legislation. In line with this ideology, numerous laws relevant to mental health are continuously being developed and amended to address complex mental health issues. These laws are focused on reforming the mental health system to transform it from a reactive to a proactive system.

Purtle et al. (2019) pointed out that mental health laws play a significant role in eradicating stigma towards the mentally ill. In concurrence, Shana (2020) noted that mental health laws and regulations are essential for achieving parity and eradicating discrimination against mental illnesses. Notably, the law supports reimbursement for mental health services provided by clinicians at all levels (Shana, 2020). Daniels and Ritter (2018) concurred with Shana (2020) that mental health law helps secure the rights and welfare of people with mental conditions besides encouraging the government and healthcare organizations to allocate more resources to mental health care.

The Delivery of Treatment for Behavioral Health Treating mental health services constitute the administration of pharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions. These interventions must satisfy the health needs and interests of an individual. Shana (2020) noted that the treatment plan should be pegged in evidence and established rules and regulations. For instance, clinicians need to employ a holistic approach that addresses all mental health issues, not just symptoms. The delivery process should be safe,

3 sensitive, and least restrictive. The interventions employed should maintain function and avert deterioration besides addressing comorbid conditions. Importantly, the treatment duration should be based on individual health needs while accounting for the unique needs of different patient populations such as adolescents and children.

Barriers to Mental Healthcare A range of obstacles has long marred the provision and access to mental health services.

These obstacles include stigma, lack of quality improvement measures, disparity of treatments, workforce shortage, and reluctance to implement evidence-based practices (Gabella, 2021). The disparity of treatment is associated with a lack of adequate resources, discrimination of the mentally ill and high costs. Staff burnout/compassion fatigue is also a significant barrier to mental health care. Work-related factors contributing to depression, fatigue, emotional exhaustion negatively impact a healthcare providers’ ability to deliver quality services to the clients. Gabella (2021) noted that the disinclination of insurance companies to integrate mental health care professionals in their networks impedes the delivery of quality mental health services.

Using the Law to Eliminate Barriers to Access Mental Health Services Eradication of barriers to mental health is the most effective strategy for enhancing access to mental health services. These barriers are eradicated through integrating mental health services in primary care, building community-based mental health services, promoting self–care, allocating more resources to mental health care, and increasing the number of mental health facilities. Mental health law establishes a platform on which health leaders can achieve these objectives. The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, as highlighted by Gabella (2021), for instance, mandates insurance companies to provide mental health clients with

4 benefits similar to other medical and surgical conditions. This regulation prevents the discrimination of individuals based on their mental health.

Conclusion A remarkable transformation in the mental health care system has contributed to the dismantling of the institutionalization of the mentally ill and the development of a communitybased mental health system. Unfortunately, mental health care continues to experience challenges such as stigma, shortage of workforce, limited resources, high cost of care, and workers fatigue which impact access to mental health services. New laws and amendments of existing laws have helped eradicate the discrimination of the mentally ill. The mental health law also discourages insurance companies from discriminating and declining the coverage of mentally ill clients.

References Daniels, D., & Ritter, D. (2018). How health care policy and laws have impacted mental health delivery. Southern Law Journal, 28(2), 229-245. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350889986_HOW_HEALTH_CARE_POLICY _AND_LAWS_HAVE_IMPACTED_MENTAL_HEALTH_DELIVERY Gabella, J., (2021). Mental Health Care Disparity: The Highs and Lows of Parity, Health Matrix: The Journal of Law-Medicine. 31(1), 377-400. https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/healthmatrix/vol31/iss1/15 Purtle, J., Lê‐scherban, F., Wang, X. I., Shattuck, P. T., Proctor, E. K., & Brownson, R. C. (2019). State legislators’ support for behavioral health parity laws: the influence of mutable and fixed factors at multiple levels. The Milbank Quarterly, 97(4), 1200-1232. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0009.12431

5 Shana, A., (2020). Mental health parity in the US: Have we made any real progress? Psychiatric Times, https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/mental-health-parity-in-the-us-have-wemade-any-real-progress