Mental Health

One of the critical concerns in my community is mental health. The number of people suffering from mental or emotional distress has increased significantly in the community. These problems can lead to self- harm, strains in relationships and inability to work. A person might also be unable to participate in health- promotional activities due to depression and anxiety (Gilmore, 2012. The strength in the community is that the public health system operates as a partnership between the local and state government thus ensuring that the safety and public health are protected in the entire state. Moreover, the public health system has adequately trained staff and clear understanding of the local condition. The system also maintains elaborate mechanisms that ensure systematic exchange of information so as to assist in addressing min public health issues.

However, the greatest weakness is a lack of access to counseling or therapy services, especially in the rural areas. Despite availability outreach services by some service centers, they are not enough to cater for all mental patients. Moreover, most individuals and families, especially in the rural areas, are not aware of services such as psychiatric practice and use of antipsychotics and antidepressants. The weakness can be addressed through public awareness and education. Education will enable the people recognize mental illness as any other form of medical complication (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). In this sense, the community must recognize that major depression is similar to hypertension, thyroid or diabetes thus requiring medications. Resultantly, people will feel comfortable when dealing with mental illness.

The available resources include churches, schools, and faith- based organizations. These organizations create social networks for the residents. Thus, awareness can be conducted through these institutions. The organizations also work collaboratively with the case managers to link patients with resources (University of Kansas, 2013). These resources are adequate to address the problem of mental illness.

References

Gilmore, G. D. (2012). Needs and capacity assessment strategies for health education and promotion (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). National Public Health Performance Standards Program: Frequently asked questions. Retrieved March 21, 2014, from https://www.cdc.gov/nphpsp/documents/faq.pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). National Public Health Performance Standards (NPHPS). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nphpsp/documents/faq.pdf

University of Kansas. (2013). Chapter 3: Section 2. Understanding and describing the community. Retrieved from https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/assessment/assessing-community-needs-and-resources/describe-the-community/main

National Association of County & City Health Officials. (2007). APEXPH, PACE EH, and MAPP: Local public health planning and assessment at a glance. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from https://www.naccho.org/topics/infrastructure/mapp/upload/MappPaceApex.pdf

Minnesota Department of Health and Healthy Minnesota Partnership (n.d.). The health of Minnesota. 2012 statewide health assessment. Retrieved from https://www.health.state.mn.us/healthymnpartnership/sha/docs/1204healthofminnesota.pdf