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Post by Palak Patel on Jul 21, 2016 16:48:16 GMT -4
The declining in the amount of beds available for the psychiatric facilities seems to be a big concern for the government. Everyone is talking about beds being cut down, but no one is even considering the outcome of the results that it would bring if there were to increase in the numbers of beds. It is a good initiative in increasing the facility especially for those who can't afford, but who has proof that it will improve in the psychiatric illness, no one can guarantee that. Also, as the population grows all over the nation, there will always be shortage, we rather come up with a better solution. We rather invest toward the prevention of the psychiatric mental wellness, so that people stay mentally well to begin with. Now I know that it's a big step and everything seems impossible initially, but it's all about taking initial steps.
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Post by Keval Patel on Jul 21, 2016 17:12:16 GMT -4
Mental health is a prominent issue in the news these days but little is discussed about the access to mental health care. With the number of beds at psychiatric facilities being a low, it can be assumed that access to psychiatric care is also at all. After reading of such a decline, patients in need of care must wonder if they will receive necessary care if they presented to a health care facility. If available beds are falling yet mental health is still a prominent issue then it is important to look at the quality of care that is received at existing facilities. If patients are being "stabilized and turfed" then are they really receiving the care they need? This article has highlighted an important problem of how our nation is dealing with constrictions in mental health care but it has also asked what solutions we have to deal with the problem. Reading this article I could not help but think how important it is that we deal with mental health care in the outpatient setting. If we are having difficulty in expanding the number of beds available in facilities why not keep the patients in their beds at home and provide increased access to psychiatric care in the outpatient setting and deal with mental health as a primary care issue and prevent it from getting out of hand as we would for a diseases such as HTN and diabetes.
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Post by Erica B. Bortmas on Jul 21, 2016 17:18:39 GMT -4
I wonder if people in on this Mental Health Care reform area understand the true underlying issue at hand-- why seek psychiatric inpatient help when it is almost never available?? From personal experience working in 3 different ER's in 2 different states, I can say that there is a MASSIVE demand for psychiatric beds. The title of the article sounds great, stating that the nation's psychiatric bed count falls to a record low, making readers think that this is because we probably don't need the beds, right? NO. The number of beds are falling because the amount of money being put into mental health care is far below par, and psychiatric patients who have sought help in an inpatient setting or ER before KNOW that even if they are a danger to themselves or others, there is more than likely a chance they will be sent home because there are no psychiatric beds available throughout the state. This is not only a fault of the system, but also a fault of the physicians who are not documenting these problems, not voicing these problems, and not compassionate enough to make the extra effort in helping address the problem. I know I will always do my best to help improve the state of the mental health care system, not only for current patients, but for future patients as well.
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Post by Anudeep Cherukuri on Jul 21, 2016 18:04:53 GMT -4
This article brings up an important field of patient care. As Incidence of psychiatric illnesses have remained constant, the prevalence of the patients in need of psychiatric care in an inpatient facility now have a higher demand on the resources necessary. The beds that are required to treat majority of the psychiatric illness are in shortage due to the retraction of appropriate funds. The conceived notion of proper inpatient psychiatric care could be otherwise replicated in a community setting is what lead to inpatient facilities to have reduce the number of beds available for psychiatric cases. Now the cases that really do require immediate care such as the ER cases when acute psychosis and other such conditions present which would require admission and monitoring by psychiatric specialists to accurately assess the patients mental state and make a diagnosis. Without these diagnoses, there are more psychiatric patients going inappropriately treated, if treated at all. Changes in reforms are in process of being passed through the justice system. With these changes yet to be implemented, the impact of this change and allocation of funds cannot guarantee proper care. However, in my humble opinion, I believe there could be a progressive change brought about by these implementations. The sheer awareness of psychiatric mental health could increase in community settings, ergo increasing proper care of patients previously improperly treated.
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Post by Loretta Akpala on Jul 22, 2016 12:34:30 GMT -4
The number of psychiatric beds in state hospitals has decreased and those that are available are currently occupied. About 50% of the available are occupied with patients from the criminal justice system. These facts reported in a new national study, has exposed the changes that have gone on in the United States since it began deinstitutionalizing mental illness in favor of outpatient treatment. Experts and advocates say the result is seen even today in the increasing ranks of homeless and incarcerated Americans suffering from serious mental conditions. To fix this, it has been recommended that Medicaid and Medicare regulations has to reviewed because they are the major contributor to the shortage of psychiatric beds in the hospital. Also, it has been advised that if interventional programs are made available to patients before getting to the point where they need to be placed in a psychiatric hospital bed, it will help the society as a whole because these individuals will hopefully leave a better and healthier life and thus will be able to stay out of psychiatric hospital beds and other places such as jails and detention centers as a whole.
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Kadeem Sampath (MS3)
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Post by Kadeem Sampath (MS3) on Jul 22, 2016 12:36:33 GMT -4
Time and again it has been noticed and recognized that the field of psychiatry has not been getting enough funding to manage its patients. This is evident across the United States. It is a frustrating and upsetting to know that these patients do not have enough beds in hospitals to accommodate them for treatment and health management. Efforts have been made in order to assess this issue, but the statistics show staggering deficits with respect to supply and demand of hospital beds dedicated to psychiatric patients. Medicaid and Medicare are supposed to be of help to the public that need it’s service however as explained in the article, they have contributed to the bed shortage. I think greater awareness, and action needs to be taken to address this issue. In addition, I think medical budgets for the health care system needs to be revised in order to facilitate additional funding.
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Post by Veronique Pryce on Jul 25, 2016 7:23:17 GMT -4
Amidst the bustle of everyday life, its easy to take for granted that many people are suffering from some form of mental issue. Many still try to fit into society by having regular jobs,starting a family,socializing etc. Others suffer in silence and have a much harder time acclimatizing.Many people lack support system, self motivation or capability which would increase the likelihood of them taking the first step of seeking professional psychiatric help. Those who take that step and seek out help or are brought in should be accommodated for on all levels.
The fact that the number of psychiatric beds in state hospitals has dropped to such a low is disheartening and reflects changes in today's society. To some extent it trivializes mental illness and leaves the patient to recover on their own, many of whom may have needed that extra care. Many of those left unattended end up in jail cells, emergency rooms,being combative or suicidal.
The shortage of beds comes as a complex mix of social and legal forces is driving up demand for mental health services. There is much less stigma today in seeking treatment for a mental problem. Changing attitudes have also led to regulations establishing parity in insurance coverage for treatment of behavioral and physical health.
Bed shortage should be addressed and monitored as to insure we do not get rid of that all together since mental illness has been deinstitutionalized.
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Post by Ali Reza Ahmed on Aug 1, 2016 12:22:14 GMT -4
One very important point I think this article brings up is the rate of incarceration in the U.S., which according to recent studies: "In October 2013, the incarceration rate of the United States of America was the highest in the world, at 716 per 100,000 of the national population. While the United States represents about 4.4 percent of the world's population, it houses around 22 percent of the world's prisoners." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_incarceration_rateI believe that once the U.S. makes great strides in reforming its judiciary and penal system it will have a direct impact on how many psychiatric beds would be available to the general population. We know that poverty, crime, and socio-economic status all have a correlation to mental health and psychiatric issues. Movie recommendations for movies dealing with prison populations: - The Shawshank Redemption - Oz (HBO tv series) - The Wire (HBO tv series) - Bronson (2008) - Hunger (2008) |
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