Health & Fitness

How Can We Improve Mental Health in This Country?

The local editor of Canton-Sixes Patch shares his personal thoughts on the aftermath of the Navy Yard shooting.

Editor's Note: This is my first ever non-news post on Canton-Sixes Patch. I thought I would give myself a personal forum where I can share my opinions on news matters and other topics that interest me without it being confused as news. If you'd like to join me on the blogging adventure,Β follow this link!

I think that the root cause of the shootings in Columbine, Aurora, Newtown, and the Navy Yards was not necessarily the easy availability of firearms, but that there are far too many mentally unhealthy people slipping through the cracks of our health system. You don't have to shoot up a school or a government building to fall into the "slipped through the cracks category;" for example, look at all of the adolescent people killing themselves over getting bullied, or starving themselves because "they're fat" even though they weigh 100 pounds.

We're losing the struggle against mental health on a local and national scale. How can we tip the balance?

I would like to see health care professionals and the general public to stop looking at psychologists and psychiatrists as only dealing with loons, crackpots, nutters, etc. They're doctors, just like GPs, dentists, gynecologists, etc. People don't think it's absurd to go to the dentist every six months for a checkup, or go to their GP once a year for a physical. Why can't a mentally healthy, seemingly well-adjusted person go to a psychologist on a regular (not a weekly basis, but 4-6 months, etc) basis for maintenance of their mental health?Β 

I wonder if there could be some sort of push for this to start when a kid enters school. Maybe a once-monthly meeting with the school counselor or an outside psychologist if the school system can't handle that many assessments. If the young person is seeing a pediatrician and a child psychologist and gets used to that routine, it may carry over into adolescence and adulthood.

"But my kid isn't crazy!" some might say. Well, your child doesn't have a mouth full of cavities either, but that doesn't mean he or she should skip dental appointments. The focus of mental health, as all other health fields, should shift more towards maintaining a healthy lifestyle and preventative healthcare instead of reacting to obesity, diabetes, schizophrenia, depression, etc.Β 

I want this to be an open brainstorming session. Let's share our ideas on how we can change the way mental health is perceived in this country and discuss ways to improve the ways mental health professionals currently work and can interact with their clients. I'd be interested to hear the opinions of local mental health professionals, especially those who deal with children.

So, what say you?


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