Article Analysis Essay on Community Mental Health Policy in America: Lessons Learned

Introduction

In his article "Community Mental Health Policy in America: Lessons Learned" (Grob, 2016) discusses the origin of the Community Mental Health policy that was implemented in 1963. The Act provides that persons with severe mental disorders should be treated within their community as opposed to being institutionalized. Grob (2016) notes that one of the main reasons for introducing the community health policy was to prevent subsequent hospitalization.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Moreover, this policy would ensure more and better productive life for patients who had been hospitalized in the past. Thirdly, this policy was implemented since there was some certainty that mental hospitals were centers of incarceration for psychiatric patients and provided little therapy. With this policy in action, mental hospitals would be replaced by community mental health centers, which were meant to provide comprehensive services to all people in the country. Under this policy, patients of mental illness who had been previously warehoused in hospitals would have the right to go back to their communities where they would receive the care they needed.

Reasons for Choosing the Article

The main reason for choosing this article is because it outlines the policy originality and the reasons behind its introduction to mental health. The article also provides a detailed discussion of the consequences of this policy after it started being operational and how it improved mental services in America. The relevance of the Article

One of the most outstanding results of this transition policy is that it brought about the effective development of psychotropic treatments and improved psychotherapy approaches for people with serious mental illness. As a result, mental disorders could be treated more efficiently and in a more economical way as compared to traditional psychiatric hospitals.

How Information From the Article Connect With Class Syllabus

Patients of severe mental health conditions need access to support services, treatment, and rehabilitation at the community level. Mental health care also requires continuous attention, treatment adherence, and protection form stigmatization. Moreover, mental patients require close monitoring. With community health care, patients can receive all these services at the comfort of their neighborhoods, thus facilitating the recovery process. Moreover, the article helps in understanding how policies in mental health play a crucial role in establishing benchmarks for the purpose if preventing treating and rehabilitating disorders as well as promoting community mental health. The policies are essential because they help in the coordination of plans and vision towards providing maximum healthcare to the mentally ill people in American society.

Importance of Understanding Mental Health at the Macro/Micro Level

Mental health at the community level is very effective, especially when it comes to offering accessible, affordable, and quality healthcare to Americans. Understanding mental health at the macro/ micro level is important as a professional and ethical social worker to gain knowledge of the types of services to offer and the kind of patients to handle based on the degree of patients' sickness.

How the Community Health Policy Impacts the Daily Life

The Community Mental Health policy impacts the daily lives of the Americans in the sense that it provides cost-effective and quality mental care in a free and friendly environment. The patients feel they are still part of the community as they get to interact with and live close to their families and friends as opposed to being incarcerated in mental hospitals far away from their homes where patients would feel isolated and lonely. With the close bond to the community, the care process is improved, and patients could receive treatment while working at their homes.

Reference

Grob, N. G. (2016). Community Mental Health Policy in America: Lessons Learned. Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci, 53(1), 6-12. Retrieved from https://cdn.doctorsonly.co.il/2016/08/03_Grob_Community-Mental-Health-in-America.pdf