Lysette Anthony, an English actress and model, once said, “Mental illness leaves a huge legacy, not just for the person suffering it but for those around them” (Brainy Quote Organization, 2016, p. 1). While there are multiple rising health issues in the United States, such as the increasing use of electronic cigarettes, mounting prescription drug overdoses, lack of adequate oral health availability, and an increasing number of people with diabetes, mental health has been a major growing topic since the passing of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010. According to the Journal of the American Society on Aging, the ACA has had multiple positive implications for mental health care which include provisions to ensure private health plans offer free
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Additionally, there are numerous populations affected by mental health. These populations include older adults or the geriatric population, veterans, individuals who live in communities with intellectual trauma caused by natural disasters, and the pediatric population. Healthy People, an initiative developed by the Department of Health and Human Services to set objectives for increasing the health of the population, states “In any given year, an estimated 18.1% (43.6 million) of U.S. adults ages 18 years or older suffered from any mental illness and 4.2% (9.8 million) suffered from a seriously debilitating mental illness” (Department of Health and Human Services, 2016, Overview section, para. 4). Furthermore, mental health is a growing concern in the United States as mental health is the most common origin for disability. The burden of mental illness is reported to be one of the highest of all diseases across the country (Department of Health and Human Services, 2016, Overview section, para. 4). Based on these reports and statistics, Public Health officials have initiated educating and raising awareness to U.S. citizens on the severity of mental …show more content…
Healthy People reported in 2008 that only 68.9 percent of children with mental health issues received medical treatment services, while the national target is 75.8 percent (Department of Health and Human Services, 2016, Objective section, para. 2). Additionally, in 2005-2007, depression screening for children ages 12-18 years old by primary care physicians was only 2.1 percent, while the nationwide target is 2.3 percent (Department of Health and Human Services, 2016, Objective section, para. 2). Due to gaps in the U.S. health care system, children and adolescents are not properly obtaining or receiving the medical treatment they need for mental health in order to have a better quality of
Additionally, there are numerous populations affected by mental health. These populations include older adults or the geriatric population, veterans, individuals who live in communities with intellectual trauma caused by natural disasters, and the pediatric population. Healthy People, an initiative developed by the Department of Health and Human Services to set objectives for increasing the health of the population, states “In any given year, an estimated 18.1% (43.6 million) of U.S. adults ages 18 years or older suffered from any mental illness and 4.2% (9.8 million) suffered from a seriously debilitating mental illness” (Department of Health and Human Services, 2016, Overview section, para. 4). Furthermore, mental health is a growing concern in the United States as mental health is the most common origin for disability. The burden of mental illness is reported to be one of the highest of all diseases across the country (Department of Health and Human Services, 2016, Overview section, para. 4). Based on these reports and statistics, Public Health officials have initiated educating and raising awareness to U.S. citizens on the severity of mental …show more content…
Healthy People reported in 2008 that only 68.9 percent of children with mental health issues received medical treatment services, while the national target is 75.8 percent (Department of Health and Human Services, 2016, Objective section, para. 2). Additionally, in 2005-2007, depression screening for children ages 12-18 years old by primary care physicians was only 2.1 percent, while the nationwide target is 2.3 percent (Department of Health and Human Services, 2016, Objective section, para. 2). Due to gaps in the U.S. health care system, children and adolescents are not properly obtaining or receiving the medical treatment they need for mental health in order to have a better quality of