Youth Mental Health



4566375781776What does mental health parity mean? Parity for Mental Health CoverageParity is legally?recognizing mental health conditions and substance use as equal to physical illnesses. Without parity mental health treatment is often?covered at far lower levels in health insurance policies than physical illness, which?means people?do?not get the care they?need to experience recovery.What can we do to help?Public interest groups such as NAMI work hard to establish this idea of parity through the use of grassroots pressure. Through political participation, we as citizens can support these interest groups to show that this issue matters and has a solution. 330000What does mental health parity mean? Parity for Mental Health CoverageParity is legally?recognizing mental health conditions and substance use as equal to physical illnesses. Without parity mental health treatment is often?covered at far lower levels in health insurance policies than physical illness, which?means people?do?not get the care they?need to experience recovery.What can we do to help?Public interest groups such as NAMI work hard to establish this idea of parity through the use of grassroots pressure. Through political participation, we as citizens can support these interest groups to show that this issue matters and has a solution. -1828801197882About 1 in 5 American teens ages (13-18) experiences a severe mental disorder at some point during their life. And within these 1 in 5 American teens who are diagnosed, 20 percent of them who have bipolar disorder are correctly diagnosed. Making 80 percent of them misdiagnosed. Also a third of patients with bipolar disorder on average take up to 10 years to get a proper diagnosis. 10 years! Making them spend a lot of money on doctor visits, treatment that they don’t really need, and exposing their body to unnecessary medication and treatment. A few solutions to this issue include an increase to the quality of training medical professionals receive to treat mental health patients to avoid misdiagnosis. Another solution would be to prioritize the payment structure of new insurance policies, and to also reorganize and strengthen the infrastructure of new insurance policies. For example, by establishing parity for mental health coverage.620000About 1 in 5 American teens ages (13-18) experiences a severe mental disorder at some point during their life. And within these 1 in 5 American teens who are diagnosed, 20 percent of them who have bipolar disorder are correctly diagnosed. Making 80 percent of them misdiagnosed. Also a third of patients with bipolar disorder on average take up to 10 years to get a proper diagnosis. 10 years! Making them spend a lot of money on doctor visits, treatment that they don’t really need, and exposing their body to unnecessary medication and treatment. A few solutions to this issue include an increase to the quality of training medical professionals receive to treat mental health patients to avoid misdiagnosis. Another solution would be to prioritize the payment structure of new insurance policies, and to also reorganize and strengthen the infrastructure of new insurance policies. For example, by establishing parity for mental health coverage.-69850152400Youth Mental Health 12/8/2015 00Youth Mental Health 12/8/2015 Problem/Solution Column 3918944320285089344-54400The Story of Clifford Beers45110402726690Health Plans Subject to Federal ParityAbout one-half of all covered Americans are enrolled in large self-insured health insurance plans that are subject to federal?parity. The federal parity law doesn't require plans to offer coverage for mental health or substance use, but if they are covered, then the law requires that coverage is equal with coverage for other health conditions.The federal parity law also?applies to all plans available through state and federal health insurance marketplaces.?State-regulated group health plans must continue to follow state requirements to provide coverage of specific (or all) mental health and/or substance use disorders. Health Plans Subject to State ParityFederal parity replaces state law only in cases where the state law “prevents the application” of federal parity requirements. For example, if a state law requires some coverage for mental health disorders, then the federal requirement of equal coverage will replace the “weaker” state law.However, if a state's parity law is stronger than the federal parity law, then health insurance plans regulated in that state.0Health Plans Subject to Federal ParityAbout one-half of all covered Americans are enrolled in large self-insured health insurance plans that are subject to federal?parity. The federal parity law doesn't require plans to offer coverage for mental health or substance use, but if they are covered, then the law requires that coverage is equal with coverage for other health conditions.The federal parity law also?applies to all plans available through state and federal health insurance marketplaces.?State-regulated group health plans must continue to follow state requirements to provide coverage of specific (or all) mental health and/or substance use disorders. Health Plans Subject to State ParityFederal parity replaces state law only in cases where the state law “prevents the application” of federal parity requirements. For example, if a state law requires some coverage for mental health disorders, then the federal requirement of equal coverage will replace the “weaker” state law.However, if a state's parity law is stronger than the federal parity law, then health insurance plans regulated in that state.Founder of the Mental Health MovementAround the turn of the twentieth century, Clifford W. Beers, a recent graduate of Yale College and a newly-minted Wall Street financier, suffered his first episode of bipolar disorder (manic depressive illness) following the illness and death of his brother. In the throes of his illness, Beers attempted to take his own life by jumping out a third story window. ?Seriously injured but still alive, Beers ended up in public and private hospitals in Connecticut for the next three years.?While in these institutions, Beers learned firsthand of the deficiencies in care as well as the cruel and inhumane treatment people with mental illnesses received. He witnessed and experienced horrific abuse at the hands of his caretakers. At one point during his institutionalization, he was placed in a straightjacket for 21 consecutive nights.?Upon his release, Beers was resolved to expose the maltreatment of people with mental illnesses and to reform care. In 1908, he published his autobiography, A Mind That Found Itself, which roused the nation to the plight of people with mental illnesses and set a reform movement into motion. In the book, Beers declared, “As I penetrated and conquered the mysteries of that dark side of my life, it no longer held any terror for me. I have decided to stand on my past and look the future in the face.”On February 19, 1909, Beers, MHA participated along with philosopher William James and psychiatrist Adolf Meyer, embraced that future by creating the National Committee for Mental Hygiene, later the National Mental Health Association and what we know today as the Mental Health America.Timeline of the Mental Health Movement1900s-1920sClifford Beers sparked the mental health reform movement with an insightful autobiography, A Mind That Found Itself, which chronicled his struggle with mental illness and the shameful conditions he and millions of others endured in mental institutions throughout the country. This work prompts the founding of the mental hygiene movement in the United States. ?(1908)Beers founded the Connecticut Society for Mental Hygiene in 1908, which would which later became Mental Health America (MHA) on Nov. 16, 2006. (1908)MHA facilitated the creation of more than 100 child guidance clinics in the United States aimed at prevention, early intervention and treatment. (1910)At the request of the Surgeon General, MHA drafted a mental ‘hygiene’ program, which was adopted by the Army and the Navy, in preparation for the First World War. (1917)MHA produced a set of model commitment laws, which were subsequently incorporated into the statutes of several states. (1920)1930s-1940sMHA convened the First International Congress on Mental Hygiene in Washington D.C., bringing together more than 3,000 individuals from 41 countries. (1930)The “National Mental Health Act,” which created the National Institute of Mental Health, passed as a result of MHA’s advocacy. (1946)MHA launched Mental Health Week (which eventually became Mental Health Month) with the Jaycees to educate Americans about mental illness and mental health. ?(1949)1950s-1960sMHA joined and supported the Commission on Mental Illness and Mental Health, which was created and funded by Congress. (1955)MHA convened the National Leadership Conference on Action for Mental Health, in which 100 national voluntary organizations participated. ?(1962)Congress passed the “Community Mental Health Centers Act” (CMHC) authorizing construction grants for community mental health centers. ?MHA played a key role in having this legislation enacted and signed by President Kennedy. (1963)Community Mental Health Centers Act calls for deinstitutionalization and increased community services. (1963)MHA successfully advocated for inclusion of mandated mental health services in Medicare. (1966)1970s-1980sFederal judge ordered the release of $52 million in impounded funds voted by Congress for community mental health centers. ?(1973)MHA helped to form the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD), with the purpose of raising private sector funds to support research on mental illnesses. (1981)MHA’s public policy initiative resulted in the passage of the Protection and Advocacy for the Mentally Ill Act by Congress. (1985)MHA released its Report of the Invisible Children Project, which revealed the gross neglect and over institutionalization of children with emotional disorders in the U.S. ?(1989)1990s-2000sMHA played a leading role in the development of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which protects mentally and physically disabled Americans from discrimination in such areas as employment, public accommodations, transportation, telecommunications, and state and local government services. ?(1990)MHA launched its National Public Education Campaign on Clinical Depression reaching millions of Americans through public service announcements and advertising. ?(1993)MHA helped secure passage of the “Mental Health Parity Act,” the first federal legislation to bring more equity to health insurance coverage of mental health care. (1996)President Clinton’s decision to end discrimination in mental health insurance coverage for 9 million federal workers and their families by enacting mental health insurance parity for federal workers. ?(1998)MHA released a nationwide study that revealed the top reasons individuals refused to seek help for anxiety disorders, the most common mental illnesses, which included shame, fear, and embarrassment. ?(1998)MHA released the first-ever survey of children that reported that 78 percent of teens who were gay or thought to be gay were teased or bullied in their schools and communities. ?(2002)MHA released the results of a survey on national awareness of bipolar disorder, which showed that two-thirds of Americans hold limited, if any, knowledge of this common illness. ?(2003)MHA’s advocacy resulted in a landmark Supreme Court ruling declaring the death penalty for juvenile offenders unconstitutional, thereby removing 73 individuals from death row. ?(2005)MHA, along with a coalition of mental health agencies and advocates, succeeded in getting the Mental Health Parity Act signed into law. ?(2008) ................
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