Symptoms of a Drug Prescription
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Mental Health and Health Care Stigma
By Nikki and Anne Heart ♥ September 26, 2024
*Although we wrote this post together, we have chosen to present the following through Mom’s eyes.
Is there stigma regarding health care and mental health?
Since the day my daughter started a prescription drug treatment plan, I noticed the change in the health care she received.
Whenever she experienced pain in her chest, stomach or joints, the healthcare provider brushed it off once informed of the medications she was on. Medications that indicated mental health illness.
Sadly, I witnessed her being ignored time and time again in the emergency room while others were treated for minor cuts.
Unfortunately, the stigma surrounding mental health is very apparent in the medical community.
Health care and mental health
Being aware that waiting in the emergency room for treatment for long periods of time has become the norm. I have personally experienced this, and I know many others have as well.
However, I noticed a difference when I walked into a medical facility compared to my daughter. Whether an emergency room, urgent care or doctor’s office, the difference is noticeable.
Instead of questioning whether the medication she was on could be causing her problem, they asked if she was feeling mentally ok.
A recent newspaper article has confirmed my belief.
The article was about longer waits in the E.R. in general.
It also acknowledges that those suffering from mental health wait an average of 50% longer in Long Island hospitals than other patients.¹
This is no surprise to me.
Stigma surrounding mental health treatment causes negative consequences
- Delayed treatment
- Reduced treatment
- Inappropriate treatment
- Misconceptions
- Negative impact to individuals with mental illness
- Ethnic and cultural variations
What needs to be done about treatment for mental health problems?
- Remove the stigma surrounding mental health
- Recognize when a health care provider or facility is treating mental health patients differently
- Acknowledge that mental health disorders are real
- Develop peer support programs
- Establish community-based mental health services
- Appropriate training for Health Care Providers
- Awareness is key to an appropriate treatment plan
Sources used:
- Newsday Long Island, Long Waits at the E.R., reported by Robert Brodsy, Lorena Mongelli and Anastasia Valeeva, September 9, 2024 edition.
- National Library of Medicine, Understanding and Addressing Mental Health Stigma,” Ahad AA, Sanchez-Gonzalez M, Junquera P. Understanding and Addressing Mental Health Stigma Across Cultures for Improving Psychiatric Care: A Narrative Review. Cureus. 2023 May 26;15(5):e39549. doi: 10.7759/cureus.39549. PMID: 37250612; PMCID: PMC10220277, accessed September 23, 2024.
“The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.”
-Nathaniel Branden –
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Note: All information in “Nikki’s Story” are based on detail journals covering seven years of Nikki’s life on prescription drugs.
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