Comments on: Caring For The Caregivers: The State Of Mental Illness

By: Keelin

Keelin — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:34:49 +0000

A thought provoking piece. I wholeheartedly agree that as important mental health care is, it is equally undervalued. I’m left wondering what can be done about this as we move into a new era (hopefully)of health care. As entrenched as the taboo of mental illness is, if more societal emphasis was placed upon being in check with your mental health maybe more people would would be open to the possibility of seeking help. I know regrettably many people who refused to seek help until it was too late due to a societally-influenced aversion to mental health care. I also think that health insurance limits on access do not help the matter. Some people may be deterred if they know they will only be able to see a mental health professional for 20 sessions. If access were not an issue I wonder how many would seek help. The issue of provider mental health is a very difficult one. All too often physicians think of themselves as totally removed from the illnesses they encounter, feeling invulnerable. Additionally, the time constraints and high patient flow leaves little time for self-evaluation.

By: bfm

bfm — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:31:02 +0000

A wonderful perspective! As our nation moves toward health care for all, we need to think about mental health care as well.

By: TLS

TLS — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:59:15 +0000

i’m glad you’re talking about the toll on caregivers because, i, too, am in that camp. except that i’m not just underpaid, i’m unpaid. and i don’t live in “two worlds”, i live in one. because i’m the primary care giver for my own mentally ill child, there is no other world i can enter and hope to forget. if there were a better place in this world for my son to live, he would be there. until then, we provide round the clock care and companionship. and we suffer, perhaps, even greater fatigue and traumatization because he is our own and we love him.