Some application even allows individuals to track mental health symptoms while interacting with a PMHNP via texts or FaceTime.
Not so long ago, people had little to no knowledge about mental health. As recently as the 1950s, lobotomies and electroconvulsive therapy (nowadays considered inhumane and even controversial) would treat anxiety, bipolar disorder, and even depression. The limited clinical knowledge of psychology would often result in misdiagnoses. Social and cultural biases could easily affect diagnosis, with “hysteria” considered a women’s disease.
Mental illness was considered a disgrace. To solve their condition, ill persons would be removed from society through institutionalization. There was forced sterilization of individuals who lived in mental institutions. Mental health care practitioners are out to help fix the stigma around mental illness. However, there is still a long way to go.
Fast forward to today, a significant investment is being made to help recognize and manage mental health. People who have cognitive challenges that would have previously been labeled ‘unsolvable’ are actively participating in society, thanks to drugs and therapy innovations. Research has helped equip doctors with advanced capabilities to diagnose mental illness correctly, and patients can now understand and consent to different treatment options.
With the amount of action and discourse that surround mental health, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNPs) are actively involving themselves in sectors previously overlooked.
The following are top trends in the mental health space and why PMHNPs are crucial.
Mental Health Growing Concern For Americans
About 50 million Americans are reportedly battling mental illness. Five percent of these individuals (almost 2.5 million) rank their condition as ‘severe’, meaning that it is adversely affecting their everyday functionalities.
These numbers are definitely impossible to ignore. A CNN report indicates that 9 out of 10 people agree that mental health is a crisis in America. Consequentially, government agencies, healthcare providers, and the general public are willing to work together to combat mental health.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics fails to separate PMHNPs from other APRNSs, they have included nurse practitioners in the Top 20 Newest Jobs in the U.S. This proves that PMHNPs is an excellent career choice.
Fading Mental Health Stigma
With widespread awareness comes normalization. With mental illness in America, it has not been different. People with mental health challenges are no longer pushed to the outskirts of the communities, and friends and family members are increasingly becoming proactive in loving and accommodating the affected individuals.
The mental health state normalization has been so successful that, in 2017, the Mental Health and Addiction Services sector spent over $162 million on direct-to-consumer advertisement alone. This value was about an 8,000% increase from what was being spent twenty years earlier. The advertising campaigns will likely encourage people to seek mental healthcare, providing PMHNPs with substantial workload.
Increased Accessibility to Mental Health Treatment
The healthcare system has successfully managed to handle the mental illness prevalence. The five states with the highest care access rates are New Yor, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Connecticut. There are also great online Psychiatrist Michigan who offer great virtual services to the affected individuals. This success gives hope to aspiring PMHNPs.
Telehealth is a significant breakthrough, too. Over 50 million Americans can now access mental health treatment through phones, computers or any gadget with internet connection. The health crisis hotline helps one to seek help any time. Some application even allows individuals to track mental health symptoms while interacting with a PMHNP via texts or FaceTime.
Successful Federal Investments
When U.S. House of Representatives decided to pass spending package in 2022, better mental health management became evident. The package consisted of $2.14 billion allocated to the National Institute for Mental Health, $101.6 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and over $100 million for mental health professionals.
The federal investment has improved the provisions of services, regulation of the healthcare providers system, and upholding of consumer rights. The investment also improved research labs and hospital conditions. Ultimately, more resources are now deployed in the communities and better results are evident.
Conclusion
The United State’s government continues to improve the mental health infrastructure, creating more opportunities for PMHNPs. With a growing population, one can only imagine that the government will continue to invest in mental health space, continuously recruiting the required manpower.