Let's Talk About Mental Health Solutions

This is hopefully the first of a series of interactive posts, so please jump in with your input and comments.

We live in a society where, unfortunately, mental illnesses and disorders are viewed quite differently than physical disorders of any kind. We have made great strides over the last 2 decades or so in our treatment of, and accommodation of, those with physical ailments and disorders. Those suffering from an incapacitating physical disability or ailment deserve as much as society can do for them. But recognition of, accommodations for, and treatment options for those suffering from mental illness or disorder seems to be lagging way behind. This is what we’ll be discussing in this, and upcoming, posts.

Case 1:
In the past I’ve written frequently about my 22 year old bipolar son Kyle. Kyle is not receiving aid of any kind. None. Public assistance, private charitable assistance, he receives nothing. We have tried, MANY times, to get him some assistance. Now to be fair, he has not followed up on certain open doors, but this is part of the problem. It has to be anticipated that someone with a mental disorder won’t be able to follow up. For example, my wife has spent countless hours taking him from one agency to another. From one office to another. “Oh we can’t help him here, but go to the next building, and talk to them.” Another wait in a long line to find out they couldn’t help either. When we finally get to someone who might possibly be able to help and set an appointment Kyle is so frustrated and feels like such an outcast he won’t keep the appointment. And he is absolutely not alone. There are countless people out there that couldn’t begin to work their way unguided through the assistance labyrinth.

Solution 1:
One stop assistance, and instant case workers. You state your high-level assistance need at a single desk, and a case worker is assigned. The case worker may be a public employee, or provided by a charitable organization. But this person is knowledgeable about the system, and about sources of assistance, public and private. This person has a workload such that they can adequately work with those that have fallen through the cracks for lack of personal attention. Yes, it would require thousands of additional case workers, but in the US how many case workers could we hire for the cost of a single hour of war? Please don’t take this as an editorial comment, it is just an observation. When the proper level of attention and assistance is determined and a plan in place, they can drop into a maintenance mode that requires only routine maintenance and follow-up as we have currently in today’s society.

Case 2:
Compared to Kyle and many others with bipolar disorder my life is good. Through diligent treatment, educational goals, and significant effort I have been able to harness some of the attributes associated with bipolar disorder and move to a higher level. But this leaves me in a precarious position. I have much farther to fall, and I fear a fall is imminent at some point. I am like many of you out there. Worked very hard, and have achieved some career success and advancement. I am nowhere close to being “a success,