The Day Mental Health Is As Accessible As General Practice

19 January 2024 The Day Mental Health Is As Accessible As General Practice Chronically The Patient Empowerment Newsletter Roi Shternin The day m

19 January 2024 The Day Mental Health Is As Accessible As General Practice Chronically The Patient Empowerment Newsletter

Roi Shternin

The day mental health is as accessible as going to any general practitioner's office for routine care - that day can't come soon enough.

Right now, those seeking mental health services face stigma, lack of providers, insurance barriers, high costs, and a system designed around crises and institutions - not human needs. But we should envision and demand better. What would accessible, holistic, patient-centered mental healthcare look like?

The day we no longer have to fight for basic care and understanding. Mental health will be treated with equal urgency as physical health. Public education campaigns led by people with lived experience will share stories to break down stigma. Policy changes will enforce mental health parity in coverage and access. Licensing boards will require integrative training so all providers view mind and body as connected.

The day we can call and make an appointment right away, without jumping through hoops or waiting weeks. Clinics will expand capacity and staffing to match demand, hire more therapists and psychiatrists, extend hours, offer virtual therapy, and reducing no-shows. Treatment will be available when we need it most.

The day therapists and psychiatrists will work side-by-side in true collaboration. They will share offices to enable warm hand-offs between specialties, consult to develop unified treatment plans, and meet regularly to coordinate care on an interdisciplinary team. Records will be integrated, not siloed.

The day services are offered in our communities - schools, libraries, YMCAs, trusted gathering spaces we already frequent. Care decentralized from clinical offices into our daily lives, no more taking time off work and arranging childcare just for an appointment.

The day all providers see our full humanity, not just symptoms. Visits will begin with questions like "What streng