Mental Health Essay

This essay discusses three major aspects of mental health: Healthy People 2020, physical and mental health, and trauma informed care for children.

Running head: MENTAL HEALTH ESSAY
Mental health essay
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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MENTAL HEALTH ESSAY
Introduction:
Mental health is a very important aspect of the health care delivery scenario and it
addresses a varied range of mental health issues among the society (A-tjak et al., 2015). This
essay will discuss three major aspects in three sections, healthy people 2020 mental health,
physical and mental health, and trauma informed care for children.
Section 1:
Healthy people 2020 is a government health initiative which aims at achieving a few pre-
determined health improvement and promotional goals (Healthypeople.gov , 2018). One very
important division of this program is mental health and mental disorders which focuses on
addressing a few key Mental Health issues that the different communities within the United
States are facing and proposing and incremental interventions to address these issues in a
sustainable manner. The chosen community for this project is Kansas, where two most important
health issues have been high suicide rate and prevalent depressive disorder among adolescents.
Suicide is one of the most major causes of death in Kansas and it is extremely high among the
youth (Levenson, Willis & Prescott, 2016). Recent statistical survey reports suggest that the rate
of suicide among the young people in the community has increased by a 56% in the last two
decades. The healthy people 2020 describe reducing the suicide rate as the first mental health
improvement to goal the focus of the production is on adolescence and young adults. Similarity
major depressive disorders answer by common among the adolescence residing in Kansas City.
According to the statistical data close to 16% of The Young mothers and adolescence have been
diagnosed with major depressive disorder in the Kansas City (kdheks.gov , 2018). Hence, the
second mental health goal also addresses this particular issue by reducing occurrence of major
depressive disorder among the adolescents and the young adults. However, as a community

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nurse there are a lot of opportunities to address the issues with great details. As a community
nurse health promotion and awareness campaigns, Along with, one to one counseling sessions
and workshops with pamphlets can also help raise awareness and help the people recognize the
symptoms and find help.
Section 2:
The concept of mental and Physical health is closely correlated. As a sound and healthy
physical condition is imperative to have a healthy psychology, similarly without optimal mental
health it is almost impossible for an individual to be optimally physically healthy. It has to be
mentioned that for a physical illness whether it is an acute or chronic disorder or something
which is more long-term the impact of the struggle associated with the disease affects the mental
or psychological health of the individual. There is a mounting evidence that suggests at the fact
that there is a direct or indirect correlation of past mental health on the present Physical health of
an individual and similarly past Physical health on the present mental health of an individual.
xploring further, for instance the example of a patient suffering with severe depression can be
taken. Depression is a very common mental illness which affects the lifestyle choices living
condition thought process and modes of an individual. Depending on the degree of severity
depression can cause extreme negativity lack of self-worth hopelessness in an individual which
in turn can lead to lack of self-care activities for the victim. Hence it can easily lead to
deteriorating Physical health due to lack of proper eating behavior, self-care deficit and even
self-harming tendencies. Similarly foreign individual that has been suffering from chronic
disorder such as obesity, the long term impact of the disease can alter the psychology of an
individual leading to impact mental health. Moderately obese individuals often suffer from

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social isolation bullying harassment and body image acceptance issues. Search insurance can
affect some mental health and lead to mental issues such as depression anxiety and even
psychosis (Ohrnberger, Fichera & Sutton, 2017).
Section 3:
Trauma is a very important contributing factor that leads to a variety of different mental
health issues affecting all age groups. Although the lasting impact of drama is most substantial
in the children due to their sensitive and height impressionable mind which makes an extremely
vulnerable to the notorious impact of any trauma. Trauma informed care is a division of mental
health care practices which focuses on addressing the negative impact of trauma on a child and
addressing the possible mental health issues with the recovery oriented approach. The drama
informed care is a very substantial program of the substance abuse and mental health services
administration of USA which is also known as SAMHSA (Samhsa.gov, 2018). The trauma
informed care in this case focuses on two integral elements from an informed approach and
trauma specific interventions. This service program focuses on realizing the widespread impact
of trauma, recognizing the signs and symptoms of the trauma in the child, and responding by
fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies procedures and practices. There are six
key principles of a trauma informed approach, and while integrating these principles a child
suffering from trauma can be successfully cared for. First and foremost trauma informed
approach helps restaurant the safety of the children, especially for children facing trauma in
family by either placing them in a trusted foster family or keeping them in the care homes. The
next principal is trustworthiness and transparency which helps in gaining the trust of the child so
that he or she can fearlessly participate in the recovery program. The next principle is peer

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support and IV principal is collaboration in mutuality where the support network of the child in
the form of family and friends can participate in the recovery program that help the child reach
the recovery goals successfully. The last two principles are empowerment and culture which
corresponds to empowering the voices and choices of the child in the recovery program and
respecting the cultural background of the child into the process (Muskett, 2014).
Conclusion:
On a concluding note, this essay discusses the issue of mental health in three specific
domains. The healthy people 2020, physical and mental health, and trauma informed care has
been discussed in detail in essay and the knowledge gained in my future practice.

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References:
A-tjak, J. G., Davis, M. L., Morina, N., Powers, M. B., Smits, J. A., & Emmelkamp, P. M.
(2015). A meta-analysis of the efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy for
clinically relevant mental and physical health problems. Psychotherapy and
Psychosomatics, 84(1), 30-36.
Healthypeople.gov (2018). Mental Health and Mental Disorders | Healthy People 2020.
[Online] Retrieved from
https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/mental-health-and-mental-
disorders/objectives
kdheks.gov (2018). Depression and Anxiety. [Online] Retrieved from
http://www.kdheks.gov/brfss/PDF/2011_Kansas_Depression_and_Anxiety_Status.pdf
kdheks.gov (2018). Suicide In Kansas. [Online] Retrieved from
http://www.kdheks.gov/idp/download/Suicide_Report.pdf
Levenson, J. S., Willis, G. M., & Prescott, D. S. (2016). Adverse childhood experiences in the
lives of male sex offenders: Implications for trauma-informed care. Sexual Abuse, 28(4),
340-359.
Muskett, C. (2014). Trauma‐informed care in inpatient mental health settings: A review of the
literature. International journal of mental health nursing, 23(1), 51-59.
Ohrnberger, J., Fichera, E., & Sutton, M. (2017). The relationship between physical and mental
health: A mediation analysis. Social Science & Medicine, 195, 42-49.

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Samhsa.gov (2018). Trauma-Informed Approach and Trauma-Specific Interventions | SAMHSA
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. [Online] Retrieved from
https://www.samhsa.gov/nctic/trauma-interventions