An Analysis of Gaps in Social Health Care for Mental Illness Patients

This report examines the gaps in social health care, particularly focusing on the care provided to individuals suffering from chronic mental illnesses. The report highlights the need for a comprehensive approach, as outlined by the World Health Organization, and emphasizes the importance of addressing gaps in care. The analysis points out the lack of a continuum of care and the need for better professional collaboration, specifically between social workers, psychologists, and counselors. Furthermore, the report explores how environmental stressors, such as poverty and natural disasters, can exacerbate mental illnesses and hinder treatment efficacy. The psychological and physical effects of these stressors impact the optimal environment needed for patient care. References include key publications that support these arguments.

Running head: GAPS IN SOCIAL HEALTH CARE 1
Gaps in Social Care
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Gaps in Social Care
There are gaps in the care provided to individuals suffering from chronic mental illnesses.
According to the regulations and mental health management system outlined by WHO, there is
need for a comprehensive approach to address the gaps in care for mental illness (World Health
Organization, 2004). As outlined in the Parkers case, some of the major gaps in social work
practice for the individuals suffering from mental illness is lack of continuum of care and lack of
professional collaboration (Plummer, Makris & Brocksen, 2014). The social workers in most
cases are confined to control the environment of care at the hospitals and control the impacts of
the environment to the various care interventions given to the patient. When the patients leave
the facilities of care and return home, they get exposed to similar condition and circumstances
that triggered their mental illnesses initially. There is need for social workers to work closely
with other healthcare professionals like psychologists and counselors to improve quality of care
as it has a great potential to improve health outcomes (Popple & Leighninger, 2019).
Environmental stressors like poverty and natural disasters aggravate and make the
treatment of mental illness quite difficult. The unfavorable environmental conditions affect the
wellbeing of an individual. Although mental cases are associated with other genetic components,
when the environmental aspects get involved the manifestation of the mental illness gets
enhanced. Further, the environmental stressor can aggravate the mental illness and affect the
efficacy of treatment therapy (Popple & Leighninger, 2019). The psychological effect and the
physical effects of the environmental stressors affect the optimum and desirable environment
required for the mentally ill patients as a form of treatment.

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References
Plummer, S. -B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. (Eds.). (2014). Sessions: Case histories. Baltimore:
MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].
Popple, P. R., & Leighninger, L. (2019). The policy-based profession: An introduction to social
welfare policy analysis for social workers (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
Education.
World Health Organization. (2004). Mental health policy and service guidance package: Mental
health policy, plans and programmes. Retrieved from
http://www.who.int/mental_health/policy/en/policy_plans_revision.pdf