Posted on Jan 26, 2016
Here’s Why Mental Health Care Is A Real Issue In This Presidential Campaign
2.26K
9
4
2
2
0
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) jumped at a chance to talk about mental health care during a presidential town hall event in Iowa hosted by CNN on Monday.
“Mental health should be treated as part of health care, and should be available to all people,” he said.
“Mental health should be treated as part of health care, and should be available to all people,” he said.
Here’s Why Mental Health Care Is A Real Issue In This Presidential Campaign
Posted from huffingtonpost.com
Mental Health
Bernie Sanders
Politics
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 3
2
2
0
Without reading the article, my first impression is that it must be relating to the fact that so many of the candidates seem to be nutters.
Okay, now I've read the article. Yes, the issue needs to be addressed. Not as Democrats would have it. It seems to me that they're only saying what voters want to hear to win elections (isn't that what they always do?) Nor as the Republicans would have it (maybe not at all).
Let me tell you a story about one enlightened employer... Bill Coors (yes, that Bill Coors) suffered a major work stoppage when an employee sabotaged the bottling line one day. Before showing him the door, Bill had the now ex-employee to his office and asked him why he did it. The man replied sheepishly that he wasn't certain. He and his wife had been having marital problems and things just were overwhelming him.
Bill then signed a contract with a mental health group to provide counseling and care for his employees. If an employee or a family member was having any trouble (addiction, depression, marital, whatever) they could go to the group for evaluation. If the mental health specialist felt they could help, the person was taken into their facility for extensive counseling and treatment. In the case of marital problems, each partner went in separately for 3-weeks to work on their personal issues, then were treated as a couple in outpatient therapy until the issues were resolved or the couple separated. The employees were not charged any fee or docked any pay for lost time.
Helluva system, don't you think? Ultimately, Bill Coors figured that he was saving money and building his relationship with his employees. I think he was right, don't you?
No government involved. Truthfully, I wouldn't want the government mandating such a system. That's something that employers and employees have to work out for themselves. Whenever government gets involved, political favors will be called in by one side or the other (or both) and the resolution will not reflect what is best for anyone (especially the taxpayers).
Okay, now I've read the article. Yes, the issue needs to be addressed. Not as Democrats would have it. It seems to me that they're only saying what voters want to hear to win elections (isn't that what they always do?) Nor as the Republicans would have it (maybe not at all).
Let me tell you a story about one enlightened employer... Bill Coors (yes, that Bill Coors) suffered a major work stoppage when an employee sabotaged the bottling line one day. Before showing him the door, Bill had the now ex-employee to his office and asked him why he did it. The man replied sheepishly that he wasn't certain. He and his wife had been having marital problems and things just were overwhelming him.
Bill then signed a contract with a mental health group to provide counseling and care for his employees. If an employee or a family member was having any trouble (addiction, depression, marital, whatever) they could go to the group for evaluation. If the mental health specialist felt they could help, the person was taken into their facility for extensive counseling and treatment. In the case of marital problems, each partner went in separately for 3-weeks to work on their personal issues, then were treated as a couple in outpatient therapy until the issues were resolved or the couple separated. The employees were not charged any fee or docked any pay for lost time.
Helluva system, don't you think? Ultimately, Bill Coors figured that he was saving money and building his relationship with his employees. I think he was right, don't you?
No government involved. Truthfully, I wouldn't want the government mandating such a system. That's something that employers and employees have to work out for themselves. Whenever government gets involved, political favors will be called in by one side or the other (or both) and the resolution will not reflect what is best for anyone (especially the taxpayers).
(2)
(0)
2
2
0
I am not a fan of Bernie..... BUT in this case, he speaks a truth. HOWEVER, with that being said, just stating the truth without coming to the table with a potential solution (for me) is just whining..... The issue is broad spectrum and very convoluted and there is no easy fix...here are some of the issues:
1. Not enough Mental Health Providers for the number of people needing their services.
2. Family Practice providers are not trained in detail in diagnosing many of the mental health issues and are not comfortable in INITIATING treatment.... if the patient is started on meds by MH, they will continue it most of the time, as long as the patient has MH follow up visits to ensure all is right.
3. Mental Health on the civilian side and mental health on the military side....same creature, but at the same time, VERY different. Warriors are often reluctant to talk to people about what they have seen/done to people that are not also fellow warriors..... we have done stuff that can't be understood by those that have never been exposed.
4. (PERSONAL OPINION): too many times, parents/people are too willing to throw a mental health diagnosis on someone then give them meds..... get the damn kids off the TV, Game System, Couch....get them outside. Use their creativity to play, burn off extra energy..... ADHD was much less when I was growing up....but since computers, videogame systems, and TV (beyond the PBS and big 3), rates of ADD/ADHD seem to be going up....
This is a difficult issue....not easy to understand, not easy to embrace, and not easy to correct. He is right... Mental Health should be treated as part of Health care.... and exactly HOW is he going to do it?? Add providers? Expand training for current family practice providers? de-list add/adhd from the mental health spectrum?
1. Not enough Mental Health Providers for the number of people needing their services.
2. Family Practice providers are not trained in detail in diagnosing many of the mental health issues and are not comfortable in INITIATING treatment.... if the patient is started on meds by MH, they will continue it most of the time, as long as the patient has MH follow up visits to ensure all is right.
3. Mental Health on the civilian side and mental health on the military side....same creature, but at the same time, VERY different. Warriors are often reluctant to talk to people about what they have seen/done to people that are not also fellow warriors..... we have done stuff that can't be understood by those that have never been exposed.
4. (PERSONAL OPINION): too many times, parents/people are too willing to throw a mental health diagnosis on someone then give them meds..... get the damn kids off the TV, Game System, Couch....get them outside. Use their creativity to play, burn off extra energy..... ADHD was much less when I was growing up....but since computers, videogame systems, and TV (beyond the PBS and big 3), rates of ADD/ADHD seem to be going up....
This is a difficult issue....not easy to understand, not easy to embrace, and not easy to correct. He is right... Mental Health should be treated as part of Health care.... and exactly HOW is he going to do it?? Add providers? Expand training for current family practice providers? de-list add/adhd from the mental health spectrum?
(2)
(0)
SGT Jeremiah B.
I actually thinks he proposes the solution - "should be treated as part of health care." In other words, it needs to be something covered by standard insurance like a physical therapist or chiropractor. Of course, how you get to that outcome is all politics.
(1)
(0)
2
2
0
I agree, SGT (Join to see). The system needs to be fixed. Many of the nut jobs who go on shooting sprees prove this point. The question is, how do we fix it?
(2)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google