Indisputably, mental illnesses are almost in every society and can affect any person irrespective of age, gender, or income group. These diseases have profound impacts on social, economic, and cultural life, and are highly prevalent throughout the world (Vanderplasschen et al., 2013). According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness statistics, the population of adults in Americans with mental illness approximates to 61.5 million in any given year (Reserved, 2016). Mental illness disrupts the normal feelings and thinking, resulting in reduced individual capacity to cope with normal life. Some of the fatal mental illnesses are post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) (Le Boutillier et al., 2015).
Developmental disability is another form of mental illness. People with this form of disabilities are not embraced or considered as part of the community. They are considered as strangers and in most cases they are discriminated against (Chu, 2015). Developmental disabilities expose people to many forms of challenges. The worst of all challenges that people with these disabilities face which in most cases is regarded as unnecessary is discrimination in the workplace. In California, the rate of employment for people with disabilities and those without is very different (Gavett n.d). Developmentally disabled persons are usually hired on subcontracts where they work far from the common workplaces, and they mostly find themselves on the outskirts (Gavett, n.d).
Recovery from mental illness is possible through various forms of treatments. Some of the common forms of treatments include medication treatment, psychological therapy, and interpersonal therapy. Some programs in the community also provide useful services that facilitate recovery. Mental illnesses can have severe impacts on the society if effective measures are not taken to manage them. This paper will provide a professional definition of mental health recovery, discuss one of the main areas of interest under Wellness and Recovery, and present an actualization of mental health recovery and philosophy by a typical practitioner.
Definition and philosophy of mental health recovery
Ordinarily, health entails the completeness of the general well-being of an individual. It represents the entirety of a person’s mental, physical, as well as social well-being and not necessarily the non-existence of disease. Recovery entails the process of restoration of normality after a period of abnormal experience. Mental health recovery is a multidimensional idea that embodies all processes and transformations that lead to healing and enable a person to live a joyous, satisfactory, and contributory life despite the limitations of mental illness.
People with mental health issues tend to make choices that give direction to the recovery process because they lead and determine their way to recovery. Thus, mental health recovery can be viewed as person- centered since the ability to realize full potentiality relies solely on individual choices. The power that people experiencing mental illness have concerning their care and responsibility is strong evidence to support the argument that recovery is person-centered. Also, mental health recovery is based on person’s strengths, the ability to cope with life systems, and resiliencies. Different people with mental illness have varying views concerning their power to recover. Additionally, their potential to cope with life differs depending on the level of illness and individual perceptions of their health status.
The recovery power of persons with mental illness in any society largely depends on how the society takes them. These people will easily cope with life and realize their potential to live contributory and joyous life if the society takes them positively. They deserve peer support, appreciation, and societal acceptance. Also, they should be encouraged, respected, and allowed to participate in all activities of the society, rather than being marginalized and rejected. Positive perceptions and acceptance give them hope to pursue personal ambitions in life which raise their level of satisfaction and ability to make positive contributions to the society.
An Area of Wellness and Recovery
This section will involve a selected area of wellness and recovery. The section will discuss on the challenges facing the inclusion of people with mental disability in the society.
Several strategies have been adopted to manage mental illness and promote health recovery. Upholding wellness is one of the main goals of every society. The use of a particular strategy in managing mental illness depends on its effectiveness. Successful recovery from mental illness and implementation of strategies face various setbacks from different agents within the society. The consequences of inefficiencies of strategic approaches to recovery include increased costs of health care, deaths, low self-esteem among the victims and their families, and ultimate high-cost burden to the governments and families (Le Boutillier et al., 2015). Some of the drawbacks to achieving wellness and recovery are discussed below
In California, people with disabilities face very high levels of discrimination particularly on matters of employment (Chu, 2015). Developmentally disabled people rarely get their applications considered especially those with Down syndrome. This constitutes a fundamental drawback to the implementation of programs designed to manage mental illness. However, few people in the economy support the philosophy that inclusion of people with mental disabilities is right (Dahlquist, 2010). These people tend to present the plights of mentally disabled people to the relevant authorities for considerations.
The inclusion of people with mental disabilities in the society has significant contributions to rate of recovery. Mental wellness and recovery from mental illness have strong correlation with societal perceptions of people with mental disabilities and their treatment. Mentally disabled people face severe social exclusion in most societies. In California, people with developmental disabilities are socially excluded and treated as ‘different’ (Services, 2013). Mentally disabled people in America are excluded from those without disabilities in workplaces; the mentally disabled people often get low standard jobs in the outskirts (Services, 2013). Due to social exclusion, people with mental disabilities tend to develop negative perceptions regarding their ability to recover. The recovery from mental illness requires peer support, appreciation, and societal acceptance. Therefore, any form of exclusion will cripple the effectiveness of the approach used to foster mental wellness and recovery.
Adoption and implementation of strategies for management of illness is a political process in some countries. Decision making concerning allocation of funds involves bureaucratic and complicated procedures with lengthy consultations (Isett et al., 2007). Most governments do not support or collaborate with agencies which are concerned with employment of mentally disabled people. On the same note, business owners refrain from generation of opportunities to help people with mental disabilities. Besides, the formulation of special programs for training and rehabilitation of mentally ill persons is not effective in most countries due to political disagreements. The training of practitioners such as mental therapists and psychologists is poor due to lack of resources and relevant technology which limit the number of people who want to join the training (Goldman, 2007). In some countries, governments do not have special opportunities for people with mental illness. As a result, these people do not acquire basic training which denies them opportunities to exploit their potential. Thus, they lack the opportunity to live satisfactory and contributory life, leading to a very low rate of recovery.
Community-based programs and peer support have a significant role in the full realization of recovery and wellness. People with mental illness deserve appreciation and integration to make them feel like part of the community. However, in many societies, mentally ill people are socially excluded. It has been estimated that more than 350,000 people who are mentally ill end up in jail in the United States (FACT SHEET 2013).
According to the philosophy presented to support the imprisonment of people with disabilities, better health care can be offered while in prisons. In Ohio, it is argued that the healthcare in prison for people with mental illness is more effective (Gavett n.d). In Los Angeles, more force is used when handling mentally disabled people. According to Gavett , some propose the protection of those without mental disabilities against the violence caused by those who are mentally ill (Gavett n.d). These actions of mistreatments inflict high stigma on people with mental illness. Due to high stigmatization, these people tend to lose confidence in their ability to recover (Mueser et al., 2002). They become hopeless and begin to segregate themselves from other members of society.
The segregation of people with mental disabilities poses a serious problem to the development of the society. Segregation results in disappointments and loss of sensory stimulus on these people. They feel deserted and believe that the society is punishing them because of their illness. Thus, any effort to rehabilitate them fails since the community has not prepared them to embrace positive changes. Thus, the approach used is rendered inefficient.
The psychological barriers entail the resistance to recovery due to perceived stigma. Recovery from mental illness is individualized. As such, personal perceptions regarding the ability to recover help to improve the efficiency of the strategy. Unfortunately, there is a poor perception among the patients of mental illness concerning their capacity to recover in most countries (Anthony, 1993). Most people with mental illness have poor perception of their capacity to attain higher social status. They believe that their illness is permanent and often engage themselves in drugs and substance abuse.
According to recent studies, there is positive relationship between mental illness and drug abuse (FACT SHEET 2013). People with mental disabilities experience depression due to discrimination and stigmatization. As such they resort to drug use which they believe is a form of medication. Recent studies revealed that abuse of alcohol tends to deteriorate the conditions of mental illness (FACT SHEET 2013). Also, the habilitation of people who have abused alcohol is complicated due to the difficulties in withdrawing from the substance. Additionally, drug abuse tends to complicate the diagnosis and application of wellness and recovery plans to people with mental illness (Dual diagnosis 2013).
In most cases, these people have complicated treatment programs which worsen the conditions and result to pre mature deaths. Patients should lead and initiate the recovery process. They must have a positive attitude toward the ability to make positive contributions to the society and living a joyous life. High level of discrimination against people with mental illness contributes significantly to low self-esteem and prompts them to abuse drugs. Patients believe that their illnesses are permanent, and there are no chances of recovering. Thus, they tend to live negative lives with high perceived stigma and low self-esteem (Corrigan and Matthews, 2003). Therefore, efficient strategies must take into account the relationship between people experiencing mental illness and other members of the community. Peer support strategy is appropriate for enhancing interaction with mentally ill persons which promotes their feeling of appreciation.
Actualizing mental health recovery philosophy as a practitioner
Recovery from mental illness is a process and is highly facilitated by the persons with illness. Social problems such as stigma, rejection, and discrimination hinder effective implementation of strategies adopted to address the problems of mental illness in the society. High level of discrimination affects the relationship between patients and practitioners. Some practitioners discriminate patients with a particular form of illness by failing to attend to them. According to Buckley-Walker et al., patients play an important role in rehabilitation process (Buckley-Walker et al., 2012). He found that active participation of patients in psychological and interpersonal therapies improved the rate of recovery. Thornton and Lucas added that an approach that is centered on patients is best since it is based on their goals and needs (Thornton and Lucas, 2011).
An efficient practitioner should have the capacity to adapt to varying situations that require different levels of attention. Mental health practitioners need to cooperate with others at national and international levels with the ultimate goal of making recovery more efficient and realistic. They should relate well with other members of staff in their institutions to foster efficiency in the delivery of services. The articulation of the recovery philosophy should portray the capability and devotedness of a practitioner in actualizing it. Thus, as a mental health practitioner, I will ensure that strong personal and interpersonal relationship is cultivated and maintained in my workplace.
Understanding the complexities of mental health is an essential aid to the analysis of techniques required in different situations. According to Chu, practitioners should understand that the treatment of people with mental disabilities is complicated, hence need to be handled with total concern (Chu, 2015). Thus, as a medical practitioner I will emphasize the importance of addressing circumstances that may threaten the society with mental illness. Also I will encourage more research to help in the analysis of the approaches used to determine the best approach that will effectively facilitate recovery.
Assisting people to withdraw from the abuse of alcohol and other substances is not easy. Therefore, as a mental health practitioner, I must ensure that better understanding of the outcomes of every approach used is instilled on the rest of staff members. Also, I will advocate for the use of most appropriate treatment methods that have been proven scientifically to lead to mental health recovery. According to scientific studies, psychiatric treatments result in quick recovery among people who are not addicts of drugs. Several methods of restoring sobriety have been developed and scientifically tested. Disulfiram and acamprosate are some of the most effective forms of medication used to restore and maintain sobriety among alcohol users (FACT SHEET 2013) .Therefore, before deciding on the approach to use, I will be making sure that category to which each practitioner belong is well understood to ensure that each is assigned to the case they can handle best.
Recovery requires total cooperation with all staff member. Also, it calls for an open relationship and collaboration with patients and their families. Open relationship is one of the most useful ways of providing empathetic support to people with mental disabilities. Good moral support helps to maintain sobriety among people and keep them far from alcohol abuse. According to Dahlquist, most of people with mental illness tend to refrain from the abuse of drugs if they are morally supported (Dahlquist, 2010). They become more actively involved in their recovery process. Thus, as a practitioner, I will relate with people with mental illness as peers and other staff members as co-workers. Moreover, I will integrate the families of people with mental disabilities in the recovery plans to help the patients in their participation towards recovery. This helps to reduce the perceived stigma on the part of patients and improve working experience as a future practitioner.
Engaging the patients in the formulation of recovery plans makes them feel comfortable to share information that helps in making decisions regarding the approach to use in guiding them through the recovery. Therefore, as a practitioner, I will incorporate patients in the formulation of recovery plan since it helps to empower them and increase their determination in recovering. Good personal and interpersonal relationships are fundamental to success in any working organization. As such, a person with a dream of becoming an excellent future medical practitioner must relate well all people in the organization. Besides, good relationship with other organizations outside the workplace is equally important because recovery is a process that involves more than just the patient and practitioner. Other organizations such as rehabilitation centers are important to facilitate the realization of successful recovery. Thus, as a practitioner I will foster a perfect relationship with all stakeholders in my organization. A good working relationship is reflected through the success of the practitioner in promoting wellness and transforming people’s lives through recovery.
Adherence to one’s philosophy implies the recognition of self- confidence in actualizing health recovery. Therefore, as a mental health practitioner, I will ensure that my philosophy has an influence on other staff members and work group to make them develop an urge to imitate and to be identified with successful and transformative practitioners. Besides, my strong recovery philosophy will help in the growth of individual’s capacity to incorporate more sophisticated facilities and techniques in executing my duties as a practitioner.
Inadequate exposure results in poor performance and low output. Individuals who lack exposure are less experienced, and their output tends to be low. As a result, they gradually lose interest in work, resulting in professional burnout. According to Thornton and Lucas (2011), skillful analysis of mental disorders helps a practitioner to develop the capacity to deal with different forms of mental illness and execute successful recovery. Thus, as a mental health practitioner, I will use my analytical skills and encourage other staff members to develop more interest in their work to avoid professional burnout. Also, I will try to maintain my mental wellness by avoiding circumstances that can lead to compromise of mental health.
Outstanding recovery philosophy enhances the growth of person’s reputation which ensures continuous assignments of jobs to the person. As a result of continuous exposure to the same work, a person becomes more experienced and interested in work. Therefore, as a practitioner, I will adhere to my recovery philosophy in executing my duties. This will enable me to retain my position and help to reduce the risk of professional burnout. Strong recovery philosophy does not guarantee full protection from the risk of burnout since other staff members and practitioners from other institutions will work very hard to become even more reputable. Thus, there is the need to put more efforts to eliminate the little risk of burnout.
Conclusion
Mental illnesses are prevalent in the modern society. People with mental illness require particular attention for promoting recovery. The treatments for mental illnesses are varied depending on the nature and the extent of illness. The effectiveness of the strategies used to achieve mental health recovery can be indicated by the number of successful recoveries executed through the strategy. Many factors tend to challenge the utilization of a particular strategy to the restoration of mental health. Therefore, more research is needed to evaluate and set appropriate criteria for adopting the strategies. Actualizing mental health recovery philosophy is important in developing one’s reputation and reducing exposure to professional burnout. Also, it enhances personal excellence in career and transformation of the society through health recovery.
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