Federal Government Funding on Mental Health Sector

Federal Government Funding on Mental Health Sector

Mental health support has been left out in most of the government funding periods. The society has been giving attention to people with physical disabilities at the expense of people with less physical disabilities. The challenge that faces the mental health system is the lack of enough information to convince the federal government to release more funds to support the system. Mentally ill individuals may not realize their condition at the initial stages when proper treatment can be given. Also, the few individuals who are noticed to have mental problems are at advanced stages of the condition. The health sector has been left under the management of the state governments with little intervention from the federal government. The intervention by the federal government happens in terms of funding and passing of regulations that affect all the states. The federal government should increase the funding for the mental health sector to improve the effectiveness of service delivery to people affected by mental illnesses.

The mental health sector requires extensive research, which further requires more funding. The funding of the National Mental Health Institute has declined by over ten percent in recent years. The decline in the funding system has led to a decline in the number of funded studies concerning the mental health issue. With the increase in the numbers of people with mental health issues, research concerning the causal factors and the relevant recommendations should be intensive. However, the funding of research is left entirely to a sector that is not sufficiently funded. The chief financier of the mental health sector is the federal government, and thus essential activities such as funding research depend on the funding given by the government. Also, the bodies tasked with carrying out the research need to meet a well-prepared audience that will cooperate to give the desired information.

The sensitization of the public in preparation for the intensive study requires further funding (Crowley, Ryan and Neil, p.300). The government also needs to know the number of Americans currently with mental problems or are at risk of getting mental disorders. The information required by the government can only be obtained with well-organized research, which means that the government has to pay more to improve the efficiency of budgeting. The increase in funding will ensure that the mental health department is well prepared to deal with the mental health issue. The preparation by the mental health department will involve intensive research, adequate infrastructure, adequate health care services as well as improving the quality of services provided. Therefore, the federal government should seek to increase the funding directed to the mental health sector.

Mentally ill people require special treatment into getting back into their normal mental health. Mental illnesses tend to leave individuals either unable to speak about their conditions or feeling ashamed into keeping silent about the condition. The mental health needs to extend the services of mental health care to the affected individuals. The extension should involve the people who are at advanced levels and cannot freely express their problems (Clement, p.28). Also, society should be sensitized concerning the need for being aware of individual mental health condition for early treatment in case individuals are already affected. The factors that lead to mental health problems tend to be social and thus the mental health is required to provide education to the entire society concerning the need to desist from activities that may lead to mental health problems. The process of treating mentally ill individuals requires special facilities that include the establishment of special hospitals for dealing specifically with mental issues. The establishment of individual hospitals is also accompanied by the provision of unique facilities and equipment that will aid in the treatment process of the patients. The treatment could require more personnel since handling individuals with mental problems could be problematic. Also, the personnel dealing with mentally-ill individuals need to be assured of their safety since the reasoning ability of mentally ill individuals is always questionable. Some factors that cause mental problems could require that the patients undergo rehabilitation programs. For example, if the cause of the mental problem is drug abuse, the individuals could need to be helped out of the drug addiction before starting the treatment process. All the activities surrounding special treatment of the mentally ill individuals require that the government increases the funding on the mental health sector to improve the quality of special treatment given.

In sum, the mental health sector requires additional funding from the government for effective operation. The fact that the mental health sector needs to do extensive research requires that the government invests more on the department to support the research process. Also, the mental health sector requires setting adequate facilities to deliver special treatment to individuals suffering from mental illnesses. The chief financier of the mental health sector is the government and should, therefore, take responsibility for the additional financial requirement. Generally, the federal government should increase the funding being allocated to the mental health sector for efficient operations.