True to my roots

Challenge Day 8 - If you don't already know, go here for an explanation of what this challenge is and why I'm doing it. This whole thing will make a lot more sense if you do.

On a side note, I have been to a doctor to find out that my coughing is "bronchitis" and have been prescribed antibiotics and codeine cough syrup. Hopefully these things help, because I'm pretty sure I've bruised all of my ribs. Coughing hurts so much!

Video of the day - Vikram Patel: Mental health for all by involving all. Click this link to see the video. (http://www.ted.com/talks/vikram_patel_mental_health_for_all_by_involving_all.html)

Thumbnail quote - "We need to deliver [mental] health care using whoever is available and affordable in our local communities.” (Vikram Patel)

Why I chose this video - I'm sticking to what I know on this one. If you aren't aware, I'm a nurse and I work in a critical care setting of a hospital close to our downtown core, so mental health issues are something I deal with every day. Be it addiction, depression, personality disorders, cognitive delay, psychotic disorders, or any combination of the above, we get it all up on our unit. They are just part of our day-to-day.
It makes me really sad to see the number of people who we fight tooth and nail to save their bodies, but their mental health is so neglected because you can't physically see it. What many people fail to realize is that even the "serious" disorders like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder can be stabilized and managed fairly well with early and consistent intervention.
There are few of us who don't know somebody who technically has mental health issues - tack on autism spectrum disorders, learning disabilities or delays, turrets, and anxiety disorders to the list above, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't know somebody who meets the criteria. So in truth, it affects us all.

Summary - Vikram Patel is a psychiatrist from India who has studied the delivery (or lack thereof) of mental health care around the world. An estimated 400-500 million people live with mental illness. We know, from many studies, that treatment with medication, psychological and social interventions are incredibly effective. And yet, up to 90% of persons with mental health issues go without treatment, for a multitude of reasons. Beyond that, those with mental illness have to fight against the prejudices and discriminations of people who simply do not understand. What a battle they fight.
One of the biggest reasons for the gap in treatment is due to a huge shortage of trained mental health workers. Something that he points out is that people with mental illness/disorders live significantly shorter lives, up to twenty years less in developed countries and even more in developing areas of the world.
Vikram launched a study to research whether or not the people who are available - community members and lay people - could be trained to effectively provide a range of health care interventions. The results were overwhelmingly positive! For example, inter-personal psychotherapy delivered by lay-persons in a community in Zimbabwe demonstrated a 90% recovery rate when compared with a 45% of non-treated villagers; a success by any standard!
Generally, this talk was to encourage the use of the available workforce who are already where people in need are - community members, volunteers, and "untrained" workers. With basic training and guidance, these people can deliver affordable and effective health care with wonderful results. So why don't we use it? If we want health for all, we need to involve all.

My Take-Away -Excellent points, Vikram, excellent points. I may be a health care professional, highly trained to provide very specific care, but I am not against the training of lay people to do what I can't. There are only so many doctors and nurses and psychologists and other professionals and we cannot do it all, especially in countries where there are even fewer of us! We can use all the help we can get! And if that help is effective and (ahem) cheaper than what we would provide, then why the hell not?
I will end with Vikram's own words - take a moment to think about the person (or persons) who came to mind when you read the list of mental disorders near the start of this blog entry. Dare to care for them.