|
By Bart Magee, Ph.D.
After a close election, Proposition 1, the bond measure sponsored by Governor Newsom to provide billions for mental health and substance abuse-related housing and treatment, passed. This comes on the heels of the recent establishment “Care Courts”, and changes in conservatorship laws, which will allow, for the first time in decades, compelled treatment for individuals with schizophrenia and other forms of severe mental illness. There is no question that these hotly debated proposals now being implemented add up to a paradigm shift in the approach to the treatment of severe mental illness. The question is: Will they work as intended?
0 Comments
By Bart Magee, Ph.D.
Dear friends of Access Institute, Everyone is taking about mental health - Access Institute is doing something about it! For over two decades, Access Institute has been San Francisco's Mental Health Safety net, addressing the needs of the most vulnerable residents of our city. We pride ourselves on ensuring that no one is turned away and everyone who seeks our help receives the care they deserve. That's not all - we have expanded the reach of our services. This year, Access Institute: By Bart Magee, Ph.D.
The contemporary mental healthcare crisis encompasses so many dimensions, with an alarming component being the shortage of available psychiatric care. And the future presents a troubling challenge, as the demand for psychiatric medication services continues to surge while the number of psychiatrists diminishes. The American Psychiatric Association projects 20% decline in the psychiatrist workforce by the year 2030. Numerous factors contribute to this issue, chief among them being reimbursement rates that fall below those of other medical fields, coupled with a deficiency in available residency slots. These and other circumstances combine to deter medical practitioners from pursuing psychiatry as a specialty. This scarcity of psychiatrists is further compounding the preexisting mental health crisis, leaving a substantial portion of the population—especially those who face economic disadvantages—bereft of accessible services. Dear friends of Access Institute,
May is mental health month, and it's time for us to recognize the mental health challenges we face as individuals and as a society. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the issue of social disconnection to the forefront, leading to increased loneliness and isolation and higher rates of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. The US Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, recently declared loneliness and social disconnection as national problems, ones that deserve urgent attention. By Bart Magee, Ph.D.
A new generation of A.I. technologies released this spring shocked the world with its power, the extent of which we are only beginning to comprehend. The awareness that we are just at the floppy-disc phase of their development adds to our collective shudder—and awe. I have no doubt that A.I. will fundamentally change mental healthcare. While the opportunities are tremendous, I do have profound concerns about the potential for harm not only to individual patients, but for our collective mental health. |
Archives
April 2024
Categories |