RESEARCH ON SEVERE MENTAL ILLNESS 2 RESEARCH ON SEVERE MENTAL ILLNESS 2

RESEARCH ON SEVERE MENTAL ILLNESS 2

RESEARCH ON SEVERE MENTAL ILLNESS 2

RESEARCH ON SEVERE MENTAL ILLNESS

1

Research on Severe Mental Illness

Claudia Bastardo

Denise Galdos

Rocio Mesa

William Perez

NUR4300 Vulnerable and Underserved Populations

Dr. Antuanet Cruz

July 20, 2022

Research on Severe Mental Illness

Introduction

The selected vulnerable group for this research is severe mental illness. National Institute of Mental Health (2020) defines severe mental illness as a mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder that results in serious functional impairment which significantly affects or limits major life activities. The condition is determined by the duration and length of the disease and the disability it causes. It may present as disorders that produce psychotic symptoms like schizoaffective and schizophrenia disorder and symptoms of other disorders like bipolar and major depressive disorder. The reason for selecting a person with severe mental illness as a vulnerable population is their risk of criminal victimization. The current research explores the aspects of severe mental illness, the vulnerability of the population, common infectious diseases, barriers to healthcare, and evidence-based practices in improving health outcomes for the population.

Aspects of Severe Mental Illness

Severe mental illness is a person above 18 years who have had within the past year a diagnosable emotional, behavioral, or mental which causes severe functional impairment which limits or affects their major life activities (Diby et al., 2021). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) lists approximately 300 mental illness and severe mental illness comprise of this illness that has extended for a long period of time. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2019), severe mental illness affects approximately 4.4% of the population. It includes severe bipolar disorders, severe major depression, and Schizophrenia. The symptoms depend on the type of mental illness.

Vulnerability of Persons with Severe Mental Illness

Rossa-Roccor et al. (2020) conducted a cross-sectional study to assess the lifetime violent and non-violent victimization of persons with severe mental illness. The researchers provide that persons with severe mental illness have a greater risk of becoming victims of violence than the general population, such as sexual offenses, violent threats, aggravated acquisitive crimes, and physical assaults. Another form of vulnerability for persons with severe mental illness in employment. According to Diby et al. (2021), persons with severe mental illness have a low employment rate than the general population.

Psychic disorders may impair a person’s capacity and ability to effectively work based on symptoms fluctuations and the severity of the illness. The population is also at risk of discrimination, contributing to the employment rate difference between people with severe mental illness and those without. The situation is worse for people who develop mental illness between 15 to 25 years and are likely to be left out of employment (Diby et al., 2021). The population’s vulnerability to employment is increased by the number of hours a person may spend in and out of hospitals and victimization.

Common Communicable Diseases for the Population

According to Andrson et al. (2019), persons with severe mental illness are at a greater risk of communicable disease due to chronic inflammation of the central nervous system (CNS) and psychopathological state. This is evidenced by a link between symptoms of schizophrenia and depression, multiple sclerosis, and the viral CNS with measles and type 1 and 2 herpes simplex virus. Muller (2018) argue that persons with severe mental illness are at greater risk of developing psychopathological syndromes, including scleroderma, erythematodes, lupus, and post-streptococcal disorders due to autoimmune processes. The population is at a higher risk of infectious agents due to the sickness behavior where severe depression causes reactions of the organism to inflammation and infection.

The autoimmune process occurs due to the increase in the release of C-reactive protein

(CRP) in persons with severe depression, increasing the severity of depression (Muller, 2018). The link between high CRP levels and communicable disease is that the levels initiate the release and circulation of phagocytic and lymphocyte cells. Muller (2018) provides a correlation between infections and autoimmune disorders in major depression, where major depression may cause infections, and infections may increase the severity of depression.

Barriers to Healthcare and Access to Care

One of the barriers to healthcare and access to care among persons with severe mental illness is the limited availability of medication and health professionals. According to Byrow et al. (2020), some regions lack essential medicine for mental illness management, and there are limited mental health facilities and personnel to care for the population. This is worse in rural areas and low-economic populations. Tristiana et al. (2018) provide that there is only one child psychiatrist for every one to four million people, and the situation worsens in low and middleincome countries. Another barrier to healthcare and access to care is limited affordability, where some people may hardly afford the cost of psychiatric medications.

Tristiana et al. (2018) provide a lack of global comprehensive mental health policies, which is essential in implementing and coordinating mental health care services. Byrow et al. (2020) argue that 22% of countries do not have policies protecting persons with mental illness, and one-third do not have a comprehensive mental health care plan or policy. Another barrier is the lack of education in minority groups where the knowledge about mental illness is limited, preventing people from identifying mental illness and seeking treatment. The situation worsens in areas where culture and stigma on mental illness prevent people from seeking care.

Severe Mental Illness and Public Health Nursing

Severe mental illness is a public health issue that affects an individual’s ability to have a fulfilling life and causes social and physical problems. The core role of public health nursing is to advocate for mentally ill persons in the prevention and development of effective interventions to assist the individuals and the community combat mental health issues (Zolezzi et al., 2018). Nurses are responsible for tackling the adverse influence of mental health through a comprehensive approach.

According to Higgins et al. (2018), public health nurses prevent mental disorders, support recovery, improve access to mental health services and reduce the rate of diseases, disability, and death related to mental illness. Another key role of public health nursing is to increase community awareness of mental health issues to reduce stigma. Reducing stigma facilitates the health-seeking behavior of persons in top mental health services. Public health is the first line in eliminating health disparities and promoting equitable access to health services.

Evidence-Based Practices That Improve Health Outcomes of the Group

The future of mental health management calls for a comprehensive approach. Higgins et al. (2018) argue that public health professionals formulate programs that address mental health risk factors. This helps if the formulation of prevention programs. The future of managing severe mental illness requires the collaboration of different stakeholders and the implementation of

Evidence-Based Practices (EBPs). Muesser et al. (2018) provide that EBP increases access to effective practices by developing comprehensive and standardized implementation packages that facilitate care coordination with a multidisciplinary team including mental health authorities, program leaders, clinical supervisors, family members, consumers, and clinicians. The program should be a national program that will promote public health nursing to promote intervention informed by research. Such a process should integrate the six EBPs: integrated dual disorders treatment, illness management, recovery skills supported employment, family psychoeducation, assertive community treatment, and collaborative psychopharmacology (Drake et al., 2019).

Conclusion

The selected vulnerable group are persons with severe mental illnesses like bipolar depression and schizophrenia who do not have access to effective treatment practices for other disorders. Severe mental illness is diagnosed based on the duration and the severity. Public health nursing plays a critical role in addressing the individual needs of the population. The future of persons with mental illness requires a comprehensive approach informed by implementing Evidence-Based Practices (EBPs).

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