SRS has undertaken intensive planning efforts to improve how the public mental health system provides a full array of effective supports and services. This planning effort, called the Hospital and Home Initiative, has resulted in numerous recommended action steps for improving public mental health services. SRS is coordinating these recommendations with the Governor's Mental Health Services Planning Council who, along with its subcommittees, also assesses the efficacy and sufficiency of Kansas mental health services.
"In the development of the study, this consultant has been asked to review the current needs of the state hospital system and he has been asked to make recommendations about future needs. The consultant conducted numerous interviews over the course of two days in Topeka, Kansas in May, 2003. The consultant has also reviewed numerous documents concerning the needs for the state mental health system. This report is a product of these activities"--Introduction.
"This is the second report from the Mental Health Task Force, which was established because the Legislature recognized that the behavioral health system in Kansas is in crisis. "Behavioral health" refers to mental and emotional well-being, as well as actions that affect wellness. Behavioral health problems include substance use disorders and alcohol and drug addiction, in addition to mental illnesses, serious psychological distress, and suicide. Behavioral health systems serve people with behavioral health conditions and support a wide variety of specialized services delivered in a range of care settings"--Executive Summary.
SRS has undertaken extensive public mental health system reform, in collaboration with a broad range of system stakeholders, to be responsive to CMS concerns while both preserving the core infrastructure of Kansas' public mental health system and enhancing both the service array and the number of qualified mental health providers.
"This pamphlet sets forth our basic ideas and convictions concerning the program of community mental health services in Kansas. It is intended primarily as a guide for the 82 counties of Kansas that have not made provision for specialized local mental health services. It may also be useful to the 23 counties already involved in a community mental health program, in helping them evaluate their local activities." -- Foreword.
Estimates indicate that as many as 1 in 4 Americans will experience a mental health problem or will misuse alcohol or drugs in their lifetimes. These disorders are among the most highly stigmatized health conditions in the United States, and they remain barriers to full participation in society in areas as basic as education, housing, and employment. Improving the lives of people with mental health and substance abuse disorders has been a priority in the United States for more than 50 years. The Community Mental Health Act of 1963 is considered a major turning point in America's efforts to improve behavioral healthcare. It ushered in an era of optimism and hope and laid the groundwork for the consumer movement and new models of recovery. The consumer movement gave voice to people with mental and substance use disorders and brought their perspectives and experience into national discussions about mental health. However over the same 50-year period, positive change in American public attitudes and beliefs about mental and substance use disorders has lagged behind these advances. Stigma is a complex social phenomenon based on a relationship between an attribute and a stereotype that assigns undesirable labels, qualities, and behaviors to a person with that attribute. Labeled individuals are then socially devalued, which leads to inequality and discrimination. This report contributes to national efforts to understand and change attitudes, beliefs and behaviors that can lead to stigma and discrimination. Changing stigma in a lasting way will require coordinated efforts, which are based on the best possible evidence, supported at the national level with multiyear funding, and planned and implemented by an effective coalition of representative stakeholders. Ending Discrimination Against People with Mental and Substance Use Disorders: The Evidence for Stigma Change explores stigma and discrimination faced by individuals with mental or substance use disorders and recommends effective strategies for reducing stigma and encouraging people to seek treatment and other supportive services. It offers a set of conclusions and recommendations about successful stigma change strategies and the research needed to inform and evaluate these efforts in the United States.
Mental illnesses include major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, autism spectrum disorders etc. Consequences of mental illness for the individual and society could lead to increased disability, unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness and even suicide. Major mental disorders cost the nation at least $193.2 billion annually in lost earnings alone. ... Healthy People 2010 and its consequent Healthy Kansans 2010 distinguished mental health as one of the ten leading health indicators to monitor the health status of Kansans. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) recognize the need to assess status of mental health of Kansans. ... This report provides the comprehensive review of mental illness status in Kansas that will help KDHE in directing effective services and program efforts for better mental health of Kansans.
