What can we do as PMH-APRNs to close the existing disparities in Mental Health?
As a PMH-APRN the first thing is to recognize that there are disparities in Mental Health, Many communities are not getting the help needed and deserved. In my experience, one of my relatives was in desperate need for her son who was going through full panic episode. Although she did a telehealth, she was not able to contact that provider or anyone available in her community for an evaluation. I felt powerless and I decided that it will be the last time as I have witnessed so many opportunities for me to help but locked into my capacities. So, I put myself through this program, hoping to make a change one patient at a time. According to Kumar et al (2021), the Future of Nursing 2020 goals as they apply to child and adolescent mental health were not met in 2021 and goals need to be established as we move forward. The authors argued that Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNPs) need to be pushing for a more advanced role in specializing in mental health care in pediatric. There is a shortage in pediatric mental care. The World Health Organization (WHO) argued that the prevalence of mental health issues originates from the adolescence state, yet remained untreated (Who, 2023). Merging mental health into primary care can reduce disparities in Mental Health.
2- Do you consider there is a stigma associated with specializing in PMH?
In many cultures, stigma exists. In my culture, the importance of mental health is lacking in many families. Mental disorders at times are interpreted as attention seeking and fake. It is almost taboo to report suffering from depression, panic disorders and more. Behavioral issues are seen as a lack of discipline that needs reinforcing. However, there is slow progress as we migrate to the United States, a shift in mental health wellbeing has taken place and continues to evolve over the years. Understanding the stigma attached to mental health is very important as the goal is to integrate it into primary care (Kohrt, 2020).
References
Kohrt BA, Turner EL, Rai S, Bhardwaj A, Sikkema KJ, Adelekun A, Dhakal M, Luitel NP, Lund C, Patel V, Jordans MJD. Reducing mental illness stigma in healthcare settings: Proof of concept for a social contact intervention to address what matters most for primary care providers. Soc Sci Med. 2020 Feb 15;250:112852. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.112852. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 32135459; PMCID: PMC7429294.
Kumar A, Kearney A, Hoskins K, Iyengar A. The role of psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners in improving mental and behavioral health care delivery for children and adolescents in multiple settings. Arch Psychiatr Nurs. 2020 Oct;34(5):275-280. doi: 10.1016/j.apnu.2020.07.022. Epub 2020 Jul 18. PMID: 33032746; PMCID: PMC7547148.