Mental Health Care or Carelessness?
Denial around the seriousness of addressing mental health problems impacts all facets of America. Investing in the front end of the health care network could save valuable tax dollars by both preventative and proactive measures. The mind is very tied to our body. When one fails the other usually is not too far behind. Today the United States spends 5.6 percent of the national healthcare spending, or $113 billion, on mental health treatment. Most of this goes toward prescription drugs and outpatient treatment. Our country had 156,300 mental health counselors in 2010, and access to mental healthcare is pathetic compared to other types of medical services. Healthcare spending is forecast to account for nearly 20 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), or one-fifth of the U.S. economy, by 2021. It’s been estimated that wasteful spending may account for between one-third and one-half of all U.S. healthcare spending. The largest area of waste is ‘defensive medicine’, inclu