EP 1008 Mental Health Services Often Too Fragmented and Scarce to Help When Help is Needed

Fixing our fragmented mental health care system is a key priority in dealing with the crisis we have today regarding Americans’ mental well-being.  The services are not uniformly available, often late in getting to the people who need them and all of this has a profoundly negative impact on both the patients and the providers.  Dealing with the physical side of the medical community is difficult enough. Imagine being in emotional distress and the crisis building up to a point where an emergency exists or the stigma you feel is traumatizing. On top of that having to tell your story six different times to get to the right person. Such is often the case in the provision of mental health services.  We are talking about issues involving mental health counselors, psychiatrists, addiction professionals and others.  To discuss what she’s hoping can be done, and the signs that progress is being made, is Mohini Venkatesh, chief of staff for the National Council for Mental Wellbeing (TheNationalCouncil.org). It’s an extremely challenging and crucial topic is a moment of great anxiety in our country.

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