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Richard C. Brown
English 1010-53
Irene Petersen
28 APR 2016

Issue Summary: The State of Integrated Health Care

As current events that revolve around violence such as terrorist attacks from neighboring
nations, local bombings, to public shootings at schools; authorities as well as victims have a
wondering notion of why; What is the cause for irrational acts of violence? As a whole, society
can speculate the general cause of motivation from violence in the media (music, interactive
entertainment, and television) are the cause of the problem? Peers that are around them?
Activities that are normal hobbies that becomes a taboo because that was the last thing that
terrorist/attackers were doing before any type of attacks? Or is it all the above? Although, these
questions seem to be more of the questioning of problems at the surface, it points out that we as a
society just focus the aftermath of an occurring incident.
Understanding senseless acts of violence will only cause an infinite discussion of possible
problems that dont have solutions, instead the issues needs to be looked at a perspective
viewpoint on each attack as a whole versus a single event. As a whole, the United States has an
alarming rate of violence that happens every year, whether these acts of violence can be
determined or not, by any type of mental illness or disorders that are to blame for, yet the
behavior speaks for itself. The state of mental health care and its practices is apparent to be in
very much of need. Yet patients throughout the country tend to seek help at their local hospitals
but the issue with this is that not all primary care centers focus on mental and behavioral health
needs due to focusing on the practicing silos of heath care, the focus on primary care. 19 out of

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50 states practice the Integrated Health Care model which is a great start (Crowley and
Kirschner), but to encompass the full capacity of the Integrated health care to its potential in the
US is a question that one can ask themselves, Does Integrated Health Care work?
The medical communitys point of view with Integrated Health Care is synonymous with
the term whole body care that refers to Mental, Physical, and Behavioral well-being. According
to the CDC, Mental Health is described to compose of emotional well-being, psychological
well-being, and social well-being (Satel and Toerry 4) or medical conditions that disrupt a
persons thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily functioning (Crowley and
Kirschner). The World Health Organization, the WHO, states that mental health is the states
of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her potential, can cope with the normal
stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or
her community. (Mental Health: A State of Well-Being) The correlation with the physician of
the US and the UK, is that multiple diagnoses co-existing in physical health aliments (i.e.
diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and so on) can also reflect on the emotional and behavioral
health of a patient. With physicians in the US and the UK understand that mental, lifestyles, and
behavior disorders (examples are excessive alcohol use, eating, smoking, abusive drugs use, and
poor dietary habits) are linked to physical sickness that have an increase mortality and morbidity
via comorbidity rate. Among the medical essay entries, it also is in an agreement that the local
governments need to revise or reform the health care policies within the Health Care System in
order to help and assist individuals with on-going health issues. Satel and Torrey have stated that
Medicaid and Medicare was a result of deinstitutionalization of mentally ill patient from mental
hospitals, being cut off and ultimately left on their own (unless they had family. Even then,
families would turn their backs on them do to the fact that they were Mentally ill, therefore the

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stigma has become a trend) that eventually go untreated. Satel and Torreys essay is focused on
the historical state of mental health care, but also focuses on policies of health care system as
well. On the related topic, Crowley and Kirschner mentions of patients accessibility to
health/mental care treatment and medical cost. Yet, due to the Affordable Care Act, receiving the
types of appropriate services is possible. What is also relating from Crowley and Kirschners
Position paper to Currids, et al, essay is that education and training is recommended to support
the continuing care of patients with mental disabilities seek. Currids, et al, essay has said that
nurses are the intersecting point of patient care in the primary care setting when mental health
care is needed. The contrast to the medical point of view is also in agreement that the mental
health stigma is apparent to patients and professionals. Where patients and professional
apparent to be not functioning, but for professionals to be demonized by just locking patients
up and drugging them (Currid, et al 23). Since the Integrated Health Care approach is still new
to many communities, mental health is also treated as low priority and within the medical
community, professionals who look at other resident physicians for undertaking psychiatric or
psychotherapy as a medical specialty is also looked down upon. The Con of the medical
perspective would be the lack of patients point of view as well as the juridical as well.
The Juridical (in particular lawyers and attorneys) viewpoint has no regard to the medical
aspect of mental health, especially when it comes to Psychiatry as medical specialty. It seems
they have a focus on their clients best interest as well as the regard of civil rights. As Ramsey
said People who disagree with the concept of mental illness and with the associated idea of
psychiatric diagnosis call psychiatric diagnoses labels (1) and refers to labels as a negative to
the person and their image. Ramsays also states that a diagnosis as a label, lasts a lifetime and
destroys a person altogether. Although a lot of Ramsays approach to the mental health aspect of

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psychiatry is no more than disrespectful and negative, it does have a pro, which is for the
physician; in this since psychiatrist and psychologist, are unable to determine who is mentally
dysfunction or have a mental illness. As this is portrayed by an experiment that has been
documented as a book, Ten days in a Mad House, it displayed pseudo-patients to falsify there
mental disabilities to psychiatric physician in 1900s. Although this is a fallacy by portraying the
1900s medical/psychiatric practices, it still points out that anybody cannot determine what
mental illness are within a person, even if it is valid diagnosis because it is a case by case event.
Ramsays also says that as the diagnoses that are described in the DSM are guidelines of
descriptions [the author really goes out of his way to emphasis description] of a type of illness,
disorder, or syndrome demotes the term diagnosis. Like the medical community with its stand on
science, it is ever changing. According to Lawrence Stevens, Psychiatry should be abolished
altogether and not be consider a specialty. In fact, Stevens goes as far as calling psychiatry
unscientific and states that the study is at the bottom of the totem pole in medicine. (3) The
authors writing is very similar in tone, that of Ramsay essay, and calling mental illness an
unfortunate life experience or event rather than a biological cause. (2) Stevens pretty much
sums it up with, Since lack of health is not the cause of the problem, health care is not a
solution. (3) Yet the interesting part of Stevens essay is the use of E. Fuller Torreys, M.D.
book, The Death of Psychiatry, and states that psychiatry needs to end its misguidedness
counterproductive approach to trying to solve peoples problems. (4) Yet, the author also uses
simple terms and simple understanding of real biological disease that manifest the physical
aspect of illness and that the need for physicians in a specialty field is much appropriate then
treating disease as a mental illness. The con of the juridical view is that is tends to be bias with

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fallacies that support their propaganda. Yet, it does not dismiss the fact that there have been
malpractices in the Mental Health field.
Last but not least, the patients prospective is negative, a mental ill patients point of
view. In a poem format by Rae Ubzucker, it discusses what a mental ill patient goes through,
what they seen, what is imposed without action, to be label by others and self, and overall what
kind of struggles they have and go through all over. It is simple with direct detail and short but
tends to get to the point. Although it lacks in the medical or legal viewpoints, it really does not
need to emphasis that. After all the patient is the patient which is the bottom line at the chain of
the Patient Care.
3 out of the 6 essays are written by Psychiatrist, Doctors, and Doctors that are outside of
the US, which the written perspective as medical. 2 out of the 6 are lawyers, the legal aspect. 1
out of 6 is from a patients point of view. The similarities of the five essays agreed on the
medical aspect of primary care and the specialties in the respected fields is important. Yet, the
medical point of view is in agreement that the current health care system is in trouble and is in
much need of a reform. The positives of the medical aspect are the need of medical professions
(Primary, Mental, and Behavioral) that understanding and providing mental and behavioral care
services are becoming a focal point of total, whole body care. With the Patients point of view is
accountable due to the results of what the patient has been treated by an impartial health care
system.
In conclusion, it is important to be aware of the current health systems policies for all
aspects of health care services. By re-approaching the patients view with better patient care, to
re-writing health care policies for better and easy accessibility, and to re-think the current Health

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Care system to be better suited with any on coming whole body, health issues through training
and education; therefore, it is key to address the issue with mental health illness with the predetermine physical medical conditions as contributing factors to mental illness along with
behavioral disorders. Whether you look at the points of view to determine the answer, Does
Integrated Health Care work? One can answer their opinion with valid facts with a correct
approach to a perspective.

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Work Cited
Crowley, Ryan, BSJ and Kirschner, Neil, PhD., The integration of Care for Mental Health,
Substance

Abuse, and other Behavioral Health Conditions into Primary Care: Executive

Summary of an

Web. 26 APR 2016.

Currid, Thomas J., at el, Mental health issues in Primary care: implementing policies in
practice.

British Journal of Community Nursing. 17: 1 21-26. Mark Allen Publishing Ltd.

Web. 26 APR 2016.

Ramsay, Wayne, J.D. The Myth of Psychiatric Diagnosis (2014). 1-17. Web. 26 ARP 2016
Satel, Sally and Torrey, E. Fuller., A prescription of Mental-Health Policy., National Affairs.
27: Spring

2016 3-22. Ingram Periodicals, INC., 2016., Print.

Stevens, Lawrence, J.D. Why Psychiatry Should Be Abolished as a Medical Specialty (2001).
1-8. Web.

26 ARP 2016.

Unzicker, Rae. To Be a Mental Patient (1984). Web. 26 APR 2016.

Who.int. Mental Health: The State of Well-Being, 2014. Web. 01 MAY 2016.