COVID-19 has affected people in many ways such as financial burdens, not having access to health care, and the basic principles of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs are not being met. For those who are not familiar with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, it’s based on the principle that if these needs are met, then that person will have a healthy life. Not just physically, but mentally as well. The first one, physiological needs which is making sure humans have food and any other basic needs. The second one, safety, which involves having a job, having the security of one's own body, and having resources for the things we need. The third, love and belonging, involves having secure friendships, family, and even sexual intimacy. The fourth is esteem, which is essentially having confidence and respect. The last one is self-actualization which essentially is the goal that we are trying to meet as humans according to Maslow. Traits include morality, creativity, being able to problem-solve effectively, lack of prejudice, and acceptance of facts.
At this point, you may be asking what does Maslow have to do with why the mental health system needs to be reformed? As a mental health professional, I see dozens of people who come through the system, and with each one I see, many basic needs are not being met. The problem with our mental health system is that money has taken over the mindsets of many mental health professionals. The money that is given to these agencies is being spent on things that are not effective for those suffering a mental illness. For all my years in this field, I have seen toxic work environments, misdiagnosis, high turnover, and most importantly quality of care. I would argue however, the most important issue there is not enough therapy being implemented. Professionals put their focus on medication.
Since I am not a counselor yet, it is my job to advocate for my clients. As a soon-to-be therapist, we need to make society better. What my opinion that is destroying society is Big Pharma, Wallstreet, The military-industrial complex, mainstream media, and performative politicians. These things are what are causing people to not fight for what they rightfully deserve. For those who haven’t paid attention to what has been going on right now, we have a climate crisis, inequality in many forms, no free health care, lack of housing and cost of living, going to pointless wars, not having student debt canceled, being threatened with censorship, and capitalism.
We live in a fake society! A fake society is when you promote things such as equality and mental health, but not doing anything to resolve these issues. The focus I want to put this article in is mental health. Mental health should be an everyday issue we must talk about. Because of the problems mentioned above, people are sadly taking their own lives and not receiving that quality of care. When I am at my job, I listen to my clients, I provide safety plans for when they are in crisis, I help organize their day, I follow up with clients to do check-ins and see the progress they are making towards their goals. Every person I have worked with has always made a complaint to their previous workers because they never implemented these techniques. When I told my clients that I was leaving my job they were really sad about it. Clients have told me that they appreciate someone who is really listening to them and care about their progress.
When I hear this I feel good but I also feel disturbed. It should not be that way because providers providing that low quality of care the client feels like they are a burden and often hides how they really feel. When clients see their psychiatrist it is usually assessing their mood but just talk about medications. Some of my clients really want to talk to their psychiatrist and the fact this isn’t practiced is disappointing. People often forget in this field that every detail they disclose is relevant. Even as a therapist we are to consider every factor. That is why listening is a skill that has to be mastered in my field.
As long as big pharma is in control quality of care does not matter. With COVID happening it has been an adjustment. There has been a lack of help from our elected leaders and we have found ourselves relying on each other. It gives me peace when I see my friends doing what they can to help those that are struggling but also makes me furious. Yes, we should all help each other no matter what, but we the people can’t do it alone. Our elected leaders work for us and they are supposed to make it easier for us.
During this pandemic, millions have lost jobs, could not pay their loans, lost their healthcare, suffered an injustice by the police, and were kicked out of their homes. No one should be surprised that many of us are in the streets. Being in the streets is showing that we the people are pissed and a need for change is needed. More and more POC and LGBTQ individuals are getting killed. POC and LGBTQ individuals are affected by this mental health crisis. When doing my research for my advocacy project and the past projects I never found hardly any recent stats done on both populations. This really exposes that neither of us matters and confirms that this system is a racist one.
Let’s examine though why there is this lack of quality of care. We know the focus of medications is the problem. The problem is the productivity and tedious requirements that are placed in these environments. Typically, admin. staff flaunts in a subtle way that it really is just about the money. This confirms one of many stigmas of mental health and one that I want to make a dent in. Put healthcare aside for a brief second. When people get confirmation that this is a true fact in this field, they tend to run away. That in itself is a disgrace and disservice to the client or potential client. As my job as a counselor, I will advocate that the focus of mental health care should be therapy-focused not just medication-focused. There needs to be a balance. Therapy is intimate because as a client you are entrusting us with your deepest secrets. That in itself is a challenge.
Disorders such as anxiety, depression, and trauma can be fixed by the utilization of therapy. One can argue that medication can be helpful in the beginning but ultimately when one goes to therapy they are learning how to manage their emotions. At that point, medication can be weaned off. Big pharma would rather have us drugged up than actually get better.
Mental health is important and we should not have one month, it should be every day! If you know someone who is depressed please be their support, assure them they are not alone, encourage them, and more importantly help them find their voice.