Mental Health in America

Mental Health America. May is Mental Health Month - "created more than 50 years ago to raise awareness about mental health conditions and the importance of mental wellness for all."
Mantel, Barbara. "Mental Health Policy: Can access to mental health services be improved?." CQ Researcher 10 May 2013. An estimated 58 million American adults, or one in four, suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder. Eleven million live with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depression. Yet it can take years for some individuals to see a mental health professional.
Some don't want help, but the majority say treatment is often unaffordable. Others don't know where to go for treatment or say that insurance coverage isn't adequate. The contentious debate over gun control since the December massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School has been accompanied by a less polarizing discussion about improving access to mental health care. Still, some proposals have split mental health advocates, including encouraging states to make court-ordered outpatient treatment easier to obtain. In addition, critics say new definitions of mental illnesses will lead to over-diagnosis. Meanwhile, insurers and patient advocates struggle to interpret federal laws requiring equal treatment of mental and physical illnesses. From the CQ Researcher. Reprinted with permission from CQ Press.
Articles

ProQuest

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EBSCOhost

SU ( mental health or mental* ill* ) and GE united states and ( uninsured or poor or underinsur* or homeless* or low income ) - over 170 full text articles

( mental health or mental* ill* ) and united states and (prison* or jail* or correctional institutions) - 390+ full text articles

SU ( mental health or mental* ill* ) and GE united states and SU ( college* or universit* ) - over 110 full text articles

Or try subject searches on particular mental conditions, such as stress, anxiety, and depression.

CQ Researcher

Clemmitt, Marcia. Treating Depression: Is effective treatment available? CQ Researcher June 26, 2009.

Tanner, Jane. Mental Illness Medication Debate: Should more patients have access to new drugs? CQ Researcher February 6, 2004.

Books

CBC Library Catalog - books on the subject of Mental Illness in the United States

Ebooks

Ebrary: Hinshaw, Stephen P., Dante Ciccetti and Sheree L. Toth. Mark of Shame : Stigma of Mental Illness and an Agenda for Change. Oxford University Press, 2006.

Search Ebrary directly for more titles on mental health, psychology, and specific disorders.

Reference

Our print reference collection includes important titles such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; please contact reference for more recommendations.

Salem health : Psychology and Mental Health / editor, Nancy A. Piotrowski. Salem, 2010. Available in print at the Medical Library or searchable online separately or with Magill's Medical Guide.

Gale Virtual Reference has numerous articles from scholarly reference works on Mental Health, Psychology, and various mental disorders.

Colman, Andrew M. Search for this in Oxford Reference: Dictionary of Psychology. Oxford University Press, 2006.


Web

MedLinePlus - Mental Health and Behavior Topics - guides to authoritative information found in sites from "government agencies and health-related organizations."

National Institute of Mental Health - "largest scientific organization in the world dedicated to research focused on the understanding, treatment, and prevention of mental disorders and the promotion of mental health." Most of their publications are linked from MedlinePlus, but they also offer The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America - and other pages about statistics.

Videos

Trouble in Mind. 13 videotapes "...on various mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s, depression, delirium, and psychosomatic illness." Available at Circulation.

Girl, Interrupted. Columbia Pictures, 1999.

TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design conference) videos on Psychology topics. Online.

Videos on the New DSM V. American Psychiatric Association.