Medical Review: Mental Health Funding An Issue?

Online, September 28, 2012 (Newswire.com) - It is common in this day and age for society to applaud itself on the great steps we have made in becoming more enlightened about health issues, not least on the topic of mental health. But recent reviews seem to show that worldwide, there has been some slippage in terms of the money spent on mental health funding. There is a feeling based on these numbers that although we may take mental health more seriously than it was once taken, it still doesn't resound as a health issue in the same way as conditions with symptoms we can see.

Leading mental health advocates are concerned that, with budgets getting smaller as the global economy dices with difficult times, short-termism may see mental health suffer in terms of public and medical focus. This is all the more pernicious, say the advocates, because in times of financial stricture it is easier for mental health issues such as depression to take root in patients who lose their jobs, face more demanding workloads and who need to take life-changing decisions without the usual level of consideration. Right now, they say, is when mental health must be a focus.

There is no doubt that keeping all the plates spinning is a challenge for any funding organisation, government-backed or otherwise, and that a smaller pie means smaller slices. What any realistic lobbying organisation is asking for right now is for the people allocating those slices not to cut from mental health to give to more visible problems. Although there is still a damaging and pervasive tendency to treat mental illness as "malingering" or "moral weakness", repeated studies have shown that conditions such as depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder are very real medical issues.

Volunteering organisations with charitable backing are reporting an increase in workload, and in some sections of the world there are notable rises in suicide rates. While much of this can and should be laid at the door of social problems caused by the way the world has changed in the wake of the global financial meltdown, these organisations are cautioning that less money means longer waiting lists, and that time is a precious commodity when it comes to helping those who have been laid low by illness - and charities can only plug so much of the gap.

A staff member of one of the budgetary organisations, who asked not to be named, said today: "When budgets are crunched, there is invariably a fight between advocates of various sectors to ensure that theirs is not the one that comes out of the allocation with less than before. Each of these advocates has their story to tell, but what needs to be remembered is that the full story is wider than any one person can tell. We need to be constantly monitoring the news, the reports we get from study groups and the healthcare statistics to get the fullest possible picture of how to help."