A Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health
In the United Kingdom, the Government Office for Science launched the Foresight Project on Mental Capital and Wellbeing. The goal of this Project is to take a holistic, scientific approach to consider all factors that influence a person’s mental development and wellbeing from conception until death. Further, it considers how these factors are affected by the policies and practices of government and other systems.
One of the products of this endeavor is a report which uses both developmental and public health approaches to identify key points at which to intervene in order to promote mental well-being for all. Its chapter on children is rooted in the belief that “mental health starts in the womb” (2008, p.15). To that end, it states that high priority should be given to addressing maternal stress and substance use. In addition, the report highlights how safe and stable housing is an important aspect of healthy child development and therefore needs to be considered when creating a successful program to promote mental well-being.
When addressing the needs of adolescents, the Project prioritizes the need to address substance and alcohol abuse, with an emphasis on better understanding that “the changing adolescent brain specifically makes teenagers vulnerable to poor decision-making” (2008, p.18). Thus, scientific research is seen as the key element to creating healthier youth.
The report concludes with the message that the mental health and well-being of its citizens should be at the heart of governmental policies and decision-making.
Questions for Discussion:
- Do you think such a broad approach is necessary in order to promote the health and well-being of individuals?
- Do you think the US Government would be able and/or willing to adopt such a holistic approach to promoting positive mental health?
- Why do you think the report stressed social approaches to achieving the mental well-being of children, while the promotion of mental health in adolescents was more based in a biological model?
Your thoughts…
Comments:
 CORRECTION - In the previous response I meant "environmental" issues are important for young people, too - did not mean to repeat "biological" with regard to adolescents.
The authors of the report are just presenting information about the brain development of teens, and the importance of taking the possibility of impulsivity an immature approaches to decision-making into account when working with/planning with them. Posted Thursday, December 11, 2008 at 08:20 AM
The fact that the report emphasizes social/ issues for families and young children, and biological issues for adolescent does NOT suggest that biological and development issues are not important for babies and young children - quite the contrary. And, there's lots of evidence of the importance of biological issues for adolescents and young adults. This seems like a "red herring" question. Posted Thursday, December 11, 2008 at 08:15 AM
The approach described in the UK report appears to go beyond what has traditionally been described as a "public health approach" in the US. Attending to poverty, housing, physical health, education, and many other issues for the entire population calls for a revolutionary, rather than an evolutionary approach to change. It would require unprecedented coordination among government agencies and programs, changes in policy and funding, as well as profound changes in the training of professional and other helpers/ facilitators.
Are we up for it?
Are we up to it?
Posted Thursday, December 11, 2008 at 08:10 AM
The TA Center at Georgetown is close to finalizing a monograph on a public health approach to mental health and has done extensive work for SAMHSA around this issue. Posted Wednesday, December 10, 2008 at 09:35 AM
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